kidd's money. 497 
and the noted Teach or Blackbeard, deposited pots of money 
in various secure places, mostly on islands and headlands. 
This superstition has in very many instances been so strong 
and deep rooted as to have led many persons, not of the least 
respectable classes, to dig for the " pirates' treasure.'' The 
belief was, that the pirates, in burying their money, had put 
it under the protection of the evil one, and to counteract his 
influence various magical ceremonies and incantations were 
performed previous to commencing the operations of digging. 
Especially a magical circle was drawn around the spot, and 
the parties were strictly forbidden to speak, until the treasure 
Avas found and removed to a place of safety. The night was 
usually chosen for these attempts, and the group of anxious 
faces bending over their spades as they fearfully tossed up the 
forbidden earth, and half illuminated by their solitary dark 
lantern, while the moon was just peering out over the distant 
waves, must have formed a subject worthy of a Rembrandt 
for its gloom, and a Teniers for its humor. Then all at once 
the chink ! and the eager incautious exclamation : " We've got 
it !" followed by a long blank silence, and the melancholy 
consciousness that they had broken the spell, and lost their 
treasure for ever. 
The shores of Long-Island Sound, and even the Atlantic 
beach of that Island, are famous for such adventures. Scarce 
an island or point but bears witness to this lust for gold. 
Some credulous people have ruined themselves by these re- 
searches, and propagated a thousand idle fables, current to this 
day, among our country farmers. Such stories are exceedingly 
rife among the fishermen along South Bay (L. I.) and are still 
told with that solemn air of belief wliich seizes even the most 
incredulous with its cold contagion. When heard on one of 
their naked hommocs, some three or four miles off in their 
wide level salt marshes, where the scene of itself is utter lone- 
liness, they will make your hair stand on end in spite of you, 
and cause an icy chill to run over you, even under the hot sun 
of dog-days. One of these stories I recollect was told me on 
a truant excursion which I had made, with some of my school- 
fellows, to the ocean beach, where our boat was left by the 
retiring tide, while we were playing in the surf We had 
thus before us the pleasant prospect of a night's residence on 
the bare sand-hills, when we were unexpectedly relieved by 
two of those strange fishermen, who kindly set us afloat, and 
sent us on our way rejoicing, after furnishing us with mate- 
24* 
