We will now return to the pirates.  While at Prince’s Island, Capt.  Gilbert bought a magnificent dressing case worth nearly a thousand dollars and a patent lever watch, and a quantity of tobacco, and provisions, and two valuable cloth coats, some Guinea cloth and black and green paint.  The paint, cloth and coats were intended as presents for the African king at Cape Lopez.  These articles were all bought with the money taken from the Mexican.  After arriving at the Nazareth, $4000 were taken from the trunk, and buried in the yard of a negro prince.  Four of the pirates then went to Cape Lopez for $11,000, which had been buried there.  Boyga, Castillo, Guzman, and the “State’s Evidence,” Ferez, were the ones who went.  Ferez took the bags out, and the others counted the money; great haste was made as the musquitoes were biting intolerably. $5000 were buried for the captain in canvas bags about two feet deep, part of the money was carried to Nazareth, and from there carried into the mountains and there buried.  A consultation was held by Capt.  Gilbert, De Soto, and Ruiz, and the latter said, if the money was not divided, “there would be the devil to pay.”  The money was now divided in a dark room and a lantern used; Capt.  Gilbert sat on the floor with the money at his side.  He gave the mate about $3000, and the other officers $1000, each; and the crew from $300 to $500, each.  The third mate having fled, the captain sent him $1000, and Ruiz carried it to him.  When the money was first taken from the Mexican, it was spread out on the companion way and examined to see if there was any gold amongst it; and then put into bags made of dark coarse linen; the boxes were then thrown overboard.  After the division of the money the pirates secreted themselves in the woods behind Cape Lopez.  Perez and four others procured a boat, and started for Fernando Po; they put their money in the bottom of the boat for ballast, but was thrown overboard, near a rock and afterwards recovered by divers; this was done to prevent detection.  The captain, mate, and carpenter had a conversation respecting the attempt of the latter, to blow her up, who could not account for the circumstance, that an explosion had not taken place; they told him he ought to have burst a barrel of powder over the deck and down the stairs to the magazine, loaded a gun, tied a fish line to the lock and pulled it when he came off in the canoe.

[Illustration:  View of the Negro village on the river Nazareth, and the Panda at anchor.]

The Panda being manned by Capt.  Trotter and an English crew, commenced firing on the town of Cape Lopez, but after firing several shots, a spark communicated with the magazine and she blew up.  Several men were killed, and Captain Trotter and the others thrown into the water, when he was made prisoner with several of his crew, by the King, and it required considerable negociations to get them free.

[Illustration:  Burying the money on the beach at Cape Lopez.]