As long as the moonlight lasted, Abner and Mary went to the little beach
at the head of the bay, and made their measurements and their searches
but although they sometimes dug a little here and there, they always
found that they had not struck the place where the pirate's treasure had
been buried.
When at last they gave up their search, and concluded to put their
household goods back into their cellar, they told the tale to some of
the neighbors, and other people went out and dug, not only at the place
which had been designated, but miles up and down the coast, and then the
story was told and retold, and so it has lasted until the present day.
What has been said about the legendary Captain Kidd will give a very
good idea of the estimation in which this romantic being has been, and
still is, held in various parts of the country, and, of all the
legitimate legends about him, there is not one which recounts his
piratical deeds upon our coast. The reason for this will be seen when we
consider, in the next chapter, the life and character of the real
Captain Kidd.
Chapter XXXII
The Real Captain Kidd
William Kidd, or Robert Kidd, as he is sometimes called, was a sailor in
the merchant service who had a wife and family in New York. He was a
very respectable man and had a good reputation as a seaman, and about
1690, when there was war between England and France, Kidd was given the
command of a privateer, and having had two or three engagements with
French vessels he showed himself to be a brave fighter and a prudent
commander.
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