In All The Stories Of These Enterprises The Devil Played A Conspicuous
Part.
Either he was conciliated by ceremonies and invocations, or some
bargain or compact was made with him.
Still he was sure to play the
money-diggers some slippery trick. Some had succeeded so far as to
touch the iron chest which contained the treasure, when some baffling
circumstance was sure to take place. Either the earth would fall in and
fill up the pit or some direful noise or apparition would throw the
party into a panic and frighten them from the place; and sometimes the
devil himself would appear and bear off the prize from their very
grasp; and if they visited the place on the next day, not a trace would
be seen of their labors of the preceding night.
Such were the vague rumors which for a long time tantalized without
gratifying my curiosity on the interesting subject of these pirate
traditions. There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth.
I sought among my favorite sources of authentic information, the oldest
inhabitants, and particularly the old Dutch wives of the province; but
though I flatter myself I am better versed than most men in the curious
history of my native province, yet for a long time my inquiries were
unattended with any substantial result.
At length it happened, one calm day in the latter part of summer, that
I was relaxing myself from the toils of severe study by a day's
amusement in fishing in those waters which had been the favorite resort
of my boyhood.
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