the recent decease of its late owner; and anxious, inasmuch as he had no
certainty that he should find even on the charts, the places of which he
sought the latitudes and longitudes. Certainly, nothing like treasure
presented itself to his eyes, when all that Daggett had left behind him
lay exposed to view. The chest of a common sailor is usually but
ill-furnished unless it may be just after his return from a long and
well-paid voyage, and before he has had time to fall back on his purchases
of clothes, as a fund to supply his cravings for personal gratification.
This of Daggett's formed no exception to the rule. The few clothes it
contained were of the lightest sort, having been procured in warm
climates, and were well worn, in addition. The palms, needles, and shells,
and carving in whale-bone, had all been sold, to meet their owner's wants,
and nothing of that sort remained. There were two old, dirty, and ragged
charts, and on these the deacon laid his hands, much as the hawk, in its
swoop, descends on its prey. As it did, however, a tremor came over him,
that actually compelled him to throw himself into a chair, and to rest for
a moment.

The first of the charts opened, the deacon saw at a glance, was that of
the antarctic circle. There, sure enough, was laid down in ink, three or
four specks for islands, with lat. --°, --", and long. --°, --", written
out at its side. We are under obligations not to give the figures that
stand on the chart, for the discovery is deemed to be important, by those
who possess the secret, even to the present hour. We are at liberty to
tell the whole story, with this one exception; and we shall proceed to do
so, with a proper regard to the pledges made in the premises.

The deacon scarcely breathed as he assured himself of the important fact
just mentioned, and his hands trembled to such a degree as to fairly cause
the paper of the chart to rattle. Then he had recourse to an expedient