Year: 1872

by way OF employment DuI IL WAS ali no
use. I applied over and over again, but was
ALWAYS met with the same remark, eve want
a man with some knowledge of the business -
as ifeyery man mustn't begin at some time or
other. Men can't be born with "a knowledge
of the business" or put it on ready-made, like
a livery. -.


Every now and then was obliged to 60
back to the old sailoring business: and ship
on board some vessel for trip, just to get
something to live on. How my heart used to
ache as the ships dropping down the river,
passed along by the ferry!


In the spring shipped on board trader
bound for Wales, for copper ore. We had
one passenger on board, friend of the cap;
tains. They were shareholders in several
mines, and had done business together tor
years. The passenger-his name was Tur'
ton-was very rich, but very speculative.
The captain used often to rate him for such
gambling rashness, as he called it.


you'll sink all your money some of these
DAYS as deep as the doubloons in the ship over
there" said he to Turton one day as we we're
sailing along the Cornish coast


"What ships? Where" said the other.


"Do you see those breakers yonder," said
the captain, "about half mile to the wind
ward of the southern point of that low, rocky
little island? That's called Galleon Reef, and
it is said that fleet of Spanish treasure-ships
were sunk there, to prevent their falling into
the hands of our men-of-war that were after
them"


"Has any of the money ever been found p
asked Turton.


"Yes, a few pieces now and then. There
was company started once-by some such
speculative madcaps as you-but somehow or
other it all came to nothing"


"Egad! I don't see why it shouldn't be
done nowadays, with all our modern diving
inventions"


"Oh! if you're fordiving," said the captain,
"here's your man )" and he turned to me. l
had come aft to relieve the man at the wheel
I was bit of favorite with the captain for
steadiness and sobriety, and he had asked me
questions and had told him who and what
/ was.


"Are you diver, my man?" said Turton.


ri believe you-John Hurst is one of the
best and most skillful divers we have" said
the captain, who then called for another hand
to take the wheel in my place.


Turton asked me many questions, and often
during the rest Of the voyage would come to
me and talk about the probabilities of recov-
ering the treasure from the Spanish wrecks
He left US at Swansea, where we had to take
in our cargo, after landing the freight we had
brought out. In due time we returned to
London, and my engagement being up, left
the ship and forgot all about Mr.. Turton and
the Spanish doubloons.


One day, however, as I happened to be
crossing Tower Hill, I heard some one hailing
me. l looked across the street, and saw it
was my late captain. 1 went over to him,
when he took out of his pocket bit cut from
the Times containing an advertisement, in
which I was requested to communicate at once
with T. T., at his Office in old Broad street.


"That's Tom Turton," said the captain ;
"he's going to FISH for the treasure-ships Lose
no time in going to him. If he's fool enough
to throw his money into the sea, you may as
we'll get the benefit of it as any one else."


set off at once as he directed me. 1 saw
Mr. Turton, who showed me the prospectus Of
company which he had raised for trying to
recover the money in the lost treasure-ships.
The adventures we're not many in point Of
numbers, he told me- but they are all wealthy,
and, like himself, they delighted in speculation
for its own sake He wished me to report
what would be required to set about the search
with.


In few days I sent in what estimated as
necessary for the attempt l proposed to be-
gin in as economical a manner as possible,
and with small staff A couple of divers
would be sufficient to examine the reef, and if
it proved true, to calculate what amount of
money could be got out of the vessels. 1t
would then be easy to send as many addition
al hands as necessary.


Mr. Turton declared himselfgreatly pleased
With my scheme, and offered me the command
of the divers, with very good wages. He said
that should be accompanied by diver on
whose behalf one of the shareholders had ap-
| piled to him for post.


He told me that in order to carry on the
exploration with as little delay and intermis-
sion as possible, they had rented the small
island situated near the reef, and that they
would send out huts to be erected on it for US
and the crew, and would forward at the same
time an ample supply of all sorts of stores
and necessaries.


This all seemed very hopeful to me, and l
began to think my chance had come at last.
I wrote and told Polly 80.


I only discovered one drawback in the af-
fair. 1t turned out that my partner was a
diver by the name of Bleggs-a quarrelsome,
ill-conditioned fellow, with not the best of
character. felt it my duty to tell Mr.. Tur-
ton this much, but he said it couldn't be
helped, for Blegg's patron was one of the
largest and most influential shareholders and
that he wanted Bleggs appointed to the post I
had; and Bleggs would have had it but for
Mr.. Turton's tact and energy and the respect
the other adventures felt for him.


Bleggs knew this, for the first time we met,
he said something about my luck in having
friends in court to get me above the heads of
better men. "Well," he continued grufly,
"its no odds. We shall see soon who does
best for the company, skipper or man and
then perhaps meddling secretary may get
wigging"-meaning Mr.. Turton who had
been honorary secretary pro tenn. I didn't
wish, in the interests of the adventure, to
quarrel with Bleggs but gave him to un-
derstand that I wouldn't have such language,
and that once on Spanish Island, as our loca-
tion was called, I should expect implicit obe-
dience to orders.


In due time the island was reached, the
stores were landed, and the huts built. We
had good-sized steam-launch to take US out
to the reef. She was fitted with two powerful
air-pumps. Our diving dresses were of the
best and newest pattern. Everything looked
well for success. The only thing that pre-
sented an obstacle was the frequent occurrence
of bad weather. We could only take the
| launch among the rocks when it was pretty