{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_17415/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_17415","id":"gutenberg_17415","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17415","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Historical Novels","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Novels","Legends -- North Carolina","Pirates, Buccaneers, Corsairs, etc.","Treasure troves -- North Carolina"],"text":"E-text prepared by Irma Spehar, Cori Samuel, and the Project Gutenberg\nOnline Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) from page\nimages generously made available by the Joyner Library of East Carolina\nUniversity (http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/)\n\n\n\nNote: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the original illustrations.\n      See 17402-h.htm or 17402-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/4/0/17402/17402-h/17402-h.htm)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/4/0/17402/17402-h.zip)\n\n      Images of the original pages are available through the North\n      Carolina History and Fiction Digital Library of the Joyner\n      Library, East Carolina University. See\n      http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/historyfiction/document/hom/\n\n\n\n\n\nMONEY ISLAND.\n\nby\n\nANDREW J. HOWELL, Jr.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopyright, 1908, by\nAndrew J. Howell, Jr.\nCommercial Printing Co.,\nWilmington N.C.\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS:\n                                Page.\n\n  Money Island                    5\n\n  The Conquest of Jamesby        51\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: The Little Island Among the Marshes]\n\n\n\n\nMONEY ISLAND.\n\n\nThis is the story of the buried treasure on Money Island, which lies in\nGreenville Sound, not far from Wilmington, North Carolina. It was told\nby Mr. Jonathan Landstone many years ago, and is a part of another story\nwhich follows, and which will explain something further about the\nmysterious little island that blinks in the sunlight and tries to hide\nits secret. The words are Mr. Landstone's and were written by him, to\nmake sure that the story would be told correctly when the time came to\npublish it.\n\n\n(Mr. Landstone's MS.)\n\nMy grandfather lived in Charleston, S.C. My home is in Philadelphia. In\nmy boyhood I visited him several times. He was a fine old man, and was\nvery fond of me. He used to tell me many stories of the good old\ncolonial days. He said his father was a pirate; but that pirates in\nthose days were gentlemen. Although they made game of the King's revenue\non the high seas, it was regarded as nothing very wrong; and, although\nthey played havoc with the Spanish shipping, it was but the assertion of\na time-honored right of Englishmen, who never did love Spaniards. They\nwere, many of them, ingloriously hanged, it is true, but it was by the\nKing's officers, and not by the people.\n\nHowever, not to defend pirates, or indeed to condemn them, I will tell\nyou what my grandfather narrated about his father, who was Capt. John\nRedfield. He was a gallant seaman, who consorted with Charles Vane and\nother doughty corsairs of those days of romance upon the seas.\n\nWhen Captain Kidd forsook the King's commission to run down the pirates\non the American coast, and organized his formidable squadron, Captain\nRedfield was chosen as his trusted counsellor, to accompany the\nbrilliant leader on his adventures. He gave up his own ship, and was\nwith Captain Kidd on many voyages, being entrusted with many a\ncommission of importance.\n\nOne fine spring morning, while off the Carolina coast, Captain Kidd was\npacing his deck, enjoying the warm splendor of the early sunshine. He\nhad just returned from a successful voyage among the Spanish colonies of\nthe south, and was gaily attired after the manner of a Spanish cavalier.\nHe wore a cocked hat, decked with a yellow band and a black plume, and\na coat of black velvet which reached down to his knees. His trousers\nwere blue, and were adorned by large golden knee-buckles. He wore\nmassive silver buckles on his shoes. With his well-proportioned body,\nneatly trimmed beard, and steady, alert eyes, he presented as fine a\npicture of a man as could have anywhere been found. His manner had the\ndignity and repose of a beneficent prince, as he gave his orders for the\nday and received the salutations of his men.\n\nThe ship had passed the Cape of Fear, and was making in towards the\nshore-line, which Captain Kidd was observing with great interest. Some\nnear-by point was evidently the destination. At length, at his orders,\nthe sails were lowered and the anchor dropped. \"We will lie here\nto-day,\" he remarked, \"and have a little rest.\"\n\nThis information met the ready approbation of the men, who soon disposed\nthemselves in careless groups about the ship. They knew it would be a\nday of idleness; because there were no forays to be made upon the land,\nfor the reason that there wore no human habitations in those parts. To\nthe buccaneers the locality was well known as furnishing a safe retreat\nwhen retirement from active work was desired.\n\nDuring the day there were singing, dancing, feasting. It was a day such\nas only a gallant corsair could have with his merry crew. The hours sped\nswiftly; and at dusk anchors were weighed, and the ship moved a few\nmiles to the northward.\n\nCaptain Kidd, standing at the prow, called Captain Redfield to him.\n\"Captain,\" said he, \"I wish to entrust you with a most important\nservice. I am somewhat overstocked. I have not failed to be generous to\nthe men; but still I do not feel at ease for a journey to New England.\nYou appreciate the situation. I wish to make a deposit; and, as our\ninterests along the coast are now beginning to be extensive, I desire to\ndetail you as a resident of Carolina to keep an oversight for me. You\nwill live on this coast near the location of to-night's deposit. You\nwill find the climate agreeable, and other things favorable. I will hand\nyou for your own use, in case of need, gold to the value of one thousand\npounds. Is it agreeable, Captain?\"\n\n\"Aye, sir; your wishes are my orders.\"\n\n\"Then, swear by the Holy Virgin that you will faithfully watch over the\nstuff; that you will not touch the chests or their contents, nor give\nany information or suggestion that might lead any one to their\ndiscovery--in fact, that you will not disclose to any one the object of\nyour residence in this secluded place.\"\n\nCaptain Redfield doffed his hat, and, raising his right hand, said,\n\"Captain, I so swear.\"\n\n\"Your hand with the oath, Redfield. You are a trusty fellow, and I have\nthe fullest confidence in you.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Captain.\"\n\n\"But, hold,\" Captain Kidd continued in his great benevolent voice, \"I\nhad forgotten the conditions. They are: You are to keep the engagement,\nif necessary, for five years. Our calling; as you know, is a little\nuncertain. At the end of that period, if I have not returned, you will\nbe at liberty to take up the smaller chest to be deposited to-night, and\nuse the contents, subject to such division--not to exceed one-half to\neach of us--as I may demand on my return. The same conditions will apply\nto the other chest for an additional period of five years. In the\nevent, however, of any special need, I may send an order for some of the\nstuff. But look you for my signet. See!\" And he drew from his pocket a\npiece of resin upon which he had stamped his signet. \"Keep that to prove\nthe genuineness of my written orders. Is everything satisfactory,\nRedfield?\"\n\n\"Everything is satisfactory, Captain.\"\n\nCaptain Redfield was a man of stalwart build. His height was six feet or\nmore, and his movements were quick and firm. His face was beardless and\nwore an expression of stability and energy.\n\nThe two stood for some time upon the prow of the ship, and discussed the\nlocality of the proposed hiding of the precious booty. Then Captain Kidd\ncalled two men by name, who promptly responded. He said, \"I have trusted\nyou in times past, and I desire to do so again. I believe you will not\nbetray my confidence. We are going to make another deposit to-night. I\nhave long had the location in mind. Now, swear by the Holy Virgin that\nyou will not disturb the stuff yourselves, nor in any way aid or abet\nany one else in doing so.\"\n\nThey swore with deep earnestness.\n\nThe group continued there awhile, until the moon rose and shed its\nsilver splendor on the rolling water about them, touching the\nwhite-capped breakers with a soft and magic radiance as they dashed upon\nthe near-by beach.\n\nThen orders were given for the lowering of the boat.\n\nCaptain Kidd proceeded to the lockers of the ship, which opened into his\ncabin; and, with the aid of Captain Redfield, drew forth two iron\nchests. These he carried to the outer deck, and carefully lowered them\nto the boats by means of ropes. From a respectful distance the sailors\nwho had no hand in this work watched the proceedings with eager\ninterest.\n\nFirearms, shovels, and axes were then placed in the boat. Four rowers\ntook their positions; and Captains Kidd and Redfield climbed down the\nrope ladder, and sat in the stern. Everything was ready, and word was\ngiven to ply the oars.\n\nSoon the ship became a mystic shape in the dim distance; and, as the\ninlet was entered, it was lost entirely to view. By tortuous passages\namong the marshes, they drew up at the island--Money Island.\n\n\"Island the fourth!\" said Captain Kidd jocularly. \"Magnificent indeed\nwill be the buccaneer's castle in Merry England when they all give up\ntheir wealth! Ha, a fine life this; but I suppose as fine a one when\nthe retired merchant from the South Seas brings his well-earned fortune\nto a corner of old England. Not Captain Kidd then, men, but John\nSo-and-So, a wise and revered merchant. Ha! Do you see the game?\"\n\nThe sailors sprang upon the land and pulled the boat well in from the\nwater. The officers stepped lightly ashore, and railed against the\nlow-lying branches, which whipped their faces. The trees were thick and\nlow, making passage beneath them arduous and slow. However, the whole\nisland was small and soon traversed; and, finally, a spot was selected\nas being accessible and suitable to the purpose.\n\nTwo deep holes about ten feet apart were dug, and the chests brought and\ndeposited within them. Some of the earth was replaced; and then they\nsought two small trees to plant above the chests. This was accomplished\nslowly and carefully, so that the growth of the trees would not be\nstopped.\n\nAt length the task was completed; and the little island bore within its\nbosom wealth sufficient to buy an earldom. The silence of the dreary\nsolitude sealed the secret; and there was no man who might discover it,\nother than those who laid the chests in their earthly hiding place. The\nmoon gave testimony to the hidden treasure, and bore its silent witness\nthrough the many decades that followed.\n\nUpon leaving the island, they rowed to the mainland, which was but a\nshort distance away; and there Captain Redfield hid in three places in\nthe ground the money which Captain Kidd had supplied him for his own\nneeds, and as compensation for his services until his return. The axes\nand shovels, also, were secreted in the woods.\n\nIt was past midnight when they returned to the ship, which set sail at\nbreak of day towards the north. By sunset they reached Albemarle Sound,\nthe rendezvous of some companion buccaneers; and there waited for\nseveral days feasting and engaging in jovial pastimes.\n\nMeantime, a small sloop was procured for Captain Redfield; and, having\nbeen supplied with necessary provisions and household comforts, and\nmanned by four sturdy men who knew naught of the buried treasure, but\nengaged for the service on goodly pay, it sailed for the captain's new\nhome near Money Island.\n\nUpon reaching their destination, the pioneer residents set to work at\nonce to construct temporary quarters, and were soon provided with a\ncomfortable house. According to the plans of the Commander-in-Chief, the\nmen who accompanied Captain Redfield were to understand that they were\nto engage in any service that might come to hand. They were to clear the\nland and till it, build houses and fences, and do such other work as\nmight tend to prepare the locality for a more permanent settlement in\ncase it should be desired to inaugurate such an enterprise.\n\nThe sloop gave them communication with the outside world, enabling them\nto visit Charleston, where a colony had been lately planted, and the\nseveral settlements to the north. It also afforded Captain Redfield\nopportunity to find a wife, whom he brought to Rindout, as he styled his\nnew home. There the party lived in the quiet enjoyment of a life with\nnature, which abundantly supplied, during the frequent periods of\nrecreation, every facility for hunting, fishing, and other sports.\n\nOne year passed, and another reached its seventh month; and the party\nhad experienced nothing to arouse more than a passing interest. There\nhad been no visitors to their settlement, not even an Indian.\n\nOn one October morning, however, a ship was seen lying off the inlet.\nThis was a sight which caused a considerable stir among them. Captain\nRedfield debated the question within himself whether or not it was the\nship of the Commander-in-Chief, and if it would be wise to go out and\npay her a visit. But he hesitated, not wishing to jeopardize the\ncommission imposed upon him.\n\nFinally, a boat was seen approaching the shore, bearing a flag at its\nprow. In due course this was recognized as the ensign of Captain Kidd;\nand everything wag hastily arranged to receive the leader with due honor\nand welcome.\n\nAs the boat drew near, though, it was discovered that he was not among\nthe occupants; but on a seat at the stern, and with dignified mien, sat\nMax Brisbau, an old shipmate of Captain Redfield's, and a former\ncompanion in the service of Captain Kidd.\n\nBrisbau alighted, and, extending his hand to Captain Redfield with suave\ncomplacency, stated that he had came upon a little service for Captain\nKidd, and would later communicate his object. He showered courtly\nattentions upon his host, who exhibited unfeigned pleasure in welcoming\nhim.\n\nThe visiting boat's crew consisted of six men, who enjoyed the\ncompanionship of Captain Redfield's assistants, mingling with them in\ntheir various pursuits. All the graces of hospitality were generously\ndisplayed, and mirth and good cheer possessed the men.\n\nIn the afternoon Captain Redfield was entertaining his guest in his\nprivate room. Brisbau said he would now advise him regarding the\ncommission upon which he was sent; which was, in fact, none other than\nthe execution of an order from Captain Kidd for the two cheats that he\nhad secreted in that neighborhood. Captain Redfield was to be awarded a\ngenerous portion, and his arduous service as guardian of the treasure\nwould terminate. In the name of Captain Kidd, he graciously extended\nthanks for the faithfulness which Captain Redfield had shown in the\ndischarge of his duties, and gave him assurances of the high esteem and\nconfidence of the gallant leader.\n\nThe words were very pleasing; but Captain Redfield hesitated to make\nanswer. \"It may or may not be true,\" said he after a pause, \"that\nCaptain Kidd has buried possessions in this immediate locality. It is\nnot to be denied that he has secreted treasure along the coast, but\nwhere? That is the question. I have some knowledge of the hiding place\nof some of it, but must have some written order over the signature and\nseal of the Captain to warrant me in disclosing it.\"\n\nBrisbau promptly responded that he had such a communication from Captain\nKidd, and proceeded to draw it from an inner pocket of his coat. He\nfailed to find it, and with a great show of annoyance and a sudden\nrecollection, he exclaimed with an oath that he had left it on the\ndressing table on his ship.\n\nWhat was to be done? He would send immediately out to the ship, and have\nthe paper brought to him. No, that was hardly worth while. He assured\nCaptain Redfield that he would hand him the paper on their return to the\nship, with Captain Redfield accompanying him.\n\nThat, Captain Redfield replied, would hardly be satisfactory. His\nobligation was to give information as to the hidden treasure only upon a\nwell attested written order from Captain Kidd. Brisbau cajoled,\nimplored, and vehemently asserted the injury to his feelings which the\nfoolish reluctance of his friend caused him.\n\nBy intuition, Captain Redfield became convinced, on account of a certain\nweakness in the attitude of Brisbau in defending his request, that there\nwere deceit and treachery in his conduct. Therefore, he coolly stated\nhis determination to make no movement in the matter without the\nauthority about which he had spoken.\n\nAt this Brisbau rose in great anger and exclaimed, \"I shall have the\nmoney, or your life will be no more than Jack Kettle's, who flaunted his\nopposition before Captain Kidd himself!\"\n\nHardly had he spoken when Captain Redfield in the flash of a thought for\nself-preservation, sprang upon him. Brisbau, equally as quick, met the\nonset and moved as best he could to avoid the grasp that threatened him.\n\nThey were quite alone. Redfield was entirely unarmed, but his opponent\nwore a sword at his side, with pistol and knife hanging from his belt.\nHaving made the assault, the only safety for Redfield lay in his gaining\nthe ascendency over his opponent by sheer physical effort, to enable him\nto keep Brisbau from using the weapons at his side. He missed the hold\naround both arms which he had planned, but firmly secured Brisbau's\nright arm, while his own right hand grasped the other's wrist. These\nadvantages he succeeded in holding, although he could do nothing towards\ndisarming Brisbau or binding him more securely as a captive.\n\nThey struggled long and furiously. Redfield, whose position required his\nutmost exertion, gradually became exhausted; but he had a desperate\ndetermination to win the mastery over Brisbau, who was likewise weary\nfrom the struggle and doggedly angry. He feared a result disastrous to\nhimself if he gave his opponent an opportunity to use his weapons.\n\nFinally, just at a critical moment, Mrs. Redfield appeared. She started\nat the sight which met her eyes; but, seeing the situation at a glance,\nshe ran back into the room out of which she had come, and quickly\nreappeared with a rope. With a woman's ready wit, she had found the\nmeans of bringing victory to her husband. She threw the rope around\nBrisbau's shoulders and wound it over his arms until he was powerless\nto resist further. He was then easily bound and tied, body and legs, to\na chair, grumbling his angry displeasure at the turn of affairs.\n\nCaptain Redfield paused a little while to recover his balance, and sat\ndown to cogitate the matter of the disposition of his prisoner; and,\nalso, to watch for the return of his men from an excursion they had gone\nupon for the entertainment of their guests. They were slow in coming,\nand an annoying suspicion grew upon him. He could not tell what the\nattitude of Brisbau's men might be; or if a conflict between them and\nhis own men were to occur, what consequences might ensue. At any rate,\nhe wished to avoid such a conflict if it were by any means possible; but\nhe feared it could not be done. His good wife was greatly concerned, and\nurged upon him some amicable settlement with Brisbau, even to the\ndelivery of part of the treasure; for, after all, she thought, his claim\nmight be just.\n\nAn hour later, one of Captain Redfield's men returned; and, to his great\ndismay, informed him that an agreement had been made with the visiting\nseamen which would affect their standing with him, but would work him no\nharm. He said that, upon the arrival of the other men, the matter would\nbe discussed with the Captain, and meantime he would take no steps\ntoward providing a defense for him in a conflict which was not likely to\noccur.\n\nThis disclosure was startling, and a shock to the spirit which had\nupheld Captain Redfield. His first impulse was to attack the man for\nwhat he considered the basest treachery, but he desisted. Parley with\nhim he could not. He could only await the consequences of the compact\nwhich had been hinted at. But upon one thing he was determined--not to\ndisclose any knowledge of the secreted treasure without first having in\nhand the credentials from Captain Kidd which he had demanded. His honor\nhad been pledged to such a course, and he would not forsake his trust.\n\nThe men came. But they looked with indifference upon the bound prisoner.\nThere was no display of the strong feelings which had been anticipated.\nThe situation was obvious. So far as Captain Redfield was concerned, he\nfelt that he had been forsaken, betrayed. There was no man who stood\nwith him. In vain he pleaded with his men to stand by him in his defense\nagainst a most dastardly plan to wrong him. He then inquired their\nattitude towards Brisbau, and received an evasive answer.\n\nAt length he gave up the struggle, and sought to learn the purpose of\nthe men who had all now gathered before him; those of his own company,\nand those who had come with Brisbau. One of them as spokesman, a\nnew-comer, informed him that he and his friends had accompanied Captain\nBrisbau for the purpose of securing some of the buried treasure, which\nwas known to be in that neighborhood; and they intended to find the\nbooty before leaving. He also stated that Captain Redfield's men, upon\nlearning about the hidden treasure, had agreed to become confederates;\nand that their master would be treated in every way as a friend, and be\ngiven a full share of the treasure, provided he would properly inform\nthem and Captain Brisbau, whom they intended to release immediately, as\nto its location. If he for any reason should refuse so to favor them, he\nand his wife would be treated as prisoners, and dealt with as might seem\nbest--until, of course, he would consent to aid them in their project.\n\nThe response that came was firm and unmistakable. The brave custodian\naverred that he would not betray his trust, even in the very face of\ndeath. Nor did days of urging and threatening turn him from his purpose.\n\nBrisbau was released, and given to understand that the men were in\ncontrol of affairs; and that his animosity towards Captain Redfield must\ncease.\n\nThe woods were scoured for the treasure. Days passed, and weeks, and the\nsearch was incessant; but there was no discovery made. Captain Redfield\nand his wife, now prisoners in chains, were urged and implored; but he\ncould not be persuaded to give the information, although the mental\ntension he suffered was almost unbearable.\n\nOne day on a sudden determination, Brisbau set sail with his men and\ncompanions, together with the prisoners. His purpose was to take a short\ncruise and then return; meantime allowing Captain Redfield a further\nopportunity to disclose his secret; otherwise--and he repeated his\nthreat made upon his first day at Rindout.\n\nThe ship stopped at Charleston, and, almost immediately upon its\narrival, it was seized under a suspicion of piracy, and a search made\nfor evidences of the unlawful traffic. The prisoners were released\nthrough some favor of the authorities, but Brisbau and his men were\nimprisoned. In the hands of the king's officers their lives were in\ngreat jeopardy, but they finally escaped the scaffold.\n\nAs to Captain Redfield and his wife, the unexpected release was a most\nwelcome boon. For her he had felt the tenderest and most agonized\nsolicitude. The temptation to acquiesce in the demand of his captors\nand thus free her from the trying situation came often to him with a\nweight under which he almost broke down. When it was over, the joy of\nfreedom was as great as the suffering had been while they were\nprisoners. He lived thereafter at Charleston, and soon outgrew the\nsuspicion with which he was at first regarded, of having being connected\nwith the buccaneers. He determined to settle down to an honest,\nindustrious life. My grandfather was born soon after.\n\nCaptain Redfield was never afterwards known to refer to anything\nconnected with a pirate in conversation with any one; and I have never\nlearned whether or not he ever afterwards visited Rindout. I know he was\nwealthy; but then he worked hard and saved his earnings, and I do not\nbelieve he increased his store from the hidden chests on Money Island.\nThe story I have now written he told to my grandfather in his old age,\nand, upon relating it, he urged the greatest caution in his use of it.\n\nTwice my grandfather made unsuccessful efforts to find the chests. He\nurged that I, his grandchild, should keep the knowledge of the treasure\nas a family heritage; but that I might do as I liked about it. After\ngiving the subject very careful thought, I have now given up the secret\nof Money Island, and have not withheld a single detail which was told\nme. Of course, nearly a century and a half has elapsed since the\nprecious booty was hidden. The story, therefore, is old, but I do not\nbelieve it has suffered from age. Captain Kidd was executed in London\nnot long after the hiding of the treasure, and his associates gave up\ntheir old calling; and probably no one has since disturbed the precious\nchests.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nNow, as to when I first heard Mr. Landstone's story. It was when I was a\nboy in the early forties, and the events connected with its telling have\nmodified its conclusion, as will presently be seen. I have heretofore\nspoken very little of the subject to any one; and when I have done so at\nall, it has been to one or two intimate friends as a matter of\nparticular confidence. In my old age, however, I am going to let my tale\nforsake its hiding-place and become public property.\n\nMy parents owned a summer home on Greenville Sound not far from Money\nIsland. To us children it was the very heart of life. The best pleasure\nof the year was confined to the four months spent there from the first\nof June to the last day of September. We rowed, sailed, fished, swam,\nhunted, frolicked, and ran the whole gamut of youthful delights. Those\ngood days are yet vivid in memory; and it is a matter of regret with me\nthat my grandchildren--as fine boys and girls as ever lived--cannot have\nthe same wild, wholesome fun at the Sound as fell to my lot when I was a\nboy.\n\nThe time that I now speak of, however, was about the middle of May, the\nbalmy month of soft breezes and bright flowers. I had been particularly\nstudious in school, and my father agreed to let me spend three days at\nthe Sound in company with a young friend. We arranged our food supply,\ntook the old family rockaway, and set out early in the morning, as happy\na pair of boys as ever started on a project of pleasure.\n\nAfter spending an hour or two at the Sound house, arranging our fishing\ntackle and looking after the boats, which had been hauled up for the\nwinter, we started out on a sail towards the beach. It was a fine day\nfor sailing, and the breeze bore us away as smoothly and quickly as if\nwe had been in a balloon. As we passed Money Island, we observed a boat\nmoored on the south side, and tried to locate the occupants; but we\ncould see nobody, and concluded that it belonged to a fishing party who\nhad, for some reason, left the boat tied there.\n\nWe sailed on; and when we had gone perhaps half a mile away. I happened\nto turn around, and was surprised to see two men stealthily embarking in\nthe boat with what appeared to be shovels and rods of some kind. This\nsight was too much for our youthful imagination. So we decided at once\nto change our course, and essayed to follow at a distance the movements\nof the other boat. This we had no difficulty in doing; and we\nafterwards learned that we were successful in our efforts to avoid the\nsuspicion of purposely following it.\n\nThe men sailed down the Sound a short distance to the south, and made\nfor the shore in a little cove at a somewhat secluded place.\n\nWe were familiar with the locality, and decided to wait until later for\na closer observation. Accordingly, we bore once again toward the beach,\nand enjoyed an hour watching the breakers roll upon the shore, and in\npicking up curios, such as are always to be found upon the sea beach.\n\nUpon our return, we passed close to the little cove into which the boat\nhad gone, and could readily discern through the trees a tent not far\ninland; in front of which were seated the two strangers, watching a pot\nhung over a fire made upon the ground. This excited an additional\nflutter of wonderment with us. Indeed, what we had seen, coupled with\nthe current tradition regarding Money Island, soon wrought us up into a\nfever of excitement; for it was very suggestive of a search for the\ntreasure on the island.\n\nI had heard from my early childhood that Captain Kidd, the historic and\nlordly pirate, who reigned supreme upon the high seas during the\nseventeenth century, was supposed to have buried some of his booty on\nMoney Island. Everybody was familiar with the tradition; and I doubt if\nthere is, even now, a single person reared in the town of Wilmington, of\nin the vicinity of the Sound, who has not likewise been told the same\nindefinite story about the little island. But the presence of these two\nstrangers, and their somewhat mysterious conduct, gave the tradition a\ntouch of reality such as it could never have otherwise had.\n\nWe concluded that these men had evidently some positive information on\nthe subject, and were showing their confidence in that information by\nprosecuting a search for the hidden treasure, at much trouble and\nexpense. This was clear to us, and we talked the matter over that night\nwith eager interest. We surmised every possible case that might have\nfurnished the strange visitors with a working clue to the discovery of\nthe treasure. Speculation ran high. But there was one thing that we\nbecame agreed upon, and that was, to become, if possible, parties to the\nsecret enterprise. We pondered with boys' shrewdness how this should be\ndone. This we could not decide upon; but we determined to play a venture\ntoward the desired end. The attitude of innocent curiosity seemed best\nsuited to our purpose. So we planned to draw up at Money Island in the\nmorning if we observed that the men were there; and to approach them in\nan unsuspicious manner, as if we had just happened to stop at the Island\nwithout any definite motive. This should work as a capital ruse, and, we\nfelt confident, it would initiate a connection on our part with the\nmysterious search.\n\nThat point settled, we concluded to investigate the tent and its\noccupants as well as we might under the cover of darkness, and we\npromptly set out upon that project. We approached within a hundred feet\nof the tent, and saw the men still sitting in the light of the fire at\nthe tent door; but there was no discovery of importance. They were\nmerely talking quietly and carelessly about some ship that one of them\nseemed to be interested in. We could hear their conversation\ndistinctly, and we were also able to take a good observation of their\nappearance.\n\nOne of them was a man upwards of sixty, of robust build and gray hair\nand beard. He had a kind face, which bore the aspect of one accustomed\nonly to the quieter walks of life, unfamiliar with adventure and\nill-suited to an enterprise such as they were now apparently engaged\nupon. The other man had a weather-beaten face with a long nose, and a\nswagger of manner which betokened the sailor. This, we afterwards\nlearned, had been his occupation. We watched them for about an hour; but\nfinally withdrew in the hope of making a better acquaintance in the\nmorning.\n\nSoon after daylight we began eagerly to watch for the boat, which\nappeared around a bend in the Sound after the lapse of an hour or so and\nheaded straight for the Island. We loitered about the yard a little\nwhile longer, and then made ready our yacht without any appearance of\nhaste.\n\nOn setting sail, we made for the beach; but, upon reaching there, turned\nback at once and sailed for Money Island in an indirect course. We soon\nreached there and stepped upon the shore. The men immediately dropped\ntheir implements. They returned our salutation pleasantly. We observed\nwith much surprise the disturbed state of the ground and the holes which\nhad been dug; and then began to make inquiries as innocently as we could\nas to their object. Our plans of the night before began to work\nsuccessfully.\n\nBy sheer force of persistence, we won our way into their confidence, and\nworked with them until late in the afternoon. For they were indeed on a\ndetermined search for Captain Kidd's buried treasure.\n\nWe were in constant expectation of discovering the chests of gold--two\niron chests, which Mr. Landstone, the elder gentleman, assured us he\nfelt positive were there. But the discovery was not made, and they said\nthis had been the fourth day of labor on the Island.\n\nThe conclusion was reached that, either the surrounding water had\nencroached upon that portion of the Island where the treasure had been\nburied, and had thus imposed an almost impossible barrier to its being\nunearthed; or that the chests had become imbedded beneath the massive\nroots of two dwarfed old oaks which stood gnarled and storm-worn in the\ncentre of the island. To the task of removing these trees the men felt\nentirely unequal after their days of work; and, therefore, it was\ndecided to wait a day or two, and approach the task of doing so, if at\nall, with renewed spirit.\n\nUpon invitation, we boys accompanied the men to their camp and had\nsupper with them. We were entertained by stories of adventure and\ntravel, of sea voyage, of Indian warfare; and, finally, after several\nrequests of Mr. Landstone, with the story of Money Island. He said he\nwould tell it upon condition that its secrecy would be kept inviolate,\nat least for many years. So, in the weird light of a large pine-wood\nfire among the trees, we had the story of Money Island, told in the\nliving voice of a capital story-teller, in almost the same words as are\nused in the MS he gave me that night, and which has now been publicly\nprinted.\n\nWhen Mr. Landstone finished, we boys sat in breathless amazement,\novercome by the glamour of romance which the story had thrown around the\nmysterious little island.\n\nThe old sailor forgot his pipe, which turned over and dropped its\ncontents to the ground. \"Aye, sir,\" he exclaimed, \"we will surely\nuproot those trees in the morning!\" And that became the decision of us\nall.\n\nI remember that, after a long pause, I asked, to reassure myself, \"Mr.\nLandstone, do you really believe that story?\" He laughed and said,\n\"Well, you see I am on an undertaking I have had in mind for nearly\nfifty years. Yes, I believe those chests are there.\"\n\nThat was enough. I did not sleep an hour that night; and the next\nmorning we were early at the task of searching for the treasure. And a\nstupendous undertaking it proved to be. All day we labored at one tree.\nThe roots were massive and wide-spread, and the work of cutting and\nremoving them required the utmost exertion. Finally, just before sunset,\nwe completed the task, and began to dig for the treasure in the earth\nbelow.\n\nAlready water had begun to percolate into the hole, and ere we had gone\nmuch deeper, it flooded it so that we found it impossible to continue\nthe excavation. Then we resorted to our sounding rod again for a last\nray of hope, and almost immediately it struck something hard! Our\nspirits rose within us.\n\nI tore off my clothes, and jumped into the water. After working for some\ntime, with the aid of a shovel, I brought to the surface a piece of\nrusty sheet iron. Nothing more could be found. We gathered round the\nworn sheet of metal, and held a solemn consultation.\n\nThe conclusion was reached that the piece of iron which we found was in\nreality a part of one of Captain Kidd's chests, which had become\nrust-eaten and crumbled, and which had been torn asunder by the growing\nroots of the tree, and parts of it carried in various directions by\nthem as they had spread, scattering the contents through the ground.\n\nWe became animated with a new purpose; and the old sailor seized a\nshovel and began vigorously to throw more earth from the excavation; but\ndarkness was falling, and we urged him to wait until the next morning.\n\n\"What about the sand already thrown out?\" some one exclaimed at this\njuncture. The suggestion had hardly been offered before we all bent\nforward, and thrust our hands into the pile of wet, black sand lying\nabout us.\n\nI at once felt something round and suggestive. \"Look at this!\" I cried.\nIt was a blackened gold coin! In the darkness we hurriedly sifted the\nsand with our fingers; and each one soon found several pieces of money.\n\nWith feverish energy, we thus labored until late in the night, meeting\nwith constant success; and, when we stopped, every one had a precious\npile to carry back to the shore. The coins were all corroded and\nmisshapen through the action of the salty mud in which they had lain,\nand the disturbance caused by the roots of the trees. A few silver coins\nwere found, but all were in a very worn condition; some being little\nmore than ragged discs of the thickness of paper. Others, or the remains\nof them, crumbled into a black powder at the touch of our fingers. The\ngold was in better preservation; and we secured a goodly store of it.\n\nWe secreted our treasure in the woods on shore, and early the next\nmorning returned to our work. I can well remember our exultant feeling\nas we set out in our boats. \"Boys,\" Mr. Landstone called out, as we were\nsailing over the narrow stretches of water toward the island, \"how do\nyou feel?\"\n\n\"I feel like--like--\" I answered, rising in my seat and lifting my hat\nto cheer.\n\n\"None of that!\" he said quickly--but I knew I was about to express the\nexcited feeling of us all.\n\nAs to our further success, I would say that it was unabated during\nnearly the whole day. I think we secured every piece of precious metal\nthat had been buried beneath the tree. The following day we uprooted the\nother tree, but failed to find any trace of more booty. We concluded\nthat the remaining chest had probably been removed; but that is still an\nunsettled question.\n\nBesides the coin, we had discovered the remains of much silver plate;\nbut it was of little value, being almost entirely destroyed. But the\ngold--there was an abundance of it, and we were all made rich!\n\nIn the meantime our parents appeared on the scene to learn the cause of\nour protracted absence from home. It is needless to say that there was\nno rod of correction held over us that day.\n\nIf I had taken care of my share of the treasure as I should have done\nafter my father's death, I would be living in luxury and comfort to-day;\nbut, even regretting my poor judgment, I can now thank a good Providence\nthat I have been sustained through a long life, which has had an undue\nshare of misfortune, by the splendid fortune which came to me in that\nhappy May of long ago.\n\n\n[Illustration: \"The decaying hulks of blockade runners that rise a\nlittle here and there above the waves\"]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONQUEST OF JAMESBY.\n\n\nI reached home for tea a little late, and saw my young friend Jamesby in\nthe back yard where he had gone to admire my fowls, in which I take a\njust pride. Old Henry, my colored servant, was playing the part of host;\nfor there was no one else at home. When I made my appearance, the\nchickens had evidently become a matter of secondary interest.\n\nJamesby, a rising young banker of the city, was sitting on an empty box\nnear the fence, and Henry was standing before him, leaning upon his\ncane, chuckling and talking in his customary deferential manner, which\nhas always made him a very acceptable servant about my premises.\n\nI approached without being observed, and did not hail them, for I did\nnot wish to intrude too suddenly upon what appeared to be a very amusing\nsubject of conversation. I heard Jamesby say laughingly, \"Why, it was in\nthe paper this morning--five or six columns of it! It was a great big\nyarn. I can't imagine why he never told you anything about it.\"\n\nI knew what they were talking about. I was well aware that I had told my\ntale of Money Island for publication; for had I not been sought after by\nmen, women, and children for every imaginable explanation and sidelight\nrelating to the story which might have been omitted from the MS\nfurnished the printer? And had I not been asked to repeat by living\nvoice facts in the narrative which I had written, as I thought, with\nentire clearness in the published story? The boys had all read the\nstory, and I had been put to my wits' end to answer the questions asked\nby them; but I had assured several of them that if they would take a\ncopy of the paper, go to the Island and there read it on the very spot\nwhere the treasure had been buried, and then and there take a careful\nsurvey of the situation, there would be no difficulty in their\ncomprehending even the slightest detail. This seemed to me to be a very\nsensible suggestion; and I suppose some of them will carry it out.\n\nWhile I really enjoyed the experience of having entertained so many\npeople that day, I was fairly well fatigued when I reached home, where I\nthought I could at least be quiet and free from the constant inquiries\nof interested friends.\n\nBut here was Jamesby with designs against me! He had dashed my fond\nhopes of rest; although he was somehow always considerate and\nendurable. I could never become impatient with him, even if I knew he\nwas going to make demands upon me for more information concerning Money\nIsland.\n\n\"What is Uncle Henry telling you, Jamesby?\" I asked on drawing closer to\nthem.\n\n\"Oh,\" he answered in a somewhat self-conscious manner, \"he was about to\ntell me of an experience of his in money digging.\"\n\nNow, I had heard old Henry tell that story before. It was one which\nseemed to justify his very sober ideas as to money getting by any other\nmeans than by one's daily work.\n\n\"Well, Henry,\" I said, taking my seat also on the box, \"did you really\never dig for money?\"--as if I had never before heard him say anything\nabout it. The implied doubt would, I knew, make him all the more ready\nto talk.\n\nHe replied promptly, with a grin of interest, \"Yes, sah, cose I tried\nmoney diggin'.\"\n\nThen he paused as if to await an invitation to proceed. \"Go on, Uncle\nHenry,\" urged Jamesby.\n\nHenry shifted his position, and, leaning upon his cane from another\nangle, went on: \"'Twas dis away. Once uponer time me an' John Gomus an'\nJohn Flowers, we was round at Mr. Holmes' stables, right back of Mr.\nKidder's whey I uster keep my horse and kyart; dere was woods right dare\nden, sah, an' a graveyard; an' I had a horse and kyart of my own. So one\nevenin' an ole white 'oman come fum de Sound, an' she tole us that a\nsperit had done tole her whey some money was buried; an' she wanted us\nto come down dere and dig it up; she couldn't dig for it, but she\nknowed whey 'twas--de sperit had tole her. So we got togedder and made a\nclub to go down--three of us. De place was on Wrightsville Sound, not\nfur from Mr. Wright's place.\n\n\"De sign was, dat one read de Bible back'ards, and no one speak--all\nhadter go by signs, an' dat'd keep de sperits fum pesterin' us. John\nGomus, he had de rod goin' roun', an' fonn' a place to stick it. I dunno\nwhy he stick it whey he did. De rod pinted right down dere; and right\nwhey de rod pinted we digged. When we commence diggin', it was about\nhalf-past eight o'clock, and we worked hard, sah. We digged a hole big\nenough to set a small house in. John, he kep' bearin' on de rod, an' de\nrod it kep' goin' down. Den de rod at las' struck sumpn; and we was so\nglad, thinkin' we'd struck de pot! Every one was rejoiced! We didn'\ntalk, but jes fling up de dirt! An' when we dig down dere, sah, what\nyou spose 'twas. Nothin' but a big ole cow's horn. An' after all dat\ndiggin'! We done an' digged a hole 'bout fifteen or twenty feet across,\nand goodness knows how deep; an' 'twas 'bout four in de mornin' before\nwe quit. We pack up an' come back home, feelin' jes as cheap as a wet\nchicken.\n\n\"De ole 'oman come 'roun agin, an' tole us dat de money was dere; fer de\nsperit had tole her agin 'twas dere. But we warn't anxious to try for it\nagin. We thought we done enough.\"\n\nOld Henry chuckled, and limped away; and we both laughed heartily at his\ndroll yarn. Jamesby enjoyed the tale particularly; and, although I felt\nthat it might somehow be at my expense, I was duly amused.\n\nWhen Jamesby descended from his hilarious heights, he turned to me\nrather gravely, and said, \"Now, I want it from your own lips; did you\nreally dig for money on Money Island?\"\n\nI answered, \"I did.\"\n\n\"And,\" he continued, \"was that a true story you told about it?\"\n\n\"Now, Jamesby,\" I replied, \"I really cannot endure this doubt cast upon\nthe truthfulness of my story. I decline to discuss the matter. You have\nread the paper, and you know me as the author of the story.\"\n\n\"But,\" he added in rather a comical tone, \"there are some things which\n(with all due respect for your trustworthiness) call for a more positive\nconfirmation.\"\n\nI knew I would not have written anything on so important a subject\nwithout proper consideration; and he knew it too. However, I realized\nthe fact that an effort to believe such a story as I had offered to the\npublic may have made a somewhat weighty demand upon credulity, at least\nwith some people. To answer his last suggestion, I merely drew out of my\npocket a copy of the \"Savannah Morning News\", containing an account of a\nstranger's mysterious movements about Warsaw Island near Savannah, and\nhis sudden disappearance, leaving good evidence that he had carried with\nhim a hidden treasure found there, and which tradition had stated lay\nupon the Island. I also reminded him of the fact that Dutch Island near\nSavannah is full of what are known as \"treasure holes\", which have been\nmade by persons seeking the buried booty of the pirates of the olden\ntimes. He knew all about these; and he had also heard that some of the\nenterprising explorers into the mysteries of that island had been\nsuccessful.\n\nBut Jamesby was still incredulous. So I turned the conversation to my\nfowls; and he was very ready to admit that I had told the genuine thing\nin describing to him some of the excellent points of my prize birds.\nThere was no doubt that I could exhibit several specimens which any\nfancier would be proud of.\n\nJamesby remained to tea, so that we could go to the lodge together, and\nI enjoyed the quiet stroll down town with him. We had hardly entered the\nhall, though, before the historian of the town, who is also a leading\nMason, approached me regarding my Money Island revelations. \"Sir,\" he\nsaid, \"I regard it throughout as a most interesting and plausible\nnarrative; and I am glad we have been favored by being allowed to read\nit. I have made a study of the pirates who infested our coast in the\nearly colonial days, and I know that this section, particularly the\nlower region of the Cape Fear, was a favorite rendezvous for them. It\nis known upon most reliable information that there are immense\nquantities of captured treasure secreted along the coast, and the wonder\nis that there have not been some really serious efforts to find it.\"\n\nAnother gentleman added, \"Yes, and they also buried treasure further\ndown South; for at my old home (and I speak the honest trath) I have\nstood in the hole from which my friend, Mr. Coachman, unearthed\naccidentally a small fortune, which gave him a very comfortable start in\nlife.\"\n\nThe conversation lingered in this absorbing vein until the meeting was\nopened, much to my relief; for I had been surfeited with the subject of\nmoney finding for that day, at least. But that was not all; for, during\nthe solemnity of the opening exercises, I heard some one telling, in an\nundertone, of a negro who had found a roll of old bank notes in a log\nwhich had been hauled to a saw mill to be cut.\n\nThe next day I was still aware that I possessed an unusual attraction;\nand I resigned myself patiently to the service of all my inquiring\nfriends. Jamesby actually stopped by my office to walk up with me at\nlunch time. He was willing to move along slowly with me, for now in my\nold age I find I have to walk slowly. I knew it would have been more\nnatural for him to have gone on briskly; but he was polite and assured\nme that the pleasure of my company was better than too much time spent\nat his meal.\n\nWe stopped on the way at a newspaper office. The editor and proprietor\nhad observed our approach and they were awaiting us with looks of amused\ninterest. \"Hello!\" the proprietor said cheerily, \"you have really\nstimulated the enterprise of the town. Why have you kept so reticent on\nthat subject all these years?\"\n\nOf course, I knew what subject was referred to; for I had been living\nfor those two days in an atmosphere filled with the phantoms of hidden\ngold, buried treasure, marvelous discoveries, pirates and other engaging\ntopics of thought; and I now looked for nothing else.\n\n\"In my opinion,\" he continued, \"it was a very good story. Of course, it\ngoes without saying that it is true. I tell you, sir, that it is my\njudgment that this whole section of coast line is rich in gold. Not only\ndid those pirates bury gold here, but, during the Civil War, the\nConfederate blockade runners, when fearing capture, were known\nrepeatedly to throw gold into the sea along the beach, sometimes by the\nkeg full; and not one dollar's worth of it has ever yet been recovered,\nso far as I can learn. It is all right there where they dropped it. And\nbesides that, at least on one occasion, it is a well proven fact that a\nchest of gold was buried by the commander of one of the blockade runners\nin the marsh grass on the shore not far below Wilmington; and there is\nno evidence that it has ever yet been unearthed. In fact, all knowledge\nof the exact spot has been lost, I understand.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" interposed the editor, \"it is all quite reasonable; and, as\nsomething germain to the subject, I can cite an interesting instance.\nWhen, soon after the War our old Confederate naval captain bought his\nhome on Greenville Sound and was preparing to build his residence, he\nhad the old house which stood upon the site torn down, and, upon the\ncarpenters coming one morning to begin the erection of the new building,\nthey found an immense excavation right where the old house stood. Now,\nthat old building was in former years used by a Portuguese as an inn for\nthe entertainment of sailors from the vessels in the port of Wilmington;\nand, there being certain traditions in regard to some money having been\nburied beneath it, it was natural to conclude that the excavation\nresulted from an energetic effort to find the money. The hole was made\nat night, but by whom it has never been found out. The incident was\nshrouded in a mystery which has never been cleared.\"\n\nWe talked still further along that vein, the editor emphatically\nasserting his assured belief in the possibility of recovering quantities\nof gold from the seashore below Wilmington, and from the decaying hulks\nof blockade runners that rise a little here and there above the waves,\nwhere they met a disastrous check to their efforts to slip into the\nharbor.\n\nAs we started out again upon the street, Jamesby said, \"Well,\nsir,--pardon my frankness--but I must say that I have never found your\ncompany so interesting before; and I shall be equally frank in saying\nthat--I have never been able yet to believe half the tales I have heard\nabout the mysterious discovery of buried treasure. There is something so\nunsubstantial about most of them. Of course, there may be some\nexceptions, and--\"\n\n\"Jamesby,\" I interrupted in good humor, \"don't let your frankness expire\nfor the lack of the proper courage. Let your speech continue during the\nwhole run of an honest statement. But it's all right. I have some\nindisputable proofs--\"\n\n\"Good morning!\" It was young Riggins who joined us. \"I read that story\nof yours, sir. It was good, I must say. It is just like something that\nhappened in my own personal experience. A few months ago, I was down at\nHomosassa, Florida; and, while I was there, some clam diggers discovered\na large chest of old Spanish coin. They sold them to the Government for\nthirty thousand dollars, and have now retired from the clam business.\"\n\nThat was a tale rather to the point, and Jamesby received it soberly;\nbut I laughed out of sheer appreciation of another good yarn.\n\nI did not see Jamesby for several days. I knew it was his busy season;\nbut I really wished to know how he fared. So, I decided to look him up.\nHe was a happy, enthusiastic, ingenuous young fellow, and I had become\nquite accustomed to having his cheerful company occasionally.\n\nI found him sitting at his desk in intense abstraction; but he soon\nobserved me standing before him, and quickly arose with a hearty\nwelcome, such as he alone knew how to extend.\n\n\"I tell you, sir,\" he said enthusiastically, \"it is a magnificent\nproject!\"\n\n\"What is?\" I answered. \"I don't know--\"\n\n\"Oh,\" he continued, absently, \"I forgot; it was my brother I was talking\nwith. But I have investigated thoroughly the whole subject of those\nblockade runners, and I believe the prospect of success is worth a giant\neffort for the recovery of some of that money from the sea. There must\nbe untold quantities of it lying there, inviting even a meagre attempt\nto get it. The boats can be chartered cheaply; and I have learned that\nthe necessary divers can be secured on an equitable division of the\nspoils. There are many details of the organization of the enterprise\nwhich I have thought out.\"\n\nHis voice had an eager ring, and his eyes sparkled with interest.\n\n\"Jamesby, my boy,\" I answered calmly, \"you are decidedly on the right\ntrack. I wish you all good fortune.\"","title":"Money Island","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":9440}