256 THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE 



him to figure out the positions given on Thompson's 

 chart. There was also the ship's captain, Gauld, 

 who considered himself the head of the expedition. 

 The merchants had erred in so distributing author- 

 ity, for there was bad blood between Gauld and 

 Bogue long before they reached their destination. 

 At first they quarrelled; then they sulked; and at 

 last worked off their pent-up spite by leaving in- 

 sulting notes to each other on the dining-table ! 



The most disastrous effect of this petty 

 squabbling was that in the course of it the crew 

 learned the object of the voyage, which had 

 been a secret when they sailed. When at last they 

 dropped anchor at Cocos, Keating and Bogue 

 hastened ashore alone for a preliminary sm'vey. 

 Having (so Keating's story goes) verified the 

 chart and located the treasure, they returned aboard 

 with exultant looks, to be confronted by an openly 

 mutinous crew with an ultimatum. They were all 

 to share equally in whatever was found. In vain 

 the two men protested that those who had financed 

 the expedition were entitled to divide the profits. 

 The crew became so threatening that Keating and 

 Bogue, in fear of their lives, pretended to consent. 

 That night, while the sailors were noisily celebrat- 

 ing the money that they thought was as good as in 

 their pockets, the two leaders put food and water 

 in the big whaleboat and cautiously pushed off from 

 the ship. Stealthily they rowed to the beach, and 

 in spite of darkness and dense undergrowth, located 

 the treasure and brought to the shore as much as 

 they could stagger under. 



