Low boarded the galleon, killing the crew and sinking the ship. He then knew from talking to the Spanish crew previous to their killing, that the British gunboat was on its way to the bay. Low decided to hide the treasure as fast as he could. He landed on Pond Island and threw the chest of gold and jewels into the fresh water pond that is there. He knew the location of the pond because he had been there before to fill his water casks. After hiding the treasure he immediately left the vicinity ahead of the gunboat. He was later captured and hung, so he never came back to claim his hidden booty. Many treasure hunters have gone over this island and land surrounding the old pond, but to my knowledge nobody has located this cache of gold and jewels. The pond itself is now dry, I understand. Maybe the treasure is deeper than average; instead of four or five feet deep, this one could be fifteen or twenty feet deep. It is a problem in geology, just how the wind and rain change the terrain in so long a time. I would say that a pretty sensitive detector should be used in this area in order to reach real depth. This preceding tale is mostly legend passed down through the years, but who knows whether or not it is all legend? I would give this island a very careful examination with my instrument if I were you. There’s just no telling what is there. CHAPTER XVIII FORT PREBLE Here we have a fort that was started in 1808 and finished about 1812, just before the War of 1812. It was named for Commodore Preble, prominent in the Revolutionary Navy. At the time of the Civil War it was enlarged and had a complement of 72 guns. The early fortress was of whitewashed brick ramparts which faced the channel. On the site of this fort a log meeting house once stood, a gathering place for the earliest settlers of this area. This location may be reached by going to South Portland and proceeding to the Maine Vocational Technical Institute on Fort Road. This school now occupies the Fort Preble grounds. The old fortifications are in the rear of the grounds at the water’s edge. When you arrive at the fort, go to the Administration Building and secure permission to check the old ramparts. Here you will find many old gun emplacements. These should be given your undivided attention; use your metal detector very carefully as many artifacts and relics must still be lying about. Don’t forget to check the beach area in front of the old ramparts. The ground inside the granite walls should be another interesting spot for the metal detector. One of the earliest cemeteries in the entire Cape is located on this point of land. It is called the “Thrasher” burying ground. The Thrashers were the early settlers of this area. They had a large farm on the point back in the 1600’s.