him the
secret of the hiding-place, upon the condition that, upon the recovery
of the treasure, one half of it was to be handed over in certain
proportions to the survivors of the crew who had captured it, or,
failing them, to their heirs; Richard Saint Leger to take the other
half.

"Now, whether it was that Richard Saint Leger was of a secretive
disposition, or whether he had some other motive for keeping the matter
a secret, I know not; but certain it is that he never made the slightest
reference to the matter--even to his son Hugh, who was sailing with
him--until some considerable time afterwards. The occasion which led to
his taking Hugh into his confidence was the meeting with another enemy,
which they promptly proceeded to engage; and it may have been either as
a measure of prudence in view of the impending conflict, or perhaps some
premonition of his approaching end that led him to adopt the precaution
of imparting the secret to a second person. He had deferred the matter
too long, however; and he had only advanced far enough in his narrative
to communicate the particulars I have just given, when the two ships
became so hotly engaged that the father and son were obliged to separate
in the prosecution of their duties, and the conclusion of the story had
to be deferred until a more convenient season. That season never
arrived, for Richard Saint Leger was struck down, severely wounded,
early in the fight, and the command of the ship then devolved upon Hugh.
Moreover, not only was there a very great disparity of force in favour
of the Spaniards, but, contrary to usual experience, they fought with
the utmost valour and determination, so that for some time after the
ships had become engaged at close quarters the struggle was simply one
for bare life on the part of the English, during which Hugh Saint Leger
had no leisure to think of treasure or of anything else, save how to
save his comrades and himself from the horrors of capture by their cruel
enemies.

"Meanwhile, the consciousness gradually forced itself upon Richard Saint
Leger that he was wounded unto death, and that time would soon be for
him no more. Realising now, no doubt, the grave mistake he had
committed in keeping so important a secret as that of the hiding-place
of the treasure locked within his own breast, he despatched a messenger
to Hugh, enjoining the latter to hasten to the side of his dying father
forthwith, at all risks. The messenger, how