Notwithstanding these three reverses, the salvors would not give up the fight. Again the divers went down, and their strenuous exertions ended in the _Hypatia_ seeing the light of day yet again. Not for long were the salvors allowed to rest after their labours. Down she went for the fourth time, while the sea bubbled and boiled around. Few men would have continued a fight which appeared so hopeless. But the salvors would not admit themselves beaten. Although Fate seemed to be taunting them, they had the courage to take their task in hand for the fifth time, and this time they succeeded. Truly it can be said that no men more fully earned their reward than these salvors who triumphed after four defeats. CHAPTER II From earliest years our imaginations are fired by the mere mention of treasure. Who has not heard of that fabulous treasure of the bloodthirsty pirate, Captain Kidd, whose booty still lies hidden on some far-off island? Expedition after expedition has been fitted out to find it, but the pirate hid it so well that the hunters have failed in their quest. Who has not marvelled at those mighty hoards of gold stored away by the Incas of Peru, gold which Pizarro looted from the Peruvian treasure-house and carried back to Spain? Treasure! The mere whisper works magic, conjuring up pictures of gold and silver and piles of glowing gems--rubies, emeralds, and diamonds galore, gleaming with all the colours of the rainbow. So fascinating is the idea of treasure that men gladly risk their lives to go in search of it; nor is the magic confined alone to the romantic. The keenest of business men, who boast of their hard-headedness, seem to lose their heads where treasure is concerned. Eagerly they fling down the funds to prosecute the most problematic searches, in return for the promise of the most shadowy spoils. These same business men will aver that they never speculate, yet all treasure-hunting is speculative, and if there is one form more speculative than another it is that of searching for sunken treasure. Still, despite its hazardous nature, there is always money forthcoming to back deep-sea enterprises of this description. True, success comes but seldom--failures are the rule. Could a correct balance-sheet be made up showing how much has been spent on hunting for the world’s sunken treasure and how much has been recovered, we should probably find that the money expended was many times greater than the value of all the treasure brought to the surface.