Again, when they opened the first bag and poured out the contents into
Barbara's lap, it looked as though they had found copper; but again,
as before, what seemed copper was in reality gold. But the pieces
which they saw were such as they had never seen the like of before,
such as they never were able to guess the name of until some time
afterwards, when more experienced numismatists than this young sailor
and the girl by his side had the handling of them. What they
absolutely found was: First, a bag full of Elizabeth "soveraines,"
valued in her time at 30s. each, it containing two hundred and six of
these pieces. Then there was a bag full of angels of the same reign,
valued at 12s. each, of angelets at 6s., and of quarter angels at 3s.,
there being of these smaller coins three hundred and eleven in the
little sack. The third bag they opened--a larger one--contained fifty
gold crowns of Henry VIII.'s reign, fifty gold half-crowns of
Elizabeth's--the former having the figure of the king on
horseback--and in it, also, were one hundred and thirty rose nobles,
eighty-five double-rose nobles, eighty-three double-rose rials, or
reals, each of the value of 30s., and two double gold crowns, these
two being the largest and most valuable of any of the coins they
found.
"We are getting on, Barbara; we shall have a nice stock to take back
to the hut," Reginald said, as he tied the bags up again exactly as
before. "However, let's continue. This box is a monster and contains
the most of all."
Whoever had put together all this treasure of money--as well as what
was to come--was, it is certain, a methodical person; for, with the
exception of the above coins of Henry VIII. being mixed with those of
his daughter (there was not one of her sister, Mary's reign), the
different monarchs had been kept separate and distinct from one
another. This was shown by the next three bags, two of which contained
gold coins of James I.'s reign, but of no other English king. Of
these, the first had in it two hundred and one spur-rials of the value
of 15s. each--these coins being so called from the rays, issuing out
of the sun upon them, resembling the rowels of spurs--one hundred and
three of the single rose rials, and four single crowns. The second bag
had exactly one hundred single crowns by themselves; the third had two
hundred and two small gold pieces, French ones, they being crowns of
the sun as originally coined by Louis XI., and valued in England in
Elizabeth's time at 7s. each.
"Well, Barbara," Reginald said, as they finished these bags, "what do
you think of your fortune as far as it has gone? After we have had
some food we will go on and see what more there is."
"I think," the girl replied, as she opened her basket and took from it
some bread, eggs, a piece of cold roasted goat's flesh, and some of
the fruit which grew in such profusion on Coffin Island--"I think as I
have always thought, namely, that it is not my fortune but yours, and
that----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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