Paul now persuaded him to give up the dredging of wreckage and treasure hunting and devote the whole time to seeking curiosities.

The old man was loth to give up his pet ideas of treasure-hunting and of making long, useless voyages in quest of phantoms.

Paul assured him that there was more chance of finding treasure ships by systematically working one locality, so he agreed to turn the schooner into a "shellhunter" as he sarcastically termed it.

Everything was ready for another cruise through the Keys and small islands, when the captain, who had secretly been interviewing another fortune-teller, announced his intention of sailing to the coast of Mexico.

The first point sighted was Cape Catoche, the northeast point of Yucatan.