of thunder following each
dull flash from out the cloudy, cavernous depths. In the silence he
could hear an occasional click as of some iron implement, and he
opined that the pirates were burying the chest, though just where they
were at work he could neither see nor tell.

Still he lay there watching and listening, and by and by a puff of
warm air blew across the sand, and a thumping tumble of louder thunder
leaped from out the belly of the storm cloud, which every minute was
coming nearer and nearer. Still Tom Chist lay watching.

Suddenly, almost unexpectedly, the three figures reappeared from
behind the sand hill, the pirate captain leading the way, and the
negro and white man following close behind him. They had gone about
halfway across the white, sandy level between the hill and the hummock
behind which Tom Chist lay, when the white man stopped and bent over
as though to tie his shoe.

This brought the negro a few steps in front of his companion.

That which then followed happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, so
swiftly, that Tom Chist had hardly time to realize what it all meant
before it was over. As the negro passed him the white man arose
suddenly and silently erect, and Tom Chist saw the white moonlight
glint upon the blade of a great dirk knife which he now held in his
hand. He took one, two silent, catlike steps behind the unsuspecting
negro. Then there was a sweeping flash of the blade in the pallid
light, and a blow, the thump of which Tom could distinctly hear even
from where he lay stretched out upon the sand. There was an instant
echoing yell from the black man, who ran stumbling forward, who
stopped, who regained his footing, and then stood for an instant as
though rooted to the spot.

Tom had distinctly seen the knife enter his back, and even thought
that he had seen the glint of the point as it came out from the
breast.

Meantime the pirate captain had stopped, and now stood with his hand
resting upon his cane looking impassively on.

Then the black man started to run. The white man stood for a while
glaring after him; then he, too, started after his victim upon the
run. The black man was not very far from Tom when he staggered and
fell. He tried to rise, then fell forward again, and lay at length. At
that instant the first edge of the cloud cut across the moon, and
there was a sudden darkness; but in the silence Tom heard the sound of
another blow and a groan, and then presently a voice