The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-12-11

should go off on another expedition at
once, and they put to sea, leaving o few
men under my charge to look after the
camp and the treasure. Several weeks
went by, and no news came from the alb
sent schooners. Our stock of provisions
began to run low, and it was impossible to
| get anything in that desolatc maze of q
morass, overgrown with tangled forests and
cut up by muddy streams and bayous, es-
pecially as we had planted nothing in the
clearing, and had not cleared any more of
the land, as we expected that, of course, the
schooners would soon return with fresh
stock. We had always been so lucky that
not soul of us dreamed any trouble. Any
how, the schooners never came back, nor
did | ever afterwards get any clue to their
fate. They were probably captured and
burned, or more likely foundered in q hur-
rlcane.
1.-THE rainy season was coming on, and
before long several OF our number had fall
len off with starvation and disease. My
comrades and talked over the situation,
and finally concluded to look out for num-
Der one, and leave the treasure to take care
of itself
"Well, we had a ships boat with us and
|
| cults in our pockets, we took to our boat
and followed the bayou until we came to
the sea. Then we skirted the coast until
we reached Il settlement, and after that sep
arated in different directions, for there
was no tie of friendship to bind us, and
we each had q sort of dread that the other
might some way bctray him. For years
after wandered about the country-some-
times on the frontiers-until l enlisted in
the army, not caring much what became
of me, but half hoping that perhaps l
should be sent to Florida, as turned out to
be the case, to fight these Seminoles, and
so perhaps get chance to look up the
treasure we had buried in the forest. |
never had had the ready money, nor, I'm
not ashamed to say, the courage, to 90
back alone to that spot; but l got this
shot in the leg, and here am, and much
good that treasure has done me! But it
don't seem quite the thing, you see, that
all that money and treasure should be bur-
led there and be of no use to anybody, and
as you are the first and the last person
that's been kind to me these many years,
I'll trust to you to see that l have decent
burial, and will tell you Just how to 90 to
find the treasure. It's all truth I've been
telling you, and you needn't be afraid I'm
spinning you forecastle yarn, but just do
as l direct you to do, and it'll make you
the richest man in the country and don't
know who deserves it better"
Richard Blount, after this, gave the sur
gcon very minute directions as to how to
90 in quest of the treasure. On the next
day the pirate died. AS soon after this as
the surgeon could get leave of absence, he
made arrangements with friend to go af.
ter the supposed mine of wealth concealed
in the forests of Southern Florida. He
could not quite believe the story, but the
circumstances under which it had been
disclosed, and the fact that money had Of
ten been concealed by the freebooters of
the sea, made it sufficiently probable to
| warrant his chartering small, light
draught schooner and engaging a crew of
blacks able to work the vessel and willing
| to dig in the mud after gold.
1t was only by very close and tedious
observation Of the coast that the mouth of
the bayou was found. On entering it from
the sea, the line of trees which had been
blaZcd was also discovered with some diff
Guilty and traced from bend to bend in the
dusky light of the primeval forest.
distinguishable, the treasure seekers, after
slowly sailing along the devious mazes of
the silent waters of the Wilderness until
they almost despaired of reaching the end
in view, at last burst suddenly upon sort
of clearing in the dense mass ofvegetation,
overgrown with trees of young growth,
arising from which circle of large trees
could be distinctly traced. with central
shaft lifting its teathery tuft of foliage far
up into the blue sky. Tent stakes and
other relics of extinct life were also visible
amid the rank grass which evergreen the
soil.
Everything, thus far proved exactly as
described by Richard Blount. and it was
reasonable to suppose that, as the story
had been found to tally in the minutest
details with the facts it would continue
consistent throughout 1t was therefore
with renewed Zcst and with the burning
impotence which tortures the soul when
one is confident of the result and sees the
desired object almost in his grasp, that the
doctor seized pick-axe and ordering his
men to follow suit, broke ground in the
last stage of the quest after u treasure
which his fevered fancy pictured as more
and more colossal as the rapturous mo
ment approached when it would be open
ed to view Such was his impotence that
he was the first to make discovery. The
point of the pick, after turning up the soft
soil almost noiselessly for some anxious
: minutes, at last struck something hard
with most decided click. The next
stroke the sound was repeated, and at the
same time bit Of red pottery was thrown
} up. The doctor perspiring with excite
. ment, flung aside the pick-axe and, falling
| ON his knees, began to draw out the eartl
, with his hands, while every one stopped
, his work and looked on with breathles!
expectation. 1t took but minute tC
f bring to light an earthen jar, but on try
t ing to raise it they found it was cracked
t in several pieces, and that the bottom hat
: fallen out. What was more important tn,
t jar was empty Here was disappoint
{. ment, to be sure; but they would not ye
] give up heart; there were still many jars
l and perhaps this one was only "blind.'
D But jar after jar was turned up and al
!. were found more or less broken, and not
Q dollar did one of them contain. Last o
|, all the searchers cut down the central ire
1 and unearthed the last jar over which j
i stood This also, browning disappoint
e ment of all, was in the same condition ant
n contained only earth worms Baffied I'm