The Brotherhood of the Coast Page 3

The Brotherhood of the Coast

Esperance and Duval also discovered something else that could have suspended operations had they not discovered its nature in time. The walls were coated with a thick grease-like substance that seemed quite impervious to the water. They chipped some of this off in order to have it analysed, but one of the labourers accidently dropped a chunk into the cooking fire and the resultant explosion saved them the analyst's fee. If they had come exploring that stairwell with flaming torches, as had been the custom two hunderd years earlier, the story would have ended then and there.

The riddle of the rising water was solved soon afterwards. Not far from where the two were digging was another swamp. Investigation proved that those ingenious brothers had sunk this as a cistern, sucking up water from the Goulet River and then syphoning it off again to the temple shaft. A few hours' pumping and a concrete plug soon put an end to this nuisance and they could dig in peace.

Right at the bottom of the shaft they discovered the skeletons of four men, laid out in the form of a cross. Right above this tableau was a eye chisseled into the rock, presumably to watch over the door to the cavern. The door itself was another one of the ponderous turtles, but much bigger and fitting more tightly. It took two days of combined effort to pry it open and then it had to be broken in half to get it out through the shaft.

Beyond lay a huge cavern, partly chiselled out of the rock. All around its walls, almost like a Greek amphitheatre, were stones benches, also chiselled out of the rock. The floor was covered with a layer of mud a metre deep. After sifting through the mud for weeks all they found was a few strands of gold wire, a silver antelope, and a small monkey in baked clay and with amethyst eyes. It was later shown that most of the artefacts were of South American origin, proving that at least some of the treasure of Vera Cruz might have been stored there.

What is significant are the artefacts of the pirates themselves. Here was discovered a slab of stone with their alphabet chiselled into its surface. Here was also discovered a sacrificial or perhaps an execution block, the two iron spikes that held the victim's neck still firmly embedded in the rock and a hole at the bottom to let the blood run out. Later Esperance Becherel discovered another mud-filled pit in the floor of the main chamber, and this contained several jewel-uncrusted jars or shards and a few clogs, sabot-shaped in stone. Their significance is unknown.

A general picture of what these people believed in is mainly conjecture. They had a two-tier system of government: the first tier their natural leaders who sat in a sort of council, the second their spiritual leaders who formed a cabal. The cabal probably used this underground chamber as a sort of judgement hall and its decisions could have been summarily carried out on the spot. That the great majority had no idea who their fellow men were who served on this secret cabal made it doubly sinister.

The many artefacts of turtles and the outline of sharks in the foundation walls reveal a rubbing of shoulders with the voodoo cult. Back in the West Indies, at one time, new memebers of the cult were left on a small atoll teeming with turtles as part of the initiation rites.

The facts that are known do not give a clear picture of the beliefs of a unique group of outlaws, but do give a brief in- sight into the lives of outcasts who came together and formed their own society and wrote their own secret writing. They created their own from of worship and implemented their own laws, laws that were partly made in a secret meeting place beneath the temple, and enforced with harsh justice.

After these many years, it is unlikely that Esperance will ever find his treasure. It is likely, though, that the great bulk of it had once been hidden there.


	Home Pirates and Piracy Introduction to Pirates and Piracy Pirates The Buccaneers - Pirates of the Caribbean Islands associated with pirate treasure Pirate Ships and Pirate Flags The Brotherhood of the Coast Pages 1 2 3 The lost loot isn't buried on Cocos Island Millions of pirate treasure around Cuba and Porto Rico The Brotherhood of the Coast Esperance and Duval also discovered something else that could have suspended operations had they not discovered its nature in time. The walls were coated with a thick grease-like substance that seemed quite impervious to the water. They chipped some of this off in order to have it analysed, but one of the labourers accidently dropped a chunk into the cooking fire and the resultant explosion saved them the analyst's fee. If they had come exploring that stairwell with flaming torches, as had been the custom two hunderd years earlier, the story would have ended then and there. The riddle of the rising water was solved soon afterwards. Not far from where the two were digging was another swamp. Investigation proved that those ingenious brothers had sunk this as a cistern, sucking up water from the Goulet River and then syphoning it off again to the temple shaft. A few hours' pumping and a concrete plug soon put an end to this nuisance and they could dig in peace. Right at the bottom of the shaft they discovered the skeletons of four men, laid out in the form of a cross. Right above this tableau was a eye chisseled into the rock, presumably to watch over the door to the cavern. The door itself was another one of the ponderous turtles, but much bigger and fitting more tightly. It took two days of combined effort to pry it open and then it had to be broken in half to get it out through the shaft. Beyond lay a huge cavern, partly chiselled out of the rock. All around its walls, almost like a Greek amphitheatre, were stones benches, also chiselled out of the rock. The floor was covered with a layer of mud a metre deep. After sifting through the mud for weeks all they found was a few strands of gold wire, a silver antelope, and a small monkey in baked clay and with amethyst eyes. It was later shown that most of the artefacts were of South American origin, proving that at least some of the treasure of Vera Cruz might have been stored there. What is significant are the artefacts of the pirates themselves. Here was discovered a slab of stone with their alphabet chiselled into its surface. Here was also discovered a sacrificial or perhaps an execution block, the two iron spikes that held the victim's neck still firmly embedded in the rock and a hole at the bottom to let the blood run out. Later Esperance Becherel discovered another mud-filled pit in the floor of the main chamber, and this contained several jewel-uncrusted jars or shards and a few clogs, sabot-shaped in stone. Their significance is unknown. A general picture of what these people believed in is mainly conjecture. They had a two-tier system of government: the first tier their natural leaders who sat in a sort of council, the second their spiritual leaders who formed a cabal. The cabal probably used this underground chamber as a sort of judgement hall and its decisions could have been summarily carried out on the spot. That the great majority had no idea who their fellow men were who served on this secret cabal made it doubly sinister. The many artefacts of turtles and the outline of sharks in the foundation walls reveal a rubbing of shoulders with the voodoo cult. Back in the West Indies, at one time, new memebers of the cult were left on a small atoll teeming with turtles as part of the initiation rites. The facts that are known do not give a clear picture of the beliefs of a unique group of outlaws, but do give a brief in- sight into the lives of outcasts who came together and formed their own society and wrote their own secret writing. They created their own from of worship and implemented their own laws, laws that were partly made in a secret meeting place beneath the temple, and enforced with harsh justice. After these many years, it is unlikely that Esperance will ever find his treasure. It is likely, though, that the great bulk of it had once been hidden there.