University of Virginia Library

4. CHAPTER IV.

The next day was spent by Martin and
his new acquaintance in the woods, the
former acting as guide, as they rambled
over the adjacent tracts of wild land in
furtherance of the professed object of the
latter's sojourn in the valley. The next,
and the next, found them engaged in the
same employment, to the great wonderment
of May, who, knowing from the
course taken by them, and from their returns
to their daily meal at noon, that
their excursions were always short and
in the same direction, could not understand
the use of so much exploring for a general
examination of a few lots of land. She
was also led to notice that a deep intimacy
was growing between them; and she
soon perceived that they were engaged in
some secret purpose far different from

that by which they pretended to be occupied.
Gow affected, in the presence
of the family, a knowing silence on the
subject of their employment, and frequently
pretended to check his friend as
the latter began to throw out hints about
new houses, improvements and purchases,
implying a sudden change in his circumstances.
All this, however, would have
but little interested our heroine, and might
have passed unheeded by her, had she
not motives of her own for watching the
conduct of Gow, whose character from
the first she had so much reason to regard
with suspicion, and whose increasing attentions
to herself, which could now no
longer be mistaken for ordinary courtesy,
and which grew every day more and more
annoying, furnished her additional reasons
for wishing to fathom his designs.

But it is time, perhaps, to apprize the
reader more fully of the project in which
Gow had enlisted Martin.

At the foot of a lofty mountain in the

woods, about a mile northwesterly of Martin's
house, a few days after Gow's arrival,
these two personages might be seen
seated on a fallen tree, the one with his
face protruded into his hat which he held
in his lap, seemingly gazing at something
at the bottom, while the other was attentively
listening to the remarks, which, at
intervals, fell from the former. The dialogue
which now ensued between them
will sufficiently explain the nature of their
employment.

`Are you quite certain, Mr Gow, that
you have at last found the real genuine
sort of stone, which you have this wonderful
faculty of seeing things in?'

`O, quite sure. It is the same thin, oval,
yellow, specked kind of stone I used when
I discovered the pot of money on Cape
Cod, that they supposed Kidd buried there.
How provoking, to get only a hundred
dollars for that job, when I might have
gone shares with the men who employed
me, had I chosen it! But the fact was,

Martin, I was not at that time entirely certain
that I possessed this faculty to so great
an extent as I afterwards found.'

`But what can be the reason that you
cannot see in the stone at one time as
well as another?'

`No one can exactly tell. A friend of
mine who has the faculty, and is deeply
skilled in these matters, supposes it is the
devil that casts a mist before the stone to
hide what otherwise might be discovered,
and this may be the case, or it is possible
that it may have some connection with the
weather or state of the air. I had a beautiful
clear view the first time I tried the
stone after finding it this morning, but as
my mind was running on scenes in my
own country, I made no discoveries of any
thing hereabouts, for the view had faded
away before I could turn my thoughts to
this spot. One must keep his mind intently
fixed on what he expects to discover,
and wait with patience till the stone
clears, and then if there is any thing to be

found, he will be sure to see it, and all the
objects by which it is surrounded.'

`How wonderful! By heavens, if I only
had the faculty, I—

`Hush—hush—Martin, it begins to clear.'

`Does it? Mind and keep your thoughts
on the mountain, Gow. Do you see any
thing yet?'

`Nothing distinctly yet—nothing but
woods, and high hills with light misty clouds
resting on them in broken masses, which
seem to be dividing and slowly moving off.
Stay! what peak is that which rises in sight?
Zounds! Martin, it clears every instant;
and I can plainly distinguish the very
mountain we are under. Look along the
top of the ridge towards the north. Now
see if you discover a tall dry tree, pine, I
should think, standing just above a bare
rock.'

`Yes, there is the very tree, as I live,
and the rock too, by Jupiter! But do
you see anything else?'

`Be easy a moment—I just caught a

glance of something glimmering further
down—but it appears to be gone now.—
There! I have it again right below the
tree; but down, down to the very foot of
the mountain. Now it comes!—brighter
than ever! Something of a white shining
appearance. Silver! silver! Martin,
—as true as I am a sinner—coined dollars
of silver, deep underground!'

`Oh heavens and earth!' exclaimed
Martin, leaping up and rubbing his hands
in ecstacy, `but mark the spot, Gow, where
it lies.'

`I have,' replied the other, taking his
face from his hat, `the view has all died away
now, and I shall not probably get another
at this time. But what a glorious
sight! Oh, my stars, if you could have
seen it! The first day we were out here,
when I strayed from you, as you remember
I did, I cut and tried a divining rod,
and from the working of it in my hand I
became satisfied that there was a treasure
near this mountain, as I afterwards hinted

to you, but I certainly never dreamed of
such a mint of coined money. But come,
let us go to the spot, and put some private
marks on the trees as near the place as we
can hit by guess.'

So saying, Gow pocketed his magic
speculum, and hastily setting out for the
place just designated as the spot where
the treasure lay concealed, they soon came
opposite to the tall tree and rock before
mentioned, and halted close to the foot of
the mountain.

`There!' exclaimed Gow, looking round
and measuring the spot with his eye, `there!
Martin, within the compass of one acre around
us, I will stake my life, there lie buried
beneath the ground more than ten
thousand hard dollars; but,' he continued
with a look of mysterious gravity, `but it
may require much time and labor to find
it; and we may have to fight dead men
and devils, before we get fairly hold of it.'

`I will agree to fight both to their teeth,

to get hold of a tenth part of that sum!'
cried the other in boastful rapture.

`Well, then,' said Gow, `we will now
begin to think of the project in good
earnest. But as it will take much hard
digging probably to reach the treasure—
more, doubtless, than we, with our single
hands, can ever expect to do, we shall be
compelled to form a small company of
four or five trusty individuals besides ourselves;
and then we shall be able to do
business to some effect.'

`Why, yes, but cannot we get along
without this?' said the avaricious Martin.
`We might then have all the money to ourselves.'

`Ay, ay, if we could, and that were all,
but you must know that there are some
conditions to be complied with in this busincss;
for besides their labor, which we
shall need, you forget that I cannot exercise
my skill, in making you rich, for nothing;
and you will hardly be willing, or able,
alone, to raise the sum I shall make
you agree to give me before I go on.'

`How much?' asked the other, with
symptoms of alarm.

`Not less than five hundred dollars.'

`What! five hundred dollars, and go
shares too?'

`Exactly, If I only went shares, what
should I get for my skill?'

`Yes, but five hundred dollars! it is extortion,
Gow, rank extortion! and I won't
give it—I will go alone first.'

`Go on then,' said Gow with a cool
sneer, `and we will see how much you will
make by money digging without me.'

`I did not mean any offence, Mr. Gow,'
rejoined Martin, in an apologetic tone, seeing
the determined manner of the other,
and fearful of pushing matters too far with
him, `I meant no sort of offence, but how
can I raise such a sum?'

`True,' said Gow, `I knew you could
not, and therefore had an additional reason
for proposing to form a company; and
this we must do—one hundred dollars apiece
will then be all that's required.'

`And one hundred is more than I know
how to raise,' observed Martin despondingly.

`I shall be fair with the company,' said
the other without seeming to heed the last
remark of Martin. `I shall be honorable,
and to show them that there is no deception
in the business, I will not require them
to hand over the money till the first dollar
of the treasure is found—and then, before
the treasure is opened, they must have
it in readiness to pay over on the spot, and
let me go equal shares in all that is found,
These will be my conditions.'

`Well, I don't see why that is not all
fair.'

`And hark'ee, friend Martin, there is
one way by which I might perhaps let you
off from paying the hundred dollars, or even
any thing—if I thought—if—'

`If what?' eagerly asked the other—`if
there is such a chance for me, for heaven's
sake let me know it—any thing that I
can do'—

`Yes, yes, Martin, but there is the trouble,
perhaps—for I fear you cannot do me
the favor I was thinking of, if you would,
and I don't know that I ought to ask your
interference—but I can name the case,
and then you can tell me, if you please,
what your notions are on the subject.—
You may have already perceived perhaps
that I have taken a fancy to your adopted
daughter, May Martin—'

`Why, yes, but what do you want of
her—it would give me a bad name if I
should have any hand in—'

`O, you quite mistake my intentions—
as I said I have taken a fancy to the girl,
and I have made up my mind, even on
our short acquaintance, to make a wife of
her, if she will marry me; but she appears
to be shy, and I suspect is determined to
refuse any offers I may make her. Now,
if, in this business, you feel disposed to assist
me—'

`O, if that is all, I will use all my influence
to persuade her to accept your offer.'

`Yes, that you of course would do, if
you felt disposed to favor my suit. But
can't you so manage as to warrant my success?
Now what I was going to say, was
this, if you will ensure me the girl, I will
release you from paying me a cent in this
affair, that is, if you will bring it about
within a month.'

`A month!—that is a short time—why
such haste?'

`Why, it is always my way to do things
at a dash. I may as well marry now as
ever; and I trust we shall reach the treasure
by that time at least, when you otherwise
would have to pay me over the
money.'

`True, I had forgotten that. Well, we
will see what can be done. But how on
earth to bring it about, I know not. She
is engaged to Ashley, and no doubt is determined
to marry him, let who will come;
and he too is a bold, straight-going fellow,
who would not stand aside for a regiment.

`But he is absent.'

`Yes, and that is lucky so far. If she
could be weaned from him before his return,
and she did not write to bring him
back upon us—'

`O, the last can be managed—but will
he write to her?'

`I presume so, but why that question?'

`I merely ask out of curiosity. But who
brings her letters from the village, where
they come, I suppose?'

`I shall, probably, myself, why?'

`Now suppose you should withhold the
letter, and never let her know any had
come for her?'

`That might have effect in making her
think she was neglected, perhaps.'

`And supposing you should let me take
the letter and write her one in imitation of
his hand, signing his name, and let you
give it to her?'

`Yes, but there would be no cheating
her in this way—she is keen as a razor—
I have sometimes thought she could tell
my very thoughts, the prying hussy!'

`But I could cheat her though. I am
handy with the pen and could once imitate
any hand, so that the writer himself
could not tell which was his own.'

`That would be rather roguish would it
not, Gow? Besides, when Ashley returned,
he would raise Ned with you for such
a trick.'

`Why, I shouldcalculate to make you a
rich man—take the girl and be off to my
own country, long before he came back.
But I see you are not disposed to help me
and yourself in this business—'

`O, you are mistaken; I was only contriving,
and I begin to think we can manage
it—and if you intend to take her out of
the country, wife will lend a stiff hand, depend
on't. She thinks May is quite too
knowing, considering, and will soon get above
us all; and to tell the truth, I have
lately had a sort of a notion that the girl
would bring some bad luck to us, in one
shape or other. But take her away from
this place, and she will make a smart wife

enough, I dare say. Gow, she shall be
yours, by hook or by crook, and there's
my hand on it.'

This last point being settled to the mutual
satisfaction of these worthy personages,
they then proceeded to discuss and
settle the details of the plan of operations
proposed by Gow for coming at the buried
treasure; the result of which was that
Martin should take upon himself the task
of forming a company from such of his
neighbors as he should select as most trusty
and best fitted for the enterprise. The
work was to be commenced as soon as a
company could be formed; to be carried
on in the night, and with all possible secrecy.
Gow was to superintend and direct
the whole business. And for the purpose,
as he told Martin, of guarding the spot, and
always being near to catch every view
which was to be had from his magic stone,
and of making frequent trials of the divining
rod, he was to erect a shantee on some
part of the mountain above, for his chief

residence, till the treasure was found,
where no one was to presume, on any account,
to approach him, pretending that
he could only make his discoveries to any
advantage, when entirely alone. Here he
was to be supplied with provisions, &c.,
from Martin's house, to which he should
only repair, for the purpose of prosecuting
his suit with May. Their whole plan being
thus adjusted, they returned to the
house with the understanding that each
should proceed to his allotted part on the
following morning.