“’They had not formed any fixed plan of division, but they believed that, as they had had the trouble, and, in fact, the danger, of getting the gold, they should have the main share, but they considered that they had enough to help out any of the original party who might be hard up for money.”  Of course, we must always remember,” said Shirley, in finishing up his story, “that if we can find the heirs of McLeish, the money belongs to them.  But, even in that case, Burke and I think we ought to keep a good share of it to pay us for getting it away from that beastly desert.”  Here I interrupted him.  “Don’t you trouble yourself any more about McLeish,” I said.  “That money did not belong to him.  He stole it.”  “How do you know that, and who did he steal it from?” cried Shirley.  “He stole it from me,” said I.

“’At this point Shirley gave such a big jump backward that his chair broke beneath him, and he went crashing to the floor.  He had made a start a good deal like that when I told him how the Rackbirds had been swept out of existence when I had opened the flood-gate that let out the waters of the lake, and I had heard the chair crack then.  Now, while he had been telling me about his finding that man in the sand, with his load of gold, I had been listening, but I had also been thinking, and almost any man can think faster than another one can talk, and so by this time I had made up my mind what I was going to say to Shirley.  I would tell him all about my finding the gold in the mound.  It touched me to think that these poor fellows, who did all that they could to help us escape, and then, when they got safely home, started immediately to find us in order that they might give us some of that paltry twelve thousand dollars—­give to us, who are actually millionaires, and who may be richer yet!  It would not do to let any of the crew get ahead of their captain in fair dealing, and that was one reason why I determined to tell him.  Then, there was another point.  Ever since I have been here, selling and storing the gold I brought away, I have had a heavy load on my mind, and that was the thought of leaving all the rest of the gold in that mound for the next person who might come along and find it.

“’I devised plan after plan of getting more of it, but none of them would work.  Two things were certain:  One was that I could not get any more away by myself.  I had already done the best I could and all I could in that line.  And the second thing was that if I should try for any more of the treasure, I must have people to help me.  The plan that suited me best was to buy a small vessel, man it, go down there, load up with the gold, and sail away.  There would be no reasonable chance that any one would be there to hinder me, and I would take in the cargo just as if it were guano, or anything else.  Then I would go boldly to Europe.  I have looked into the matter, and I have found that the best thing I can do, if I should get that gold,