“It’s an old French coin,” said Bruce at length. “Where did you get it? Did you find it yourself?” Captain Corbet made no reply, but only held up his mineral rod, and solemnly tapped it. “Did you find it with that?” asked Bart. The captain nodded with mysterious and impressive emphasis. “Where?” “Mind, now, it’s a secret.” “Of course.” “Wal,” said Captain Corbet slowly, “it’s a very serous ondertakin; an ef it wan’t for the babby, an me hopin to leave him a fortin, I wouldn’t be consarned in it. Any how, you see, as I was tell-in, I ben sarchin; an not long before we sailed I was out one day with the mineral rod, an it pinted--it pinted--it did--in one spot. It’s an ole French cellar. Thar’s a pot of gold buried thar, boys--that I know. The mineral rod turned down hard.” “And did you dig there?” asked Bart, anxiously. “Did you try it?” Captain Corbet shook his head. “I hadn’t a shovel. Besides, I was afeard I might be seen. Then, agin, I wanted help.” “But didn’t you find this coin there?” Captain Corbet again shook his head. “No,” said he. “I found that thar kine in another cellar; but in that cellar the rod didn’t railly _pint_. So I didn’t dig. I went on a sarchin till I found one whar it did pint. It shows how things air. Thar’s money--thar’s other kines a buried in the ground. Now I tell you what. Let’s be pardners, an go an dig up that thar pot of gold. ’Tain’t at all in my line. ’Tain’t everybody that I’d tell. But you’ve got my confidence; an I trust on you. Besides, you’ve got luck. No,” continued the captain in a dreamy and somewhat mournful tone, “’tain’t in my line for me, at my age to go huntin arter buried treasure; but then that babby! Every look, every cry, every crow, that’s given by that bee-lessed offsprin, tetches my heart’s core; an I pine to be a de win somethin for him--to smooth the way for his infant feet, when poor old Corbet’s gone. For I can’t last long. Yes--yes--I must do it for the babby.”