The Mystery of the Sea

Secretly during the day I made preparation for my enterprise. I placedon board the small boat which we had used, some barrels of gunpowder,wherein I had very much difficulty for our store of armament had run lowindeed and only the Admiral's knowledge of the greatness of my Trust andthe measure of my need inclined him to part with even so much. I rowedmyself ashore in the afternoon, and harquebuss in hand made search ofall the many promontories and their secret recesses for the Finn. Forsome hours I searched, examining every cranny in the rock; but no signcould I find of Olgaref. At last I gave up my search and came to thecave to complete the work which I had determined upon. Lighting mylantern I waded into the shallow water which lay in the entrance andstretched inland under the great overhanging rock flanked by two greatmasses of stone that towered up on either hand. Patiently I waded on,for the tide was low, through the curvings of the cave; the black stoneon one hand and the red on the other giving back the flare of thelantern. Turning to the right I waded on, knowing that I would seebefore me the golden figure of San Cristobal. But suddenly I came to anend and for a moment stood appalled. The Figure no longer stood erectas placed on the wide shelf of rock, but lay prone resting on somethingwhich raised one end of it. Lifting high the lantern, I saw that thismass was none other than the dead body of Olgaref.

The wretched man had after all escaped from the galleon and in secretfollowed us to the cave. He had climbed upon the shelf and in anendeavour to steal the precious figure had pulled it over on himself;and the weight of the gold which formed the Christ had in falling killedhim. He had evidently not known of the other treasure, and had followedonly this of which he had knowledge. As I was about to shut the entranceto the cave until such time as I could come with safety to open it, Idid not disturb the body, but left it underneath the Holy Image which hehad dared to touch with sacrilegious hand.

At the Judgment Day, should the treasure not be recovered, he will findit hard to rise from that encumbrance that his evil deed had broughtupon him.

With sad heart I came away; and then, for that I had to guard the Pope'streasure, I fixed the barrels of gunpowder in place to best wreak theeffect I wished. After piling them with rocks as mighty as I could lift,I laid a slow match which I lighted; then I stood afar off to wait andwatch.

Presently the end came. With a sound as of many cannon, though muffledin its coming, the charge was fired, and with a great puff of whitesmoke which rose high in air together with stones and earth and theupheaval of a great mass of rock which seemed to shake the far off placeon which I rested, the whole front of the cave blew up. Then the whitecloud sank lower and floated away over the grass; and for a few minutesonly a dark thin vapour hung over the spot. When this had gone too Icame close and saw that the great stone pinnacles had been overthrown,and that so many great rocks had fallen around that the entrance to thecave was no more, there being no sign of it. Even the channel of waterwhich led up to it was so overwhelmed with great stones that no trace ofit remained.

Then I breathed more freely, for the Pope's treasure was for thepresent safe, and enclosed in the great cave in the bowels of the earth,where I or mine though with much labour could find it again, in goodseason.

In the dark I came back to the _San Cristobal_ where my kinsman theadmiral told me that already rumours were afloat that I had gone to hidesome treasure. Whereupon we conferred together, and late that night, butmaking such noise that many of the soldiers and mariners could hear whatwas being done and give news in secret of our movements, we madepretense of making a great shipment into the _Trinidad_ so that thesuspicions of all were thereupon allayed.

In the morning the Armada--all that was left of it--hove in sight; andjoining it we began a dreary voyage, amid storms and tempests and trialsand the loss of many of our great ships on the inhospitable coast ofIreland, which lasted many days till we found ourselves back again inSpain.

Thence, in due season, anxious to see that the Pope's treasure had notbeen discovered, I made my way in secret again to Aberdeyne where thereovertook me, from the rigours of this northern climate and from manyhardships undergone, the sickness whereof I am weary.

Where and how the place of hiding will be found I have told in thesecret writing deposited in the place prepared for it, the chart beingexact. I have written all these matters, because it is well that you mysonne, and ye all my children who may have to look forward so much andso long to the fullfillment of the Trust, may know how to look back aswell.

These letters and papers, should I fail to return from that wildheadland, shall be placed in your hands by one whose kindness I havereason to trust, and who has sworn to deliver them safely on yourapplication. Vale.

BERNARDINO DE ESCOBAN.