it was not for long, however. cecil mitford had at least one strong quality—indomitable energy and perseverance. all was not yet lost: if need were, he would hunt for john cann's tomb in the very submerged ruins of old port royal. he looked up once more at the puzzled negro, and tried to bear this bitter downfall of all his hopes with manful resignation.
at that very moment, a tall and commanding-looking man, of about sixty, with white hair but erect figure, walked slowly from the cocoa-nut grove on the sand-spit into the dense and tangled precincts of the cemetery. he was a brown man, a mulatto apparently, but his look and bearing showed him at once to be a person of education and distinction in his own fashion. the old sexton rose up respectfully as the stranger approached, and said to him in a very different tone from that in which he had addressed cecil mitford, "marnin, sah; marnin, mr. barclay. dis here buckra gentleman from englan', him come 'quiring in de cemetry after de grabe of pusson dat dead before de great earthquake. what for him come here like-a-dat on fool's errand, eh, sah? what for him not larn before him come dat port royal all gone drowned in de year 1692?"
the new-comer raised his hat slightly to cecil mitford, and spoke at once in the grave gentle voice of an educated and cultivated mulatto. "you wanted some antiquarian information about the island, sir; some facts about some one who died before the port royal earthquake? you have luckily stumbled across the right man to help you; for i think if anything can be recovered about anybody[pg 205] in jamaica, i can aid you in recovering it. whose grave did you want to see?"
cecil hardly waited to thank the polite stranger, but blurted out at once, "the grave of john cann, who died in 1669."
the stranger smiled quietly. "what! john cann, the famous buccaneer?" he said, with evident delight. "are you interested in john cann?"
"i am," cecil answered hastily. "do you know anything about him?"
"i know all about him," the tall mulatto replied. "all about him in every way. he was not buried at port royal at all. he intended to be, and gave orders to that effect; but his servants had him buried quietly elsewhere, on account of some dispute with the governor of the time being, about some paper which he desired to have placed in his coffin."
"where, where?" cecil mitford gasped out eagerly, clutching at this fresh straw with all the anxiety of a drowning man.
"at spanish town," the stranger answered calmly. "i know his grave there well to the present day. if you are interested in jamaican antiquities, and would like to come over and see it, i shall be happy to show you the tomb. that is my name." and he handed cecil mitford his card, with all the courteous dignity of a born gentleman.
cecil took the card and read the name on it: "the hon. charles barclay, leigh caymanas, spanish town." how his heart bounded again that minute! proof was accumulating on proof, and luck on luck! after all, he had tracked down john cann's grave; and the paper was really there, buried in his coffin. he took the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his damp brow with a feeling of unspeakable relief. ethel was saved, and they might still enjoy john cann's treasure.[pg 206]
mr. barclay sat down beside him on the stone slab, and began talking over all he knew about john cann's life and actions. cecil affected to be interested in all he said, though really he could think of one thing only: the treasure, the treasure, the treasure. but he managed also to let mr. barclay see how much he too knew about the old buccaneer: and mr. barclay, who was a simple-minded learned enthusiast for all that concerned the antiquities of his native island, was so won over by this display of local knowledge on the part of a stranger and an englishman, that he ended by inviting cecil over to his house at spanish town, to stop as long as he was able. cecil gladly accepted the invitation, and that very afternoon, with a beating heart, he took his place in the lumbering train that carried him over to the final goal of his jamaican expedition.
