"Well, there is and there isn't," said the old sailor. "That is to say there's a story all right enough, but as to there being any treasure I don't know. Nobody does, for sure, I guess."

"Will you tell us about it?" pleaded Sammy.

"Yes, go ahead," urged Frank. "That's the only way we'll have any peace—to get it out of Sammy's system as soon as we can."

"Huh! I guess you're as anxious as I am!" exclaimed Sammy. "Go ahead, please," he added, to the sailor.

"Well, I don't mind spinning the yarn for you," was the answer. "It won't take long. The story's been going the rounds of this beach ever since I can remember. To sum it all up, some of the old-timers claim that a good many years ago a pirate ship was wrecked here."

"Right here?" asked Sammy.

"Well, out where you see them rocks," spoke the sailor, pointing with the stem of his pipe. "There wasn't any lighthouse in them days, and you wouldn't know the rocks were there, especially at high tide, when they're covered.

"Anyhow there was a ship wrecked on 'em. That part's[Pg 26] true enough, for you can see what's left of her now, at low tide. But whether she was a pirate craft, or not, I won't undertake to say.

[Pg 26]

"But the story is that when the crew found they couldn't get the ship off the rocks, they took to the boats and came ashore, bringing their booty with 'em. What the booty was the story differs on. One yarn is that it was gold, another says silver, and a third diamonds. You can take your choice," and the old sailor chuckled, but this time he was careful not to swallow any smoke.

"I'll take diamonds," said Bob, with a snicker.

"Oh, please go on," urged Sammy, eagerly, and the sailor resumed.

"The story goes," he went on, "that the pirate crew, having lost their ship, buried the treasure, and went looking for another vessel. But they never got one. They had been trying to escape from a man-o'-war when they ran upon the rocks, and the government ship traced 'em here. The marines came ashore, soon after the pirates landed, and attacked 'em. That was the end of the pirates."

The old sailor paused, and lighted his pipe, which had gone out.

"Is—is that all?" asked Sammy, and his 

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