he
camp. At the same time he had lifted a powder-horn and bullet pouch from
a wounded pirate.

"If I do bang away and miss him," grumbled Trimble Rogers, "he's apt to
pepper us afore I can reload."

"But you forswore shootin' him," chided Bill Saxby, between strokes of
the paddle.

"Show me a great sea-chest crammed wi' treasure and I'd put a hole
through the Grand High Panjandrum hisself," replied the ancient one.
"Aye, Bill, there be more'n one way to skin an eel. We'll lay aboard
this bloody blow-hard of a Cap'n Teach whilst he's a-buryin' of it. Here
may well be where he has tucked away his other plunder. What if we bag
the whole of it?"

"One more fling, eh, Trimble, and more gold than ye lugged on your back
from Guayaquil," grinned young Bill.

They had spoken in cautious tones and now held their tongues. The
paddles dipped with no more than a trickle of water and the canoe hugged
the marsh. They were close to the next bend of the stream and the sound
of the oars in the cock-boat was faintly audible. As the tallest of the
three, the old man stood up after swathing his head in dried grass, and
gazed across the curve of the shore. By signs he told his companions
that Blackbeard was bound farther up the stream.

They waited a little, giving their quarry time to pass beyond another
turn of the channel. Jack Cockrell was embarked on the most entrancing
excursion of his life. This repaid him for all he had suffered. His only
regret was that poor Joe Hawkridge had been marooned before he could
share this golden adventure. However, he would see that Joe received a
handsome amount of treasure. Trimble Rogers was muttering again, and
thus he angrily expounded a grievance:

"A thief is this Cap'n Teach,--like a wild hog, all greed and bristles.
'Tis the custom of honest buccaneers and pirates to divide the spoils by
the strict rule,--six shares for the commander, two for the master's
mate, and other officers accordin' to their employment, with one share
to every seaman alike. Think ye this bloody pick-purse dealt fairly by
his crew? In yon sea-chest be the lawful shares of all the woesome lads
he marooned this day. An' as much more as he durst skulk away with."

"Easy, now, old Fire-and-Brimstone," warned Bill, "or that temper will
gain the upper hand. Don't spoil the show by bombardin' Blackbeard with
that cross-eyed musket."

Now here was young Master Cockrell, a gentleman and a near kinsman of a
high official