to work to see if I
could find the treasure that I hoped was on board of her. Here and there
about the decks I saw swords and pistols and old cannon, but not a sign
of any of the brave fellows that had fought the ship, for the fish had
eaten them up long ago, bones and all.

"While hunting about, and being careful to keep my air-tube from
fouling, I looked into a cabin with the door open; and you will believe
me, miss, when I tell you that a cold chill ran down my back when I saw
something moving inside, just as if it was a man getting up to see what
I wanted. It turned out to be a big fish, about half my size, and he did
not ask any questions, but just swam through the open door, almost
brushing me, and went his way."

"I wonder you weren't frightened to death!" said the Daughter of the
House.

"It would be hard to kill me with fright," said John Gayther, "and I'll
prove that to you, miss. As I moved on, still looking for the treasure,
I came to the door of another cabin, and this was shut and bolted on the
outside. I had a hatchet with me, and with this I knocked back the bolts
and forced open the door; and there I saw something to make anybody
jump. Sitting on a locker, right in front of the door, was the skeleton
of a man. The room had been shut up so tight that no fish big enough to
eat bones could get in; but the little things that live in the water and
can get through any crack had eaten all of that man except his bones,
his gold buttons, that were lying about on the floor, the golden
embroidery of his uniform, that was still hanging about on his skeleton,
and the iron fetters on his hands and feet. He was most likely a
prisoner of rank who was being taken back to Spain, and he had been shut
up there through all the fight.

"The first thought that came into my mind when I looked at him was that
he might be Columbus, and that the Spaniards had made up the story about
their really getting him back to Spain at the time when he was to be
brought home in irons. But thinking more about it, I knew that this
could not be true, and so I shut the door so as to keep the poor fellow
from any intrusions so long as he might happen to stay there.

"Then I went to work in real earnest to find the treasure, and I tell
you, miss, I did find it."

"What!" exclaimed the Daughter of the House. "You really found the
treasure on that Spanish galleon?"

"Indeed I did," replied John Gayther. "It was in boxes stowed away in a
bi