Part 3 (1/2)

”Worth anything, s de ounce!”

He knelt down and began clearing away the weed till the whole mass was exposed, placed his arms around it, and partly lifted it

”Dere is ht,” he chuckled, as he looked up at Mrs

Lester, as now also feeling excited ”Look at dis now”

He cut out a slice of the curious-looking oleaginous stuff, struck a ht A pale yellow fla but pleasant sris to her recollection, but Manuel now enlightened her as to its uses--the principal being as a developer of the strength of all other perfumes

Such a treasure could not be left where it was--exposed to the risk of being carried away by the tide so the negro at once went to ith his knife, catting it into three pieces, each of which he carried to the house, and put into an empty barrel Then he returned and carefully searched for and picked up thethe ”find” through

Just at sunset, Lester and his gang of burly helpers returned tired and hungry, but highly elated, for they had succeeded in getting out an unusual areat luck to-day, Lucy,” cried Lester, as he strode over the coarse grass in his high sea boots; ”and, all going well, we shall make the first attempt to pull the shi+p off the day after to-morrow”

”And I have had luck too,” said his wife, her fair, sweet face, now bronzed by the sun, glowing as she spoke ”But come inside first, and then I'll tell you”

The interior of the dwelling consisted of two roo room which was also used as a kitchen It was quite coes, chests of drawers, and other articles taken from the cabin of the stranded shi+p

The centre of the rooe deal table e fire of drift ti the table, his black face beah, sea-booted wreckers entered one by one and sat down Mrs Lester bade them smoke if they wished

”Well, boys,” said their leader to the wrecking party--of whom there were thirty--”we all deserve a drink before supper Help yourselves to whatever you like,” and he pointed to a slasses Then Lucy, after they had all satisfied the her ”find,” and standing beside it, asked if they would all come and look at the contents and see if they knehat it was Lester, thinking she had succeeded in catching a young seal, looked on with an amused smile

One by one the reasy ers, and each shook his head until the tenth ave a shout

”Why, I'rease!”

Lester started ”Aris! Nonsense!” and then he too uttered a cry of astonishment as a secondoff a piece of the ”find,” srist it is, sir,” he cried, ”and the cask is chock-full of it”

”Turn it out on the floor,” said Lester, who knew the enorood look at it Light all the lamps, Lucy”

The lamps were lit, and then Manuel repeated his experi a piece, amid breathless excite a spring balance (weighing up to 50 lbs) fro it to a rafter, whilst the s and suspended them to the hook in turn

”Forty-five pounds,” cried thewas hooked on ”Come on with the next one”

”Thirty-nine pounds”

”_And_ thirty-four poundsdown and eagerly exa the dial

”How ineer

”Not less than 1 an ounce----”