same
time, and soon all work had ceased while Jonesy's find was examined.

Tony took his belt knife and scraped. Then he looked around at the
watching group and nodded. He clasped his hands together and shook them
like a fighter mitting the crowd.

Rick and Scotty hooted their triumph. Jonesy had found the statue of St.
Francis!

The boys, the scientists, Steve, and Jimmy carried the treasure to the
surface. The rest of the frogmen continued hunting for souvenirs.

On the landing stage they put the statue down with loving care. Even
under the marine growth they could make out the cowled figure of the
sainted monk, head bent over the fawn he held in his arms.

Tony went to work. Soon there was a gleam of gold that brought a yell of
triumph from the boys. Then--amazingly--the gleam of dull silver.

"Hobart, look at this!" Tony exclaimed.

The big scientist knelt and examined the silvery streak. He borrowed
Tony's knife and probed, then his laugh boomed across the water.

"We are the victims of our own research!" he roared. "All this
trouble--over a statue of lead!"

"Lead!" Rick stared incredulously. This couldn't be true! "There's gold,
too," he pointed out.

"Apparently gold leaf over a lead base," Tony said with a sigh. "No,
Rick. Hobart is right. This is lead."

A call from the water made them look up. Chief Sanders and his diving
buddy had surfaced, and they were carrying a statue of St. Francis!

Behind them, another pair of frogmen, with still another statue!

Within a half hour there were no less than eight identical statues lined
up on deck. St. Francis, in lead, repeated eight times.

Scotty scratched his head. "Well," he said finally, "we certainly found
St. Francis! In fact, we overdid it a little."

Not until long afterward did they learn the answer. Tony Briotti, a
scientist of great persistence, did some research in England during a
European trip to attend a conference of archaeologists. He found that
the _Maiden Hand_ had carried several dozen St. Francis statues, for
sale to churches and individuals in the New World. Captain Campion had
considered only one special enough to mention, because it had been
blessed by the Cardinal of France and entrusted to his care for delivery
to the Governor of Barbados.

The Spindrifters took one statue as a gift for Barby. A cutlass was
Rick's share of the loot, while Tony took the bar shot they had found
near the wreck and Zircon selected a cannon ball