then the captain and others must know it. And what is to prevent
them from making a search for the Pandora if they have not
already done so

"The best reason in the world," was the answer. "The boat
containing the captain and the officer who gave him the ship's
position was sunk, and all on board lost. The boat I was in was
the only one picked up, and I believe I am the only one who knows
exactly where the Pandora lies.

"Now, here is my offer, Mr. Swift," went on the seeker after
the ocean's hidden wealth. "I will bear half the expense of
fitting out a submarine, or for any other kind of expedition to
go in search of the wreck of the Pandora. I will furnish you with
the exact nautical location, as I have it. And when the wealth is
found and brought to the surface, I will give you half--in other
words at least a million dollars! Does that appeal to you?"

"I must say it is a fair, though perhaps strange, offer,"
conceded Tom. "And a million dollars is not made every day nor
every year. But what about the title to this money? After we have
recovered it--provided we are successful--will not some person or
some government lay claim to it?"

"None can successfully," declared Mr. Hardley. "As I told you,
the money was to finance a revolution. It was raised for an
unlawful purpose, so to speak, and no one has a valid claim to it
under the circumstances, so lawyers whom I have consulted have
told me. But if that is not enough, I have papers to prove that
those who might be called the owners have given up the search for