158 NATHANIEL SOUTHGATE SHALER 



Jefferson. I meant to have inquired further about the little one, 

 but the chance did not come. I tried to find the history of the 

 fellow from others, but learned nothing. He was neither leaky 

 nor apologetic. He took himself as he was, and in manner bade 

 others do so. 



We anchored longest at Ellis Bay, at the west end of the 

 island ; for here there was the most of shelter, and we had sundry 

 interesting experiences with the fishermen who resorted to the 

 place for wood and water and overhauling of their craft. At the 

 end of a month we came to know these people well. They were 

 mostly from Cape Breton; for some reason we were out of the 

 path of the "Americans." Here we noted that two or three of 

 these vessels were following us in a persistent manner, always 

 keeping in sight of our own little craft to the neglect of their 

 business. Through the men on shore we found the meaning 

 of this espionage. It appeared that the story had got about 

 that we were on the track of buried treasure, and they took our 

 divagations as made to throw them off the track. From their 

 point of view the proof of our purpose was clear. We were not 

 fishing, nor trading, nor wrecking, and as we were apparently 

 sane, evidently not seafarers, and under a skipper who knew 

 what he was about, the inference was plain that we were after 

 something of value underground. Our search afoot of long 

 shores showed clearly that we were looking for the signs left 

 by Captain Kidd, who had been there as everywhere. " Logic 

 is logic, that's all I say," was the sum of their considerations. 

 Thus informed as to the state of mind of our companions of 

 many weeks, I went to the skipper of one of the craft and told 

 him what I had heard and what we were about. He evidently 

 disbelieved me, though he was decent about it; so I had him on 

 board and showed him what we were stowing away in the hold : 

 great slabs of limestone and barrels of bits of rock of queer 

 shapes. I tried to make him see what fossils meant to us, but 

 he at the end slipped quietly away, convinced, it was clear, 

 that he had escaped from a floating lunatic asylum. 



