treasure. Reuben and Paul were of the party.
There were two boats. They pulled up the lagoon.

"I feel very different now from what I did t'other day when the pirates
were after us. Don't you, Paul?" said Reuben Cole, in a moralising
tone. "Many are the ups and downs in the world. The pirates was then
thirsting after our blood, and now we're thirsting after the pirates'
gold. It's not much good our blood would have done them, and I'm
afeared the gold won't do us much good either, if it's spent as most of
us spends it when we gets ashore. Paul, don't you go and throw away
your hard-earned gains as seamen generally do--you'll be sorry for it
some day, if you do."

Paul promised to follow his friend's advice. He was very eager,
however, to find the pirate treasure, as he hoped to be able to send his
share home to his mother and sisters. He was not aware of the efforts
Devereux had been making to get him placed on the quarter-deck, in which
case the share would be considerably more than that of a cabin-boy. The
search was commenced, but except a bag of dollars and a few gold
doubloons, nothing of value could be found. The men dug about in every
direction. There was no sign of the earth having been turned up.

"I say, Reuben, I wonder where all the gold we are looking for can be,"
exclaimed Paul, after they had searched in vain again and again.

"Just possible, nowhere," answered Reuben. "Them chaps is much more
likely to spend their money ashore than to bury it in the ground."

It seemed very probable that Reuben's opinion was the right one. The
seamen dug and dug more frantically and eagerly as the prospect of
finding the gold became less and less. Reuben's spade at length struck
something hard.

"Hurrah! Here it is," cried several voices, and half a dozen spades
were plunged into the hole at the same time. A human skull was soon
brought to view.

"All right," cried O'Grady. "The pirates always bury a man above their
treasure, that his spirit may keep guard over it."

Thus encouraged, the seamen dug on, the bones were thrown up with very
little ceremony, and all expected every instant to come upon an iron
case, or an oak chest, or something of that sort, full of gold, and
pearls, and diamonds. While thus employed, a gun from the ship was
heard. They dug more desperately than ever. The gun was the signal for
their return: it must not be disobeyed. Still, within the very grasp of
their treasure