The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-11-11

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chart to guide them. YIASzMfIMIjSA
1.-THE cave, Keat- tI/1'MvMfNf, y
long by u feet ~ MlWg
broad, with cell WIS
ing high enough to - gSSSsas
permit man to ....m.ao's E
stand upright. It .,s>ss9Ssa IN
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was full of bars of ~a okS
gold and sacks Of GIL ~
money. Many Of the SB H.
sacks bore the stamp looD
of the Bank Of 1nagraE@SSa
Lima. There were
many golden cruel 1T
fixes, chalices and 3
church ornaments.
A statue of the Ma
donna of solid gold lay upon the
floor. 1t was so heavy that Keat-
ing and Bogue together could not
lift it, but could only push 1t along.
The glitter Of the piles Of gold,
Heating said, fairly made him reel
and seemed to fill the cave with
ghostly radiance that at frst
struck him with awe.
"Bogue and Heating tied few
coins in a handkerchief and rowed
back to their ship. They told the
sailors they had found a spring OF
fresh water, but they were SO excited
with what they had seen that they act
ed unnaturally and the crew, may be.
had suspicious Of the truth, anyway
One word led to another, and Bogus
and Heating told as little as possible,
but it was enough for the crew, VINO
made them promise to go shares.
Fright here Heating and Bogue be-
gan to play their game more shreWd-
". They served out unlimited grog,
as If to celebrate treasure trove. Long
before night the whole outfit was glor1-
Iously drunk except Heating and Bogue,
who took care to remain strictly sober.
All hands turned In early to sleep OH
their potations and be ready 20 bring
the treasure aboard next morning. AS
soon as they were asleep, Heating and
Bogue slipped off to shore In whale
boat They beached their boat ana
again made their way to the cave.
They filled their pockets with doub-
looms and pieces-of-efght and louis
d'ors. Not satisfied with the money,
Bogue, stuffed bar gold into his sea-
boots so that he could hardly walk
i for the weight In launching the boat
Heating said Bogue went under and
was drowned.
.Keating," Captain Hackett went on.
"escaped to sea with his plumber, leav-
ing the ship to its fate, and the men
never were seen or heard of afterWard
Four days later he was picked up by
a Spanish coasting vessel which land
ed him safely near Punta Arenas. He
slowly worked his way back to New
foundIand and deposited much money
| In the st. Johns bank.
.Keating made a second voyage to
Cocos island four years later. he
/ told us of this adventure too l wrote
the tale out afterwards In Heating s
own language as nearly as l could re-
member it.
! The first treasure was buried on
ICocos island by Benfto Bonito few
/ months before his death in 1921. 3D.
nito was born In 1888. He was
| Spaniard of supposed gentle blood HIS
/ real identity is not knoWn-Benlto DO
Inito was an assumed name. he De
ean his career as a lieutenant Of q
4 Snanish priyateer. At the close OF
the Napoleonic wars he became mate
Of a Portuguese trading brig. In. 1916
1 ha or1arreIed with his captain. muir
I dered him and seized the vessel. From
that date he followed the life OF pl
rate. One of his first prizes taken IN
= West Indian waters was an English
SLAYER named the Lightning. Having
cut her out of Matanzas, where she
y was lying at anchor one night, ne
burned his own brig and, transferring
his flag to the British vessel, renamed
her the Relampago, which Is Spanish
for thanksgiving Most OF the crew
of the SLAYER were made to walk the
nlank. Two pleaded for their lives ane
offered to Join Ronito. On this condi
tfon Bonito spared them. These two
men were Thompson, known in Cocos
lSJdn0 ETdAiIlCEo =6aS Du5o1
Frenchman named Chapelle, who alss
figures later In the story of Cocos is
land
In the long, low, rakish Relampago
, which could show clean pair of heel:
to anything sailing the Spanish main
Bonito had busy and prosperous
career as a pirate. From Rio to tn
Bahamas he became a scourge and col
lected an immense amount OF booty
When the Spanish government sen
, warships to hunt him, Bonito slippet
around Cape Horn to fresh pastures il
the Pacific.
, The wealth of the churches O
t Spanish America is still considerable
but in the early days of the last cen
fury the richness of the plate and OF
: naments with which they were adorn
. ed was amazing. Bonito sacked cite