20 
DOTTING,S ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chaf. II.—B. S. 
drawn on so small a scale that it indicated scarcely 
more than the side of the island on which the treasure 
was said to he buried. The members of the expedition, 
nothing daunted, resolutely set to work for several 
months, digging and blasting; but without finding a 
trace even of anything. At last their stock of provi¬ 
sions, eked out by eating shell-fish and cabbage-palm, 
became so low that it was deemed imperative to re¬ 
turn. At this conjuncture of affairs the carpenter had 
a dream, which for a few days gave a new direction to 
their efforts. His old friend appeared to him, candle 
in hand, and pointed out the exact spot where the 
treasure was buried. Though this was in altogether a 
different part of the island from that indicated in the 
map, several days were devoted to searching the new 
locality, hut again without result. Just when about to 
embark, an American whale-ship hove in sight, and 
her captain took the whole of the adventurers pri¬ 
soners, on the charge of piracy. But the Scotch phy¬ 
sician convinced the captain that, the seizure of the 
schooner apart, the charge could not he sustained. 
Both parties were soon agreed that it would he a 
capital thing to obtain possession of the treasure and 
the captain, on condition that one-half of all the riches 
should belong to him, sent his crew on shore to assist 
in recovering them. Jack fully entered into the spirit 
of the search, and a prodigiously large piece of ground 
was overhauled • hut this new effort was as unsuc¬ 
cessful as the previous ones, and nothing was left for 
it but to turn their hacks on the Cocos Island, and 
leave its treasure to more fortunate hunters. The 
