The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-12-19

ns We went along, until we came 10 a
clearing in the woods, where the trees
seemed to have been felled by hurricane.
1t was gloomyand silent enough 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,
to see the smoke streaming up among the
trees, and see the boys eapering after
squirrels and climbing after birds nests,
or flinging sticks at the alligators, you
would have thought 1t was an old settle.
ment."
After brief interval Of rest, Richard
went on ;-"When the provisions and
everything else had been taken out of the
schoones we hove out the ballast (you
remember, it was dollars and carried it
into the middle of the clearing. Each
man put his share into an earthen pot !;
his name, written on Bit Of parchment,
was placed inside, and his initials were
scratched on the outside, aud it was then
sealed up carefully. The pots Of gold and
silver were then buried in circle in holes
dug tolerably deep in the ground, and
every man planted small tree over his
treasure. Our common stock Of treasures
were next sealed up in large jar, and we
buried this in the centre of the circle and
planted good sized tree over this also
After we had secured our valuablcs,
as considerable time had been spent in
doing all this, it was decided that the
schooners should go of on another expedi-
tion at once, and they put to sea, leaving
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 schooncrs. Our stock Of provisions
began to run low, and it was impossible to
get anything in that desolatc maze of a
morass, overgrown with tangled forests
and cut up by muddy streams and bayous,
especially 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 a
fresh stock. We had always been so
lucky that not soul of us dreamed any
trouble. Anyhow, tho schoouers never
came back, nor did ever afterwards get
any clue to their fate. They were proba-
bly, captured and burned, or more likely
foundered in hurricane.
"The rainy season was coming on, and
bnfore long several Of our number had
fallen off with starvation aud disease. My
comrades and l talked over the situation,
and finally concluded to look out for mum.
Der one, and leave the treasure to take
care Of itself.
Well, we had ships boat with us
and one day, 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 skirted the coast
until we reached settlement, and after
that separated in different directions, for
there was no tie of friendship to bind US,
aud we each had sort of dread that the
other might some way betray him. For
years after wandered about the country
sometimes on the frontiers-until / en-
listed in the army, not caring much what
became Of me, but halfhoping that perhaps
! should be sent to Florida, as turned out
to be the case, to fight these Seminolcs,
and so perhaps get chance to look up
the treasure we had buri,d in the forest.
| never had had the ready money, nor, I'm
not ashamed to say, the courage, to go
back alone to that spot but l got this
shot in the leg, and here / am, aud much
good that treasure has done me But il
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 aud 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
spinning you forecastle yarn, but just do
as direct you to do, and it'll make you
the richest man in the country; and I
don. know who deserves it better"
Richard Blount, after this, gave the
surgeon very minute directions as to how
to go 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 so after the supposed mine Of
wealth concealed in the forests Of South
ern Florida. He could not quite believe
the story, but the circumstances under
which ii had been disclosed, and the fact
that money had often been concealed by
the freebooters of the sea, made it sufh-
ciently probable to warrant his chartering
a small, light draught schooner and engag-
ing crew Of blacks able to work the
vessel and willing to dig in the mud after
gold.
II 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 blazed was also discovered with some
difficulty and traced from bend to bend in
the dusky light Of the primeval forest.
Guided by this clew, often but family
dstinguishable, the treasure-seekers, after
slowly sailing along the devious maaes Of
the silent waters Of the wilderness until