“Behind that line of rocks when they sailed into the little cove, Mike?”
“To be sure. Now, then, why don’t you laugh and sneer?” cried Mike. “Does it sound so stupid now?”
“I don’t know,” said Vince, beginning to be dubious again.
“Then I do,” said Mike warmly. “I never knew of such an unbelieving sort of chap as you are. There’s the cave, and there’s all the plunder in it—just such stuff as the pirates would get out of a ship homeward bound.”
“Yes; but why did they leave it there and not sell it?”
“I know,” cried Mike excitedly: “because one day they went out and attacked a ship so as to plunder her, and found out all at once that it was a man-o’-war; and as soon as the man-o’-war’s captain found out that they were pirates he had all the guns double-shotted, and gave the order to fire a broadside, and sank the pirate.”
“That’s the way,” said Vince, laughing; “and the pirate captain ran up the rigging with a hammer and some tin-tacks, and nailed the colours to the mast.”
“Ah! you may laugh,” said Mike. “You’re disappointed because you didn’t find it out first. There it all is, as plain as plain. The people used to think the pirate vessel disappeared, because she sailed out of sight and used to lie in hiding till they wanted to attack another ship. Well, I shan’t say any more about it if you are going to laugh, but there’s the treasure in the cave: we found it; and half’s yours and half’s mine. Now then, what did the Doctor say?”
“That he never heard of any smugglers ever being here.”
“There!” cried Mike triumphantly.