Stolen Treasure

Stolen Treasure, by Howard Pyle

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stolen Treasure, by Howard Pyle
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Stolen Treasure
Author: Howard Pyle
Release Date: December 7, 2003 [EBook #10394]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STOLEN
TREASURE ***

Produced by David Widger, Juliet Sutherland, Linda Cantoni and PG
Distributed Proofreaders

STOLEN TREASURE
BY
HOWARD PYLE

Author of "Men of Iron" "Twilight Land" "The Wonder Clock" "Pepper
and Salt"
ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR
MCMVII

CONTENTS
I. WITH THE BUCCANEERS
II. TOM CHIST AND THE TREASURE-BOX
III. THE GHOST OF CAPTAIN BRAND
IV. THE DEVIL AT NEW HOPE

ILLUSTRATIONS
"'I'VE KEPT MY EARS OPEN TO ALL YOUR DOINGS'"
"THIS FIGURE OF WAR OUR HERO ASKED TO STEP ASIDE
WITH HIM"
"OUR HERO, LEAPING TO THE WHEEL, SEIZED THE FLYING
SPOKES"
"SHE AND MASTER HARRY WOULD SPEND HOURS
TOGETHER"
"'... AND TWENTY-ONE AND TWENTY-TWO'"
"''TIS ENOUGH,' CRIED OUT PARSON JONES, 'TO MAKE US
BOTH RICH MEN'"
"CAPTAIN MALYOE SHOT CAPTAIN BRAND THROUGH THE

HEAD"
"HE WOULD SHOUT OPPROBRIOUS WORDS AFTER THE
OTHER IN THE STREETS"

STOLEN TREASURE

I. WITH THE BUCCANEERS
Being an Account of Certain Adventures that Befell Henry Mostyn
under Captain H. Morgan in the Year 1665-66.
I
Although this narration has more particularly to do with the taking of
the Spanish Vice-Admiral in the harbor of Puerto Bello, and of the
rescue therefrom of Le Sieur Simon, his wife and daughter (the
adventure of which was successfully achieved by Captain Morgan, the
famous buccaneer), we shall, nevertheless, premise something of the
earlier history of Master Harry Mostyn, whom you may, if you please,
consider as the hero of the several circumstances recounted in these
pages.
In the year 1664 our hero's father embarked from Portsmouth, in
England, for the Barbadoes, where he owned a considerable sugar
plantation. Thither to those parts of America he transported with
himself his whole family, of whom our Master Harry was the fifth of
eight children--a great lusty fellow as little fitted for the Church (for
which he was designed) as could be. At the time of this story, though
not above sixteen years old, Master Harry Mostyn was as big and
well-grown as many a man of twenty, and of such a reckless and
dare-devil spirit that no adventure was too dangerous or too
mischievous for him to embark upon.
At this time there was a deal of talk in those parts of the Americas

concerning Captain Morgan, and the prodigious successes he was
having pirating against the Spaniards.
This man had once been an indentured servant with Mr. Rolls, a sugar
factor at the Barbadoes. Having served out his time, and being of
lawless disposition, possessing also a prodigious appetite for adventure,
he joined with others of his kidney, and, purchasing a caraval of three
guns, embarked fairly upon that career of piracy the most successful
that ever was heard of in the world.
Master Harry had known this man very well while he was still with Mr.
Rolls, serving as a clerk at that gentleman's sugar wharf, a tall,
broad-shouldered, strapping fellow, with red cheeks, and thick red lips,
and rolling blue eyes, and hair as red as any chestnut. Many knew him
for a bold, gruff-spoken man, but no one at that time suspected that he
had it in him to become so famous and renowned as he afterwards grew
to be.
The fame of his exploits had been the talk of those parts for above a
twelvemonth, when, in the latter part of the year 1665, Captain Morgan,
having made a very successful expedition against the Spaniards into the
Gulf of Campeachy--where he took several important purchases from
the plate fleet--came to the Barbadoes, there to fit out another such
venture, and to enlist recruits.
He and certain other adventurers had purchased a vessel of some five
hundred tons, which they proposed to convert into a pirate by cutting
port-holes for cannon, and running three or four carronades across her
main-deck. The name of this ship, be it mentioned, was the Good
Samaritan, as ill-fitting a name as could be for such a craft, which,
instead of being designed for the healing of wounds, was intended to
inflict such devastation as those wicked men proposed.
Here was a piece of mischief exactly fitted to our hero's tastes;
wherefore, having made up a bundle of clothes, and with not above a
shilling in his pocket, he made an excursion into the town to seek for
Captain Morgan.