twelfth, carrying nine tons of silver and very little gold, 

 a relatively small reward for their efforts when one con- 

 sidered the high hopes with which they had set out. 



The small sailing craft which were frightened away 

 by Phips's return undoubtedly made a killing while he 

 was in England preparing for the final expedition. Phips 

 must have known when he allowed the sloop to return 

 to Jamaica for repair on that previous voyage that word of 

 his discovery would soon leak out. And of course, when 

 the James and Mary and the Henry stopped over at Turks 

 island on their way back to England, there is no doubt that 

 the news must have spread from his sailors and divers to 

 the crews of other ships sailing in and out of the port. 



It was a hard decision Phips was called upon to make 

 during that first salvage attempt — ^whether to continue 

 working the wreck and securing more treasure at the risk 

 of being raided and losing all, or to take his winnings and 

 go back to England while there was yet time. He no doubt 

 made the wise decision. 



In addition to allotting Phips twelve thousand English 

 pounds for his part in the expeditions. King James made 

 him a knight. Furthermore, soon after Sir William Phips 

 returned to his patiently waiting wife in Boston, he was 

 named Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts. Phips 

 was undoubtedly the luckiest and the most successful 

 treasure hunter the world has ever known. 



It was ever thus. Rogers did the searching and found 

 the wreck. Yet to this day Captain Phips is given all the 

 credit, and he received the lion's share of the spoils which 

 were recovered. 



For many years thereafter, these dangerous and out- 

 of-the-way Ambrosian banks, which now became known 

 as the Silver banks, were the scene of continual searching 



246 Sea Diver 



