Year: 1860

Reconstructed my inquiries among the old


er negroes of the place. At length one


Of the most aged of the women said that


she had heard of such place as Bessops


Castle, and thought that she could guide


me to it, but that it was not castle, nor


tavern, but high rock.


Il offered to pay her wellifor her trouble,


and after some demur, she consented 10


accompany me to the spot. We found it


without much difficulty, when, dismissing


her, proceeded to examine the Place


The castle consisted of an irregular as


semblage of cliffs and rocks one of the


latter being quite remarkable for its


hight, as well as for its insulated and


artificial appearance. l clambered 70 its


apex and then felt much at loss as to


what should be next done.


"While | was busted in reflection, my


eyes fell upon narrow ledge in the east


ern face of the rock perhaps yard be-


low the summit upon which | stood


This ledge projected about eighteen inches


and was not more than foot wide, while
niche in the cliff just above it, gave it
a rude resemblance to one of the hollow


backed chairs used by our ancestors. L


made no doubt that here was the devils
seat alluded to in the Ms. and / now
seemed to grasp the full secret of the
riddle.


"Thc good glass, / knew, could have
reference to nothing but telescope; for
the word glass is rarely employed in any
other sense by seamen. Now here, at
once saw, was telescope to be used, and
definite point of view admitting no carid-
ton, from which to use it. Nor did /
hesitate to believe that the phrases, forty
one degrees and thirteen minutes, and
northeast and by north ; were intended
as directions for the levcling of the glass.
Greatly excited by these discoveries ]
hnrried home procured a telescope, and
returned to the rock.


let myself down to the ledge, and
found that it was impossible to retain a
seat upon it except in one particular posi-
ton. This fact confirmed my prccon-
ceived idea. Iproceeded to use the glass.
Of course, the forty-one degrees and thir-
teen minutes could alludc to nothing but
above the visible horizon, since
the horizontal direction was clearly indi-
Gated by the words, northeast by north
This latter direction | at once establish
ed by means of pocket-compass; then
pointing the glass nearly at an angle of
forty-one degrees of elevation as | could
do it by guess, moved cautiously up or
down, until my attention was arrested by
a circular rift or opening, in the foliage
Of large tree that ovcrtopped its follows
il the distance In the center of this
rift | perceived white spot but could
not at first distinguish what it was. -
the focus of the telescope l
again looked, and now made it out to be
a human skull


Upon this discovery l was so sanguine
rs to consider the enigma solved; for the
phrase main branch seventh limb, east
'ide,' could refer only to the position of
he skull upon the tree, while shoot from
he left eye of the deaths-head admitted,
Ilso, of but one Interpretation, in regard
o search for buried treasure. i per-
,eived that the design was to drop bull
ct from the left eye of the skull, and that
! Decline, or in other words, straight
inc, drawn from the nearest point of the
runk through the shot [ or the spot
where the bullet fell), and thence extend
o distance of fifty feet, would indicate
definite pcint-and beneath this point


thought it at least possible that de-
,ost of value lay concealed


'All this l said, lis exceedingly clear,
nd although ingenious still simple and
xplicit. When you left Bishops Hotel,
What thcn:'


why, having carefully taken the bear
ngs of tree L turned homcwards. The
nStant that left the DEVILS seat the
ircular rift vanished nor could get a
,limpsc of it afterwards, turn as would.
What seems to me the chief ingenuity in
his whole business in the fact for re-
Gated experiment has convinced me that


Is a fact that the circular opening in
uestion is visible from no other attain
bic point Of view than that afforded by
ne narrow ledge upon the face OF the
Dek.


In this expedition to the Bishops
[otel, i had been attended by Jupiter,
ho had no doubt observed for some
eells past the abstraction of my dcmean-
+, and took especial care not to leave me
one. But on the next day, getting up
Dry early, contrived to give him the
ip and went into the hills in search of
he tree. After much toll found it.
Vhcn | came home at night my valet
roposed TO give me hogging. With
le rest of the adventure believe you
&c as well acquainted as mysclf.'


Il suppose said l, 'you missed the
,ot in tho first attempt at digging,
trough Jupiter's stupidity in letting the
ig fall through the right, instead of
rough the left eye of the SKULL


"Prccisely. This mistake made dif.
renee Of about two inches and a half ia
c 'shot'--that is to say in the position


the peg nearest the tree; and had the
easurc been beneath the shot, the error
,uld have been Of flittlcmomcnt; but the
OF, together with the nearest point OF
e tree, were merely two points for the
adjustment of a line of direction Of
ursc the error, however trivial in the
ginning, increased as we proceeded with
8 line and bv the time we had ropo