414 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



Portuguese on board. The vessel became short of 

 provisions and v^^ater, and off Yalahao encountered 

 the patron of our canoa, vs^ho, as he said, on re- 

 ceiving twenty-five dollars in advance, piloted her 

 into that place for suppHes. While there the story 

 of the treasure leaked out ; the Portuguese tried to 

 escape, but the Spaniard set sail, carrying him off. 

 The fishermen followed in canoas. The Portu- 

 guese, under the influence of threats, indicated a 

 place for the landing, and was carried on shore 

 bound. He protested that in that condition he 

 could not find the spot ; he had never been there 

 except at the time of burying the gold, and required 

 time and freedom of movement ; but the Spaniard, 

 furious at the notoriety given to the thing, and at 

 the uninvited company of the fishermen, refused to 

 trust him, and set his men to digging, the fishermen 

 joining on their own account. The digging con- 

 tinued two days, during which time the Portuguese 

 was treated with great cruelty, and the sympathy 

 of the fishermen was excited, and increased by the 

 consideration that this island was within their fish- 

 ing limits, and if they got the Portuguese into their 

 own possession, they could come back at any time 

 and dig up the money quietly, without any wrangle 

 with strangers. In the mean time, our old friend 

 Don Vicente Albino, then living at Cozumel, hear- 

 ing of treasure on an island belonging to nobody, 

 and so near his own, ran down with his sloop and 

 put in for the Portuguese. The Spanish proprietor 



