ce, loth to leave without finding
the buccaneers' hoard, repeating his previous exclamation: "I'm durned,
though, if I likes givin' it up like this!"

"Come along, my hearty!" cried Tom. "Come along, Charley. But, mind,
neither on you be telling the hands what we've found out! There
wouldn't be a chance for us if the skipper or that drunken cur Flinders
knowed on it."

"Not me," replied Hiram, following Tom along the curve of the shore
towards a little group of trees, which I recognised now as immediately
above the pool frequented by the doves. "I won't tell nary a soul, an'
I reckon we ken both on us anser fur Cholly?"

"Certainly," said I, replying to his implied question, as I came up
behind the two, and we started off retracing our way at once to the
ship, on the fo'c's'le of which we could see several of the men already
gathered together. "I'm sure I won't tell anybody, for I have nobody to
tell except you, Tom, and Hiram--you're my only friends on board."

"Wait till you get hold of the buccaneers' gold, Charley," said Tom
dryly. "You'll get plenty o' chums then, for money makes friends!"

Nothing further was said by either of us, and we presently found
ourselves once more on board, when I turned in at once, for we had
walked a goodish distance, and I was tired out.

The next afternoon, when work was ended and Hiram and I were ready to
start on another excursion to the cave, we could not find Tom.

"Nary mind thet, Cholly," said Hiram. "I guess we ken go 'long, an'
Chips 'll pick us up by-an'-by."

Passing the grove and pool of the doves, we made our way over the brow
of the little hill beyond, and sighted the second bay; when, just as the
opening to the cave became visible, both of us heard the familiar sound
of Sam Jedfoot's banjo.

It was passing strange!

The same old air was being played upon it that we had heard immediately
before the ship struck--and, indeed, almost always prior to every
catastrophe and mischance that had happened throughout our eventful
voyage.

Hiram turned pale.

"Jee-rusalem, Cholly!" he exclaimed, at once arresting his footsteps;
"what on airth air thet?"

I was almost equally frightened.

"It--it--it--sounds like poor Sam's banjo," I stammered out. "I--I--
hope he ha--ha--hasn't come to haunt us again!"

"Seems like," said he; and then, plucking up his courage, he started
once more for the mouth of the cave, I following close, like his shadow,
afraid to lea