Money Island

CONTENTS:
Page.

Money Island 5

The Conquest of Jamesby 51




[Illustration: The Little Island Among the Marshes]




MONEY ISLAND.


This is the story of the buried treasure on Money Island, which lies in
Greenville Sound, not far from Wilmington, North Carolina. It was told
by Mr. Jonathan Landstone many years ago, and is a part of another story
which follows, and which will explain something further about the
mysterious little island that blinks in the sunlight and tries to hide
its secret. The words are Mr. Landstone's and were written by him, to
make sure that the story would be told correctly when the time came to
publish it.


(Mr. Landstone's MS.)

My grandfather lived in Charleston, S.C. My home is in Philadelphia. In
my boyhood I visited him several times. He was a fine old man, and was
very fond of me. He used to tell me many stories of the good old
colonial days. He said his father was a pirate; but that pirates in
those days were gentlemen. Although they made game of the King's revenue
on the high seas, it was regarded as nothing very wrong; and, although
they played havoc with the Spanish shipping, it was but the assertion of
a time-honored right of Englishmen, who never did love Spaniards. They
were, many of them, ingloriously hanged, it is true, but it was by the
King's officers, and not by the people.

However, not to defend pirates, or indeed to condemn them, I will tell
you what my grandfather narrated about his father, who was Capt. John
Redfield. He was a gallant seaman, who consorted with Charles Vane and
other doughty corsairs of those days of romance upon the seas.

When Captain Kidd forsook the King's commission to run down the pirates
on the American coast, and organized his formidable squadron, Captain
Redfield was chosen as his trusted counsellor, to accompany the
brilliant leader on his adventures. He gave up his own ship, and was
with Captain Kidd on many voyages, being entrusted with many a
commission of importance.

One fine spring morning, while off the Carolina coast, Captain Kidd was
pacing his deck, enjoying the warm splendor of the early sunshine. He
had just returned from a successful voyage among the Spanish colonies of
the south, and was gaily attired after the manner of a Spanish cavalier.
He wore a cocked hat, decked with a yellow band and a black plume, and
a coat of black velvet which reached down to his knees. His trousers
were blue, and were adorned by large golden knee-buckles. He wore
massive silver buckles on his shoes. With his well-proportioned body,
neatly trimmed beard, and steady, alert eyes, he presented as fine a
picture of a man as could have anywhere been found. His manner had the
dignity and repose of a beneficent prince, as he gave his orders for the
day and received the salutations of his men.

The ship had passed the Cape of Fear, and was making in towards the
shore-line, which Captain Kidd was observing with great interest. Some
near-by point was evidently the destination. At length, at his orders,
the sails were lowered and the anchor dropped. "We will lie here
to-day," he remarked, "and have a little rest."

This information met the ready approbation of the men, who soon disposed
themselves in careless groups about the ship. They knew it would be a
day of idleness; because there were no forays to be made upon the land,
for the reason that there wore no human habitations in those parts. To
the buccaneers the locality was well known as furnishing a safe retreat
when retirement from active work was desired.

During the day there were singing, dancing, feasting. It was a day such
as only a gallant corsair could have with his merry crew. The hours sped
swiftly; and at dusk anchors were weighed, and the ship moved a few
miles to the northward.