276 BURIED TREASURE. 



were banished to another island, and the cause of 

 strife was deposited for greater security on Square 

 Island, where, tradition says, it still remains ; and 

 many have been induced by the rumor, incited by 

 love of gain or adventure, to toil in hopes of its 

 eclaircissement. To this day human bones are to be 

 seen on the surface, and had there been as good evi- 

 dence of the treasure as of the struggle, no doubt 

 our Yankee inquisitiveness and acquisitiveness would 

 have induced some of us to have made search for it. 



I can imagine no more inhospitable locality for a 

 ship's company to be cast away than amongst these 

 islands. They would be unable to find any material 

 to erect a covering for protection' from the weather, 

 unless some portions of their vessel were cast ashore — 

 the islands themselves supplying nothing of the kind. 

 To be sure they might manage to eke out a subsist- 

 ence from the birds and fish which are so abundant 

 at certain periods of the year ; but they would be 

 unable to exist without water in the summer season, 

 when, for months, no rain falls. The only place 

 where we found any fresh water was on Middle 

 Island ; and it was a mere deposit of rain, in a well 

 dug by the whaling party who formerly made it the 

 scene of their fishing operations. 



On the 27th of July we sent off two boats from 

 each ship to erect a look-out on an island several miles 

 to seaward of the ship. Whilst the boats were thus 

 engaged the crews saw humpback whales, but fore- 

 bore to meddle with them, supposing them to be 

 the pioneers of the school said to frequent these 

 islands, and wishing to do nothing at this early date 

 to scare them from the haunts. On their return to 



