“‘It’s all up, Morstan,’ he was saying, as they passed my hut. ‘I shall have to send in my papers. I am a ruined man.’ “‘Nonsense, old chap!’ said the other, slapping him upon the shoulder. ‘I’ve had a nasty facer myself, but—’ That was all I could hear, but it was enough to set me thinking. “A couple of days later Major Sholto was strolling on the beach: so I took the chance of speaking to him. “‘I wish to have your advice, major,’ said I. “‘Well, Small, what is it?’ he asked, taking his cheroot from his lips. “‘I wanted to ask you, sir,’ said I, ‘who is the proper person to whom hidden treasure should be handed over. I know where half a million worth lies, and, as I cannot use it myself, I thought perhaps the best thing that I could do would be to hand it over to the proper authorities, and then perhaps they would get my sentence shortened for me.’ “‘Half a million, Small?’ he gasped, looking hard at me to see if I was in earnest. “‘Quite that, sir,—in jewels and pearls. It lies there ready for any one. And the queer thing about it is that the real owner is outlawed and cannot hold property, so that it belongs to the first comer.’ “‘To government, Small,’ he stammered,—‘to government.’ But he said it in a halting fashion, and I knew in my heart that I had got him. “‘You think, then, sir, that I should give the information to the Governor-General?’ said I, quietly. “‘Well, well, you must not do anything rash, or that you might repent. Let me hear all about it, Small. Give me the facts.’ “I told him the whole story, with small changes so that he could not identify the places. When I had finished he stood stock still and full of thought. I could see by the twitch of his lip that there was a struggle going on within him. “‘This is a very important matter, Small,’ he said, at last. ‘You must not say a word to any one about it, and I shall see you again soon.’ “Two nights later he and his friend Captain Morstan came to my hut in the dead of the night with a lantern. “‘I want you just to let Captain Morstan hear that story from your own lips, Small,’ said he. “I repeated it as I had told it before. “‘It rings true, eh?’ said he. ‘It’s good enough to act upon?’ “Captain Morstan nodded. “‘Look here, Small,’ said the major. ‘We have been talking it over, my friend here and I, and we have come to the conclusion that this secret of yours is hardly a government matter, after all, but is a private concern of your own, which of course you have the power of disposing of as you think best. Now, the question is, what price would you ask for it? We might be inclined to take it up, and at least look into it, if we could agree as to terms.’ He tried to speak in a cool, careless way, but his eyes were shining with excitement and greed.