It was about two weeks before the Easter vacation would come on, and Hal and Tom would be free to start for Anclote Island in the Three Sisters. But the services of Captain Joe having been retained, the preparations for stocking the schooner with provisions and camp equipage went on from day to day. So interested did the boys become in this that the excursion to Perdido was abandoned. A week from the day Bob and Tom returned from Newark, Bob was to go to Tampa by rail. His mother was arranging to go with him.

Jerry Blossom’s acquisition of a fortune had turned the colored boy’s head. But, before he could make any great inroads on his share of the ten thousand dollars, his mother managed to secure it. Thereafter, the improvident Jerry was furnished only such sums as his frugal parent thought he needed. His preliminary inroad on his funds, however, had resulted in an outfit of gorgeous clothing and a gold plated[165] watch, which, with one evening’s “crap” shooting, had deprived fat Mrs. Blossom of sixty-five dollars.

When Jerry settled down to a realization that his great fortune was beyond his control and had lost his new watch in gambling, it was nearly time for Bob and Mrs. Balfour to start for Tampa. In the two weeks since the colored boy had come into funds, he had thought little about Anclote Island. Suddenly he realized that it would be better to reengage with the club and get the benefit of “board and keep” at small pay than to remain in town with his mother’s hand fast about the purse strings of his fortune.

For reasons which he did not quite understand, Bob had somehow come to be looked on as the real leader of the club. The evening before Bob left for Tampa, the doleful-faced colored boy waited for him after the usual meeting broke up.

“Mistah Bob,” began Jerry, diplomatically doffing his hat, “Ah done reckon Ah bettah seek out some employment, even if Ah is a rich man.”

“Aren’t you going with the boys on the schooner?” asked Bob.
 
“Ah ain’t been ’proached ’bout no contrac’,” replied Jerry. “Ah reckon mah ole frien’s done calklate Ah’s too rich to wuk.”

“Oh, I guess not, Jerry,” said Bob, laughing. “But I’ll speak to the boys.”

Jerry did not seem wholly reassured. He shambled along hesitatingly a little way, and then went on:

“Ah am ’bliged to you all, Mistah Bob, but dat ain’t prezackly all Ah wants to say. Dis money Ah got done been havin’ a pow’ful ’fluence on me. Ah’s been havin’ big dreams ’bout money fo’ three nights. Yas, sah!”

“Dreams about money?” asked Bob, laughing again. “I guess we’ve all had dreams of that kind.”

“Ain’t no one had no dreams like Ah been havin’,” explained Jerry soberly, shaking his head. “Ah been havin’ dreams ’at’s visions. Ah been seein’ things.”

“What have you been seein’?” asked Bob, slowing up his steps.

Jerry took the white boy by the arm, and, although it was late and the streets were practically deserted, he whispered:

“Three nights, Mistah Bob, a ole pirate man wif a long sword and two big pistols done walk[167] straight through de wall o’ mah room an’ say—”

Bob laughed and started ahead.

“Hol’ on, Mistah Bob,” exclaimed Jerry earnestly. “Dis ole pirate wif de long sword, he’s a colored pirate. Yas, sah, black as mah ole mammy.”

“Well,” said Bob, scenting at once some new fabrication of Jerry’s fertile brain, “what did the colored pirate say?”

“He say,” went on Jerry solemnly, “he say: ‘Black boy, Ah been watchin’ yo’.’ Yas, sah,” explained Jerry hastily. “Dem ole spooks kin shorely watch yo’ thouten yo’ seein’ ’em. De ole pirate he say: ‘Black boy, Ah been watchin’ yo’. Ah done selec’ yo’ fo’ to tell yo’ whar Ah buried mah gold’.”

“And did he?” interrupted Bob, with a smile.

The sharp-eyed Jerry saw he had made his point. In his ignorant way, he realized that the romantically inclined Bob liked nothing better than these stories of buried treasure and pirates.

“Did he?” repeated Jerry significantly. “Dat ole pirate Ah reckon was de onliest colored pirate in de worl’. He say: ‘Black boy, yo’ ain’t gwine to know how come it so, but yo’[168] alls is related to we alls. Yo’ is my heir’.”

“So you are descended from a cut-throat villain?” exclaimed Bob, with mock seriousness. “Heir of a bloody pirate?”

“Ah cain’t hep dat,” urged Jerry. “But dem’s his words. An’ he say: ‘Black boy, dar’s gold and jewels waitin’ fo’ yo’; dar’s a big box o’ buried treasure waitn’ fo’ yo’—’”

“Where, Jerry, where?” exclaimed Bob, with well assumed impetuousness.

But Jerry shook his head.

“Mah relation pirate he done make me swear on his razor sword Ah ain’t gwine to tell no one ’bout dat place ’till Ah gets mah hands on de box. No, sah, no one. Ah done sweared it on de sword. If Ah breave it, dat ole pirate man say he gwine come an’ cut off mah haid wif de sword.”

“Oh, I see,” said Bob. “Well, I wish you luck, Jerry.”

For a moment, Jerry was silent. Then, scratching his woolly head, he said:

“Mistah Bob, Ah cain’t tell ’bout de big trees whar dat box is buried. But Ah ain’t gwine dig up dat box when de moon’s full—like Ah’s instructed—all by mahsef. Ah’s got de directions all wrote down, jes’ lak de ole pirate done[169] told ’em to me, whisperin’ an’ a shakin’ his big sword ’at’s got blood on it. Ah wants a partner—mebbe two or three so we don’t take no resk.”

The diplomatic Jerry paused, while Bob could hardly conceal his amusement. At last, Bob said, half regretfully:

“I’m sorry, Jerry, that the treasure isn’t over on Anclote Island or near by. Then we could all be partners—”

“Das whar it is,” broke in Jerry. “Ah reckon Ah done got to pay my way over dar on de railroad cahs.”

Without laughing, Bob said:

“Jerry, if you won’t take any one else as a partner, I’ll see that you are hired to go to Anclote Island on the Three Sisters. Then you and I will sneak out some night and dig up the Black Pirate’s treasure.”

Jerry’s relief and satisfaction were as apparent as his white teeth.

“Ah reckon dat’s a faih bargain, Mistah Bob. Leastways, Ah am agreeable. On’y,” and his face sobered again, “de ole man wif de sword he says: ‘Black boy, de mostest o’ dat gold is yo’s.’ Ah reckon he calklate Ah ain’t gwine to squandah it. But Ah’ll be faih. Ah’ll gib[170] you some of it. But Ah cain’t give no half of it.”

“H............