Read Online True Stories From History and Biography by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Free Book Online

So
Captain Phips judged it best to return to England.
    Before leaving the West Indies, he met with a Spaniard, an old man, who
remembered the wreck of the Spanish ship, and gave him directions how to
find the very spot. It was on a reef of rocks a few leagues from Porto de
la Plata.
    On his arrival in England, therefore, Captain Phips solicited the king to
let him have another vessel, and send him back again to the West Indies.
But King James, who had probably expected that the Rose Algier would
return laden with gold, refused to have any thing more to do with the
affair. Phips might never have been able to renew the search, if the Duke
of Albemarle, and some other noblemen had not lent their assistance. They
fitted out a ship and gave the command to Captain Phips. He sailed from
England, and arrived safely at Porto de la Plata, where he took an adze
and assisted his men to build a large boat.
    The boat was intended for the purpose of going closer to the reef of rocks
than a large vessel could safely venture. When it was finished, the
Captain sent several men in it, to examine the spot where the Spanish ship
was said to have been wrecked. They were accompanied by some Indians, who
were skilful divers, and could go down a great way into the depths of the
sea.
    The boat's crew proceeded to the reef of rocks, and rowed round and round
it, a great many times. They gazed down into the water, which was so
transparent that it seemed as if they could have seen the gold and silver
at the bottom, had there been any of those precious metals there. Nothing,
however, could they see; nothing more valuable than a curious sea shrub,
which was growing beneath the water, in a crevice of the reef of rocks. It
flaunted to and fro with the swell and reflux of the waves, and looked as
bright and beautiful as if its leaves were gold.
    "We won't go back empty-handed," cried an English sailor; and then he
spoke to one of the Indian divers. "Dive down and bring me that pretty sea
shrub there. That's the only treasure we shall find!"
    Down plunged the diver, and soon rose dripping from the water, holding the
sea shrub in his hand. But he had learnt some news at the bottom of the
sea.
    "There are some ship's guns," said he, the moment he had drawn breath,
"some great cannon among the rocks, near where the shrub was growing."
    No sooner had he spoken, than the English sailors knew that they had found
the very spot where the Spanish galleon had been wrecked so many years
before. The other Indian divers immediately plunged over the boat's side,
and swam headlong down, groping among the rocks and sunken cannon. In a
few moments one of them rose above the water, with a heavy lump of silver
in his arms. That single lump was worth more than a thousand dollars. The
sailors took it into the boat, and then rowed back as speedily as they
could, being in haste to inform Captain Phips of their good luck.
    But, confidently as the Captain had hoped to find the Spanish wreck, yet
now that it was really found, the news seemed too good to be true. He
could not believe it till the sailors showed him the lump of silver.
    "Thanks be to God!" then cries Captain Phips. "We shall every man of us
make our fortunes!"
    Hereupon the Captain and all the crew set to work, with iron rakes and
great hooks and lines, fishing for gold and silver at the bottom of the
sea. Up came the treasure in abundance. Now they beheld a table of solid
silver, once the property of an old Spanish Grandee. Now they found a
sacramental vessel, which had been destined as a gift to some Catholic
church. Now they drew up a golden cup, fit for the king of Spain to drink
his wine out of. Perhaps the bony hand of its former owner had been
grasping the precious cup, and was drawn up along with it. Now their rakes
or fishing lines were loaded with masses of silver bullion. There were
also precious stones among the treasure, glittering and sparkling, so that
it is a wonder how their radiance could have been