Don't Kill The Cow Too Quick - Bocas Bits & Pieces

Pirates of the sixteenth to eighteen centuries buried gold and other treasure in our
lagoons and it is certain a fair quantity of the gold, silver and precious stones still lie
hidden on our shores. Shipwreck, death in a sea battle or capture and execution
prevented many from fulfilling the dream of returning to collect their spoils.

The English and French pirates and privateers hid their ships in the lagoons while waiting
news of Spanish treasure ships preparing to depart from Portobello and sail North East
on the Gulf Stream.

The Bocas Archipelago was the best hiding place West of Portobello.   The shallow
beaches were ideal for careening the ships to clean and caulk their hulls. The forests
provided hard wood lumber for repairs to hulls and the replacing of damaged spars.
There were fresh water springs, fruit trees, fish in abundance and forest animals for the
hunting. A course due East would meet with the Spanish galleons passing off shore on
the Gulf Stream.

Since those days, many have searched for the treasure. There are few records of any
being found but it is the nature of treasure seekers to avoid publicity and the attentions of
local authorities.

One known find was made by Manuel Acle and Irad Miller in the 1920's. They were
approaching the Zapatillas (two small islands on the outer edge of the Bocas lagoons)
from Crawl Cay on the way to hunt turtle when they saw the topmasts of a big boat
anchored on the ocean side the western Zapatilla. The two men went ashore and ran
across the island to find the ship hastily making sail. Left on the beach was a bucket of
gold coins which they took to William Canton, the British consul, who exchanged dollars
for the gold.

It is widely believed that Henry Morgan, the notorious English pirate who sacked both Old
Panama and Portobello, buried treasure either on the Zapatillas or Water Cay.

When burying treasure the pirates took care that no Indians knew its location. It was their
usual practice to take one Indian with them, telling him that he would be the keeper of the
treasure. When the burial was close to completion this man would be sacrificed in the
belief that his spirit would guard the site.

There is a belief still prevalent among locals that you should only search for treasure if you
have seen it in a dream, the dream being an indication that the spirits want you to have
gold.   If you do not first dream and you come upon the treasure you will die.

In 1909 Samuel Machore Sr, a pilot from Nicaragua formed a partnership with Jim Carr,
an American. They are said to have paid a John Pate of San Andres $800 for a map
showing the treasure location.

The partnership employed at least twelve men including a permanent cook. Their
endeavors came to a sudden end one evening when a ghostly white hand crossed Jim
Carr's face just as he reached the top of the ladder leading from the excavation. The
fright left him speechless and he died later that night in Bocas town.

*Carlos Reid
                                              ------------------------------------------

*Tito Thomas, the owner of Hotel Bahia and lifetime resident of Bocas, tells of another
map story. A local man drew a treasure map and after making it appear old, sold it for
$250. In a dream that night, he saw his map and also the treasure. In the morning he
paid $500 to recover the map.

In the later 1920's a group of Chinese dug a slanting tunnel from near the first excavation.
They entertained the spirit by keeping a table spread with different types of food and
drink. After about six months, the Chinese left but not before the eldest of them had died
and been buried on the spot. Some believe that the Chinese found the treasure either
before or after sacrificing the old man to the treasure's spirit.

It is said there was a major find on Two Sisters Cay in 1956. A group of North Americans
with a large barge spent four months at the cay before departing without warning in the
middle of one night. They left behind lifting derricks and empty excavation.

I have a Creole friend who tells me he knows where treasure is buried on Water Cay.
The teller of the story wishes his name withheld and therefore I will just call him Mr. X. Mr.
X tells me that recently there have been several foreigners with metal detectors of varying
degrees of sophistication, who, having heard of his knowledge of supposed treasure
locations, have been pressing him for information. He is not ready to talk. He wants first
to be sure that once found, the treasure will not be whisked away from Panama on yacht
but will be duly reported and fairly distributed according to the law.

The location of the treasure in Water Cay was revealed to a friend of his in 1976 in a
dream in which a headless spirit gave a precise direction and measurement from a
certain tree. Together with the friend and some Indians to help with the digging Mr. X
went to Water Cay. They found the tree and started digging at the point indicated by the
spirit. They came up against a rock and gave up for the day, camping alongside their
excavation.

That night my friend was visited by a pirate spirit who said "That rock is mine. Leave it
alone."

In the morning the Indians refused to continue the work, saying they felt an evil presence.
They fled, leaving the two friends to continue alone.

Mr. X entered the hole and smelt the sent of buried metal. He hit at the rock with pick axe
and the rock broke open revealing a large cavity. Out of the cavity came an angry roar
and a foul smell. Mr. X was overcome by an instant fever. The two men ran off never to
return.

Mr.X told me of another treasure experience that he shared in. The following is his
account.

A man I knew, Maning Chu, a chiniroyal, was living in Water Cay and he had a girl that he
raised. He fished turtle and went to the small Zapatilla. That night the girl had a dream.
She saw a big man with large boots with flap overs and two guns in his waist and he said
to her "Tell your father when he comes back that there is a stump above a fresh water
well. He must dig a that spot and he will find a chest. In the chest he will find a map, and
some money, not much but enough to give you a good education, and the map will direct
him to the remaining treasure. I am going to ask him a favor. In the trunk he will find a
gold watch, inside the watch is an address. Please send the watch to that address. I still
have family alive. You must send the watch to them so they may know what happened to
me. The girl woke up and woke her mother. When the father came home he found them
all shuck up. The girl told him the story. She took him to the stump.   Later Maning Chu
took me to the spot. We never did dig for the chest because we ourselves did not have
the dream and the girl she did not want to have anything to do with it.

Carlos Reid, Memorizas de Un Criollo Bocatorenho. 1980 Asociacion Panamenha de
Artropolgia.