Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-11-28
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE HIDDEN TREASURE.

in the emaciated features, well covered by an
iron-gray untrimmed beard, traces of refine
ment almost effaced, it is true, by the un-
mistakable marks of turbulent, and perhaps
criminal, career.
The surgeon in charge OF the stockade seem-
cd man of warm heart and tender sympatbies,
which had not been blunted by familiarity with
suffering. He carefully tended the dying soldier,
doing all in his power, by words and actions, to
soothe his last hours. This kindness was not
without results. Impressed by attentions to
which he had long been unaccustomed, Richard
Blount-taciturn and reserved by habit, if not
by nature-grew more communicative and at
last, made certain revelations concerning trans
actions OF which no other living man had any
knowledge
One afternoon, as the sun was sitting red and
broad in burning haze behind the motoness
palmettoes, and the mocSing-bird was pouring
forth his wealth of music by the still bayous
where the alligator basked unmolested, Richard,
who was feeling 1T ronger than usual after a
period OF silence aud mental struggle with him
SELF said
Doctor, you've been mighty good to me.
You are the first person who has spoken kind
WORD to me for many years. I've led hard life
OF it, and very likely don't deserve any better
than I've received, yet l can't forget that | was
once better man and used to kind words from
those who loved me. And now although | am
both poor aud forsaken, yet believe me when l
say That 1t is IN my power to make you rs wealthy
as your widest fancies could desire"
i" was born in England have not a single
relation now living, and to you it can be of no
consequence what were the early circumstances
oil my life. 1t is enough to say that 1 was the
Younger son of good family, and was destined
to the church, for which was totally untitled
was sent to Oxford, but an Unsuitable thirst
Tor adventure caused me to run away. After
various fortunes in many parts of the world, in
which The cards were generally against me, 1t
was at last my luck to find myself shipped with
the crew OF pirate schooner, and a motley set
we were-Spaniards, Englishmen, Frenchmen
Italians, Yankees, Greeks-men of all races
Two or three years sailed in her, boarding and
burning vessels in the Spanish main. At length
rumor reached the nest of pirates to which |
belonged that the English government was
about to take vigorous measures to capture our
vessels and destroy our rendezvous. As we had
fora long time been very successful, without
any serious molestation, there was all the more
reason to believe the report A council of war
was called. in Which words ran high. But it was
decided that, as our rendezvous was well known
and would most likely be attacked first, and we
should be unable to defend ourselves success
fully against such forces could be sent against
us, we ought at once to remove our possessions
and conceal them for awhile in some unknown
hldlng place. With us to decide was to act and
without further delay the treasure, winch WAS
enormous, being the accumulated spoil of many
hard fights and scuttled ships, was slowed in the
noids OF our vessels. little water, surgeon, il
you'll be 30 good.)
' 80 IMMENSE continued Richard after a
moment, was the stock OF dollars and doub-
looms and jewelry that no other ballast was need |
ed for the schooners. When everything was on
board we set fire to the cabins on shore. and by
the glare OF the burning houses dropped down
the lagoon and made an ofing We headed for
the coast OF Florida, and, the moon being at the
full showed tho schooners into an inlet whose
was known to one of our captains |
q native of Florida born at Key West, son OF |
wreeker, think. 1t WAS a very quiet part of
the country, without 30 many people as there |
are about IL now and they aren't over thick |
even now. We had sent some men ashore in |
boat in the morning to find the exact entrance |
and after dark they lit fire on the beech 80 |
we knew Just where to put the schooners At |
daylight we sailed a long way up the bayou, |
winding about from bend to bend, with sweeps |
or tackng along the shore, and blazing the trees |
as we went along until we came to a clearing in |
the woods, where the trees seemed to have been |
fe lied by hurricane, IL was gloomy and silent |
en- ough-a solitude which we disturbed perhaps |
for the first time. Here we made the vessels |
fast to the trees and all hands went ashore |
we made tents of old sails. and in few hours,
10 see the smoke streaming up among the trees,
and see the boys caperng after squirrels and |
climbing nfter birds nests or hinging sticks at |
The alligators, you would have thought it was an
After a brief interval of rest, Richard went
on {" When the provisions and everything
slse mad been taken out of the schooners we
loVe out the ballast (you remember it was dol
ars) and carried it into the middle of the clear
ng. Each man put his share into an earthen
pot his name, written on bit of parchment,
vas placed inside, and his initials were scratch
I'd ON the outside, and it was then sealed up
'arefnly. The pots of gold and silver were
hen buried in circle in holes dug tolerably
md and -,
small tree over his treasure. Our common
STOCK OF treasures were next sealed up in large
Jar. and buried this in the centre of the circle
and planted good sized tree over this also.
=" After we had secured our valuables, as con-
siderable time had been spent in doing all this,
It was decided that the schooners should go off
On another expedition at once, and they put to
sea- leaving few men under my charge to look
after the camp and the treasure. Several weeks
vent by, and no news came from the absent
'chooners. Our stock of provisions began to
'un low, and it was Impossible to get anything
in that desoate maze of morass, overgrown
with tangled forests and cut up by muddy
streams and bayous, especially as we had plant
sd nothing IN the clearing, and had not cleared
my more OF the land, as we expected that, of
course, the schooners would soon return with a
fresh stock. We had always been 80 lucky that
not soul of us dreamed any trouble. Anyhow
ihe schoonerH never came back, nor did | ever
Afterwards get any clue to their fate. They were
probably captured and burned, or more likely |
foundered in hurricane
The rainy season WAS coming on, and before
ong several OF our number had fallen off with |
starvation and disease. My comrades and |
-aked over the situation, and finally concluded
10 look out for number one and leave the treas
nre to take care of ITSELF
"Well, we had ships boat with us. and one
LAY, after putting few mouldy biscuits in our
pockets, We took to our boat and followed the
bayou until we came to the sea. Then we skirt
ed the coast until we reached settlement, and
after that separated in different directions, for
there WAS no tie OF friendship to bind US, and we
each had a sort of dread that the other might
some way betray him. For years after wan
dered about the country ON the
l enlisted in the army, not car
ing much what became of me, but half hoping
that perhaps | should be sent to Florida, az
turned out TO be the case, to fight these Semi
1oles, and so perhaps catch chance to look up
the treasure we had buried in the forest. Inev-
on had had the ready money nor, I'm not
ashamed TO say, the courage, to go back alone to
that spot but 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 buried 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 have decent
burial, and will tell you just how to go to find the
treasure. It's all truth I've been telling you,
and you needn't be afraid I'm spinning you a
ioreeaste yarn but just do as / direct you to do,
and it'll make you the richest man in the coun-
try; and don't know who deserves it better"
Richard Blount after this, gave the surgeon
very minute directions az to how to go in quest
M In fpnn NJ. H.. L.. A.