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Basics of Python
Programming

Learn Python in 30 days (Beginners approach)

2nd Edition

Dr. Pratiyush Guleria

www.bpbonline.com
Second Revised and Updated Edition 2024

First Edition 2020

Copyright © BPB Publications, India

ISBN: 978-93-55516-404

All Rights No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or

transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher with
the exception to the program listings which may be entered, stored and
executed in a computer system, but they can not be reproduced by the
means of publication, photocopy, recording, or by any electronic and
mechanical means.

LIMITS OF LIABILITY AND DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

The information contained in this book is true to correct and the best of
author’s and publisher’s knowledge. The author has made every effort to
ensure the accuracy of these publications, but publisher cannot be held
responsible for any loss or damage arising from any information in this
book.

All trademarks referred to in the book are acknowledged as properties of

their respective owners but BPB Publications cannot guarantee the
accuracy of this information.
www.bpbonline.com
Dedicated to

Almighty God

My beloved parents

and

My beloved family
About the Author

Dr. Pratiyush Guleria has a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He has done an

M.Tech in Computer Science and is a gold medalist at Himachal Pradesh
University, Shimla, India. He has a consistent track record in academics
throughout his career. He has also qualified for the State Level Eligibility
Test (SLET). Dr. Pratiyush Guleria has more than 15+ years of experience
in the IT industry and academics. He has research papers published in
various peer-reviewed international journals and conferences. He has been
a member of the Technical Program Committee and a reviewer for
journals and international conferences. His research interests include Data
Mining, Machine Learning, and Web Technologies.
About the Reviewers

a passionate Data Enthusiast with a Postgraduate degree in Artificial

Intelligence from Great Lakes, embarked on his IT journey with where he
honed his skills in SAP BODS, SQL, PYTHON, and Excel, catering to
US-based retail clients. Later, at Impact he delved into a diverse tech
stack, including R, Python, SQL, AWS, GCP, GUROBI, and more,
refining his interpersonal skills.

During his tenure at Jyant led teams in delivering a spectrum of products,

from price optimization to movie recommendations and Credit Scoring
Models, employing a versatile toolkit encompassing Python, R, Advance
SQL, Superset, Airflow, Git, Azure, Pyspark, and others.

Currently, as a leader at Jyant spearheads the development of two pivotal

models: an attrition model and an innovative chatbot powered by AWS
LEX. His expertise extends to LLm, Rag, and ReAct Prompt integration,
alongside utilizing SQLAlchemy to enhance the chatbot’s capabilities.

Throughout his journey, Jyant has consistently demonstrated a knack for

addressing multifaceted challenges, from crafting Regression models for
promotion optimization to wielding Seaborn and Matplotlib for
comprehensive EDA, and even applying CNN and RESNET50 for image
attribute tagging, NLP for data extraction, creating sophisticated Movie
Recommendation Engines using Lightfm Neural Network models, as well
as crafting Price Optimization and Credit Scoring Models using intricate
bank and retail data.

Peyush Kumar is an experienced IT professional, with a distinguished

career that spans over 25 years. Graduating with a B.Tech in Computer
Science from Punjabi University, his journey has been marked by
impactful contributions to major tech players, including and This includes
employment in global settings while residing for an extended period in the
USA. Beyond showcasing prowess as a skilled programmer, Peyush
proved himself as a proficient manager, steering software development
teams towards success.

Peyush’s enthusiasm extends beyond coding; he is a passionate educator.

His teaching legacy is witnessed in the diverse array of students, spanning
from high school enthusiasts to seasoned graduates, who have benefitted
from his insightful guidance.

Residing in Noida with his family, Peyush balances his love for
technology with an unwavering commitment to family values.
Acknowledgement

I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family and friends,

especially my parents, for their unwavering support and encouragement
throughout this bookʼs writing.

I am also grateful to BPB Publications for their guidance and expertise in

bringing this book to fruition. It was a long journey of revising this book,
with valuable participation and collaboration of reviewers, technical
experts, and editors.

I would also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of my

colleagues and co-workers during many years working in the tech
industry, who have taught me so much and provided valuable feedback on
my work.

Finally, I would like to thank all the readers who have taken an interest in
my book and for their support in making it a reality. Your encouragement
has been invaluable.
Preface

The author is optimistic that students who want to complete a thorough

using Python will find relief in this work. This book provides a range of
real-world examples, conceptual challenges, and methodically worked-out
solutions to help readers understand programming ideas through clear
explanations and examples. Additionally, it covers every topic necessary
for students to gain a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of
Python. This book is a great resource for anyone with programming
knowledge and a great place for newbies to start.

The abilities needed to understand the fundamentals of Python at a

beginner's level are taken into mind when writing this book. The book
presents real-world Python examples in an approachable style that makes
it easy for students to learn and comprehend.

To err is human, to forgive divine is a proverb. Although the book is

written with honesty and sincerity, I hope that its flaws will be overlooked.
However, the author is receptive to any form of helpful critiques and
recommendations for additional development. All insightful
recommendations are welcomed, and the author will do their utmost to
include them in worthwhile additions to this work in future versions.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Python Variables, Datatypes and Operators - In

this chapter, learners will understand Python software, its installation, and
writing programs in IDLE. Going through this chapter, we will cover the
fundamentals of variable declaration, datatypes, and so on. Apart from
that, Python operators are illustrated with the help of suitable examples.

Chapter 2: Conditions and Loops - In this chapter, learners will be able to

understand the fundamentals of control statements and implement the
logic using if conditions and loops wherever it is necessary. Apart from
that, readers will be able to learn the difference between break and
continue statements. Learners will also grasp the concepts of the control
statements, range() function with the help of examples. The concepts of
conditions, loops, range() function, break and continue statements are
discussed and illustrated with the help of suitable examples.

Chapter 3: Arrays and Functions - Arrays are the variables having similar
data types. Arrays in Python contain values corresponding to the same
data types, whereas lists, which are somewhat similar to arrays discussed
in the next chapter, contain values corresponding to different data types.
Arrays can contain more than one value at a time, and indexing is used to
refer to array elements. A function in Python is a block of a series of
statements that carry out a single or several actions. Code is easier to read,
comprehend, and maintain when it is divided into usable, modular chunks
because of the use of functions. The ability to reuse code is one benefit of
utilizing functions.

Chapter 4: Lists, Tuples, Iterators Generators, and Sets - In this chapter,

we will discuss the concept of lists, tuples, iterators, and generators.
Although all of these are data structures or constructs that are used to
keep, iterate through, and modify collections of data, they each have
distinctive characteristics.
Chapter 5: Dictionaries and Modules - In this chapter, we will learn about
dictionaries and modules. A dictionary is a commonly used data structure
that returns data as key-value pairs. Dictionaries use key-value pairs to
store and retrieve data efficiently. Python uses modules to split code into
individual files, which makes it easier to organize and reuse. Import
statement is used for implementing modules.

Chapter 6: File Handling and Databases - This chapter will cover the
topics related to file handling and databases. File handling in Python
enables one to work with files using the built-in functions and libraries. In
databases, we will discuss the concept of data definition language (DDL)
and data manipulation language (DML) commands for database
connections.

Chapter 7: Object-Oriented Programming - Python supports object-

oriented programming (OOP) concepts. This chapter will cover the OOP
concepts like classes, objects, inheritance, overriding, and so on. A class is
a template for creating objects and is a collection of data members, and
methods. An object is an instance of a class. In classes, methods that can
perform actions on the object using dot notation are defined within a class.

Chapter 8: Regular Expressions, Date and Time - Regular expressions are

used to identify patterns in a sequence of strings. To work with the regular
expressions in Python, we need to import the re module. The regular
expressions help us in searching, matching and manipulating strings based
on specific patterns. The datetime module in Python is widely utilized for
manipulating dates and times. The current date and time can be obtained
using datetime.now() function. You may get the current date with
date.today() function.
Chapter 9: Exception Handling - Exception is an error that occurs during
the execution of the program, and Exception Handling provides a user-
friendly interface to handle the exception and prompts a message to the
user stating the reason for such unexpected exceptions, like dividing a
number by zero.

Chapter 10: NumPy and TKinter - By going through this chapter, learners
will acquire the knowledge of Numpy and perform operations on arrays
using Numpy. Apart from that, you will be able to work with a GUI-based
environment of Python known as Tkinter.

Appendix: Practice Exercises with Solutions - Learners will be presented

with practical activities in the Appendix that include fill-in-the-blank
questions, true/false questions, and more. A reader who gains an overview
of Python essentials through the appendix will also be better equipped to
face technical interviews and prepare for entrance-level examinations.
Code Bundle and Coloured Images

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Python Variables, Datatypes and Operators

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

Python installation

Exploring Python

Example 1.1: Program to print Hello World

Variable declaration and getting user input in Python

Example 1.2: Example of user input

Example 1.3: Addition of two numbers

Example 1.4: Write a program to swap two values

Python datatypes
Example 1.5: Example of integer, float, string datatypes, and type
conversion

Operators in Python

Example 1.6: Arithmetic operators in Python

Relational operators

Example 1.7: Relational operators in Python

Logical, bitwise and assignment operators

Example 1.8 Example of logical, bitwise, left shift, right shift and
assignment operators

Identity operators

Example 1.9: Example of is and isnot identity operator

Membership operators

Example 1.10: Using the membership operator

Precedence of operators

type() function in Python

Example 1.11: Write a program for the type() function

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

2. Conditions and Loops

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

If condition

Example 2.1: Example of if condition

Example 2.2: Example of if condition using and, or operators

Example 2.3: Example of checking conditions using and, or operators

Nested-if condition

Example 2.4: Example of nested-if conditions to find the greatest of three

numbers

Loops

Example 2.5: Example of a while loop

Example 2.6: Sum of first five numbers using the while loop

Example 2.7: Demonstrating break statement in a while loop

Example 2.8: Example for finding a palindrome number using a while

loop

Example 2.9: Multiplication of a number using a while loop

Example 2.10: Example of for loop

Example 2.11: Example of the list and for loop

Example 2.12: Print the numbers using range() function in for loop

Example 2.13: Write a program to display odd numbers using for loop

Example 2.14: Write a program using for loop with arrays

Example 2.15: Find the factorial of a number using for loop

Example 2.16: Program to find the sum of all numbers stored in a list
using for loop

Example 2.17: Finding prime number taking input from the user

Break and continue statement

Example 2.18: Write a program to display the prime numbers from 1 to 20

using for loop

Conclusion

Questions

Points to remember

3. Arrays and Functions

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

Arrays
Example 3.1: Write a program for arrays using append() function

Example 3.2: Example of membership operator in

Example 3.3: Example of in operator and if condition

Example 3.4: Example of len() function in array

Example 3.5: Display values from 0 to 9 using for loop

Example 3.6: Display values from 0 to 9 using arrays and append()

function

Functions

Example 3.7: Passing parameters in a function

Local and global variables in functions

Example 3.8: Local and global variable

Example 3.9: Write a program for a variable having global scope

Example 3.10: Write a calculator program using the concept of functions

Example 3.11: Function returning the absolute value of a number

Example 3.12: Write a program to sort array elements

Example 3.13: Write a program to find the square of a number using

functions

Lambda function

Example 3.14: Adding numbers using the lambda function

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

4. Lists, Tuples, Iterators Generators, and Sets

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

Lists

Example 4.1: Example of using the append() function in lists

Slicing

Example 4.2: Example of slicing a list and for storing multiple data items

Example 4.3: Example of Slicing using double colon for list sequences

Tuples

Example 4.4: Example for concatenation of tuples

Example 4.5: Nested tuples

Python iterators

Example 4.6: Write a program to print a list of courses using iterators

Example 4.7: Write a program using iterators through loops

Python generators

Example 4.8: Write a program for generators

Example 4.9: Simplify the Example 4.8 using loops

Sets

Example 4.10: Example of a set and its operations

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

5. Dictionaries and Modules

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

Dictionaries in Python

Example 5.1: Write a program for the dictionary

Example 5.2: Accessing values in a dictionary using index and arrays

Example 5.3: Dictionary example for addition and deletion of key-value

pairs

Nested dictionary

Example 5.4: Example of nested dictionary

Example 5.5: Counting the number of digits, lowercase, uppercase, and
vowels in a sentence

pop() method in a dictionary

Example 5.6: Example of pop() method in dictionary

Modules

Example 5.7: Using modules

Example 5.8: Example of using dictionary using modules

Example 5.9: Example of importing mathematical functions in a module

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

6. File Handling and Databases

Introduction

Structure
Objectives

File and modes used in file handling

Example 6.1: Example for reading a file

Example 6.2: Example for reading every line of the file

Example 6.3: Write data into file using w mode

Example 6.4: Write a program to illustrate append mode

Databases

Data definition language

Data query language

Data manipulation language

Data control language

Transaction control language

Example 6.5: Write a program for database and table creation

Example 6.6: Program to insert a record into a table

Example 6.7: To read records from the table and display them

Example 6.8: Write a program to update the data

Example 6.9: Write a program to delete the data

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

7. Object-Oriented Programming

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

Classes and objects

Example 7.1: Writing a program for class and objects

Example 7.2: Writing a program for functions in a class

Inheritance
Example 7.3: Writing a program for inheritance

Overriding

Example 7.4: Writing a program for overriding

Example 7.5: Write a program for inheritance and function overriding

Encapsulation

Example 7.6: Write a program for encapsulation restricting access to the

private variables

Example 7.7: Write the aforementioned example using public access

specifier

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

8. Regular Expressions, Date and Time

Introduction
Regular expression for pattern matching

Example 8.1: Write a program for substring function using regular

expression

Example 8.2: Regular expression program to search string

Example 8.3: Write a program to check email ID pattern using the

function

Example 8.4: Write a program for validating string values only

Example 8.5: Write a program for validating numerical values only

Example 8.6: Regular expression to validate the mobile number digits

Date and time functions

Example 8.7: Write a program to display time

Example 8.8: Write a program to display datetime using now function

Example 8.9: Write a program to obtain the calendar month using calendar
module

Conclusion

Points to remember
Exercises

9. Exception Handling

Introduction

Objectives

Exception

Example 9.1: Program of exception error occurred due to inappropriate

values

Example 9.2: Program of exception error raised due to different data types

Example 9.3: Program of IOError exception

Example 9.4: Program of ModuleNotFound exception

Example 9.5: Write a program for division by zero exception

Example 9.6: Example of assert statement for exception handling

Conclusion

Points to remember
Exercises

10. NumPy and TKinter

Introduction

Structure

Objectives

1-D array operations using NumPy

Example 10.1: Write a program to create a simple 1D array from a Python

list

Example 10.2: Finding sum, mean, max, and min functions using NumPy

Matrix addition and multiplication using NumPy

Example 10.3: Write a program for matrix addition and multiplication

using NumPy

Fundamentals of Tkinter main application window

Example 10.4: Example of Tkinter application window

Label and button widget in Tkinter

Example 10.5: Create a label and button widget in Tkinter

Button click event and input from user in Tkinter

Example 10.6: Example of button click event

Example 10.7: Example of taking input from a user using the text field

Example 10.8: Write a program for performing arithmetic operations

Conclusion

Points to remember

Exercises

Appendix: Practice Exercises with Solutions

Sample programs

Output prediction

Multiple choice questions

Fill in the blanks

True/False

Index
 C
HAPTER
1
Introduction to Python Variables, Datatypes and Operators
Introduction

Python is an interpreted and object-oriented high-level programming

language. It was designed by Guido Van Rossum and released in 1991.
The latest version of Python is Python 3.12.2.

Python itself is mainly written and implemented in the C programming

language for flexibility and effectiveness. Python can also be translated
into binary code like Java. Python is used in Mathematics and Machine
Learning. Python has had tremendous growth across a wide range of
industries, including web development, data science, AI, scientific
computing, and so on. Since Python is an interpreted language, running
your code does not require compiling it first. Python’s line-by-line editing
and execution capabilities make it ideal for quick development and
experimentation. Because Python is dynamically typed, you do not need
to explicitly declare variable types.

The type of a variable is decided by the interpreter at runtime, providing

flexibility. With the aid of libraries like Tkinter, desktop applications can
be made with Python.

Lists, tuples, and dictionaries are the three basic data structures used in
Python to store and manage collections of data. Besides that, topics like
modules, object-oriented programming features, databases, file handling,
and Numpy are addressed in this book with the help of simple and
illustrative examples.
Structure

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

Know about Python installation

Writing a program in IDLE shell

Variable declaration

Data types

Operators

type() function
Objectives

In this chapter, learners will come to know about Python software, its
installation and writing programs in IDLE. Going through this chapter, we
will cover the fundamentals of variable declaration, datatypes and so on.
Apart from it, Python operators are illustrated with the help of suitable
examples.
Python installation

Python is an open-source software and can be downloaded from its official

website, as shown in Figure The most recent versions of Python are available
for download at

Figure 1.1: Download the Python software

After downloading the software, execute it as shown in Figure

 Figure 1.2: Execution of the Python software

After executing the Python software, the setup of the software starts its
installation progress and finally displays the completion message of the
installation, as shown in Figure
 Figure 1.3: Setup installed successfully

After the Python setup is completed successfully, the Python IDLE 3.11
environment for writing programs is shown in Figure 1.4 and Figure The
IDLE is known as the integrated development learning environment. It is a
Graphical user interface for writing Python programs. Take a look at the
following figure:
 Figure 1.4: Opening IDLE (Python 3.11)

IDLE Python 3.11 Shell is illustrated in the following figure:

 Figure 1.5: IDLE Python 3.11 Shell

Among the widely used tools in the Python development ecosystem are
PyCharm, Anaconda, and Visual Studio Code (VS each with a distinct
function.

Microsoft created VS Code, a small, open-source code editor. Python is

among the many programming languages that it supports. It can be
downloaded from a website: https://code.visualstudio.com/ and on opening
the software, it looks as shown in Figure
 Figure 1.6: VS code welcome window

Specifically created for Python development, PyCharm is an integrated

development environment that is robust and feature-rich. Excellent support
for Python is offered by PyCharm, including handling packages and virtual
environments. Take a look at the PyCharm Figure
 Figure 1.7: PyCharm coding environment

For advanced learning in Python, we need to download the Anaconda

software. Python and additional scientific computing programs for data
science and machine learning are distributed under the Anaconda namespace.
It has instruments for handling packages and environments. First, download
the Anaconda Software from a website: the Anaconda software is opened, it
appears as Figure
 Figure 1.8: Anaconda Navigator environment

The Anaconda software comes with Python software along with built-in
libraries of Python. This software consists of two popular IDE integrated
development environments which are Spyder and Jupyter Notebook, shown
in Figure 1.9 and Figure Interactive coding and output visualization are
hallmarks of Jupyter notebooks. Each cell’s output is retrieved along with the
code in Jupyter, which divides the code into cells. For exploratory analysis
and model construction, it is perfect because it supports interactive
development. The extension of a Jupyter code file is (.ipynb). Take a look at
the following figure:
 Figure 1.9: Spyder environment window

The Jupyter Environment Window is shown in the following figure:

Figure 1.10: Jupyter environment window

Exploring Python

Python can be used in the following ways:

To create web Web applications can be developed in Python with the help
of Flask and Django modules.

Connect to database systems.

To handle big Python can be easily integrated with Big Data Frameworks.

Machine learning Python has preinstalled libraries for machine learning,

big data, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, and so on.

Predictive trends can be developed in Python.

Note: The extension of Python is .py. Python uses indentation as its

method of grouping statements. Therefore, in Python, while writing
programs, always take care of Indentation. If an indentation error occurs
in conditions or loops, the error will prompt an unexpected indent.

The steps to run the Python programs on IDLE Shell are as follows:

Python programs can be executed through Python Shell or IDLE, as

shown in Figure 1.11 and Figure Python uses indentation to indicate a
block of code.
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Author of “The Last Chance Mine,” “Beach Boy Joe,” etc.

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By STREET & SMITH
The Secret Chart
 CONTENTS.
Chapter Page
I.—A Discovery 5
II.—At Sea 13
III.—A Message 21
IV.—The Castaways 29
V.—Mischief 37
VI.—Mutiny 45
VII.—Set Adrift 53
VIII.—Turning the Tables 61
IX.—Bound South 69
X.—Hayti 77
XI.—Conjectures 85
XII.—A Strange Spectacle 93
XIII.—In Trouble 101
XIV.—The Cave 109
XV.—A Discovery 117
XVI.—Andy 125
XVII.—A Successful Scheme 133
XVIII.—Treasure Hunting 141
XIX.—The Wreck 149
XX.—The Underground Passage 157
XXI.—A Trap 165
XXII.—Run to Cover 173
XXIII.—Secret of the Cave 181
XXIV.—The Treasure Chamber 189
XXV.—To the Rescue 197
XXVI.—A Pitched Battle 205
XXVII.—Under Cover 213
XXVIII.—A Second Alarm 221
 XXIX.—In the Tunnel 229
XXX.—The Story 237
XXXI.—An Opportune Arrival 244
XXXII.—The Departure 252
THE SECRET CHART.
 CHAPTER I.
A DISCOVERY.
Near the mouth of Spuyten Duyvil Creek the yacht Day Dream lay at
anchor on a certain day in September, two years ago.
The driving rain only served to give her white hull, with its trimmings
of gold, an additional luster, bringing into yet bolder relief the
polished mahogany and walnut inboard woodwork.
Two sailors and an old colored steward remained below to escape an
unnecessary wetting, and the fifty-ton beauty tugged at the cable as
if trying to escape from her moorings before her caretakers should
be aware of the fact.
On the river bank, half-hidden by a clump of trees, was the old stone
house owned by Henry Mansfield, formerly a captain in the China
trade, but now retired. Having accumulated considerable wealth, he
believed it would be more pleasant to remain ashore permanently;
but, after a short time of idleness, his love for the sea returned with
redoubled force, and, as a result, the Day Dream was purchased.
On her the captain spent considerably more than half his time, and
now the little craft was provisioned for a long southern cruise, much
to the delight of the owner’s son Gilbert, and his nephew, Nelson
Duncan, who had, after no slight difficulty, succeeded in gaining
permission to make the voyage.
The boys were on shore overhauling their traps, preparatory to
leaving early next morning, and having considerable trouble in
deciding just what should be left behind.
“We’ve laid out a big pile of stuff,” Gilbert said, as he surveyed the
guns, fishing tackle, clothes, and a general assortment of odds and
ends, which both he and his cousin had thought would be necessary
to their comfort and pleasure during the voyage; “but if we throw
anything out, it will be just what we may want most when the yacht
is at sea.”
“But how are we to get so much aboard?”
“In case your trunk and mine won’t hold it all, there’s an old chest in
the attic, which will be the very ticket. If it doesn’t stop raining
pretty soon, we’ll have to get a piece of tarpaulin to cover them
while going out to the schooner.”
That the old chest would be needed was learned very soon, and Gil
said, with a sigh:
“There’s no question but that something must be left. We’ll pack the
most important, and then decide as to the rest. Come on, it won’t
take long to overhaul what is in the attic.”
The only idea in the minds of the boys was to secure that which
would serve as a receptacle for their goods until the same could be
carried to the schooner, and, on finding the well-worn chest, it was
only natural to first make sure that it was empty.
The rusted lock was fastened, and, eager to complete the work as
soon as possible, Gil knocked the hasp off by kicking at it, after
which the lid was thrown open.
At first glance one would have said that it contained nothing, but on
turning it upside down several articles rolled out.
Idle curiosity, rather than a belief that anything important would be
found, caused the boys to pick up the contents, and Nelse cried, as
he went toward the window:
“Say, Gil, here’s a piece of an old newspaper, containing what
appears to be an old story. Where did the chest come from?”
“I don’t know. Read what you have found, if it is interesting.”
“There is a long account here, but if you can keep quiet a few
moments, I’ll make it out, in spite of the many creases and the dirt.”
Then Nelse began the following:
“North of that wild promontory which projects itself into the tropic
waters of the Mexican Gulf at the northwestern extremity of Hayti,
and four miles to seaward of the ancient town, lies a rocky inlet
known as Tortuga de Mar. In size and aspect it is insignificant. Yet,
lilliputian and unfamiliar though it now is, it gave birth to the most
merciless and picturesque class of marine cutthroats known to
history.”
“Keep that until we start,” Gil said, impatiently, as his cousin paused
to take a long breath. “Just now we want to get our traps aboard,
instead of reading some musty tale.”
“Wait a moment, and find out what it means. We’ve got plenty of
time,” Nelse said, and then he continued:
“Back in the opening decades of the seventeenth century
adventurous criminals from throughout the Antilles began to collect
on the islet, and in a few years Tortuga became the recognized
headquarters of the Spanish Main. From it as from a fever germ
went out a fire of blood, piracy, and lawlessness which spread over
the waters of the Western World.
“Tortuga was settled in the first years of this century by Spanish
pioneers from the island known as Hispanola, or ‘Little Spain.’ It was
given the fanciful name of Tortuga de Mar, ‘The Sea Tortoise,’ from
its resemblance in shape to that amphibian. The settlers were a
worthy and simple folk, for the most part fishermen, who, for a few
months in the twelve, varied life by hunting the wild cattle which fed
in the wooded coast lands.
“Scarcely had they become well established on the Tortoise, when,
one morning in May, 1632, they were mystified at the sight of a
pinnace load of strange seamen landing on the key which faces the
mouth of their harbor. Fifteen restless spirits from the French colony
of St. Christopher had, with the adventurous recklessness which
marked that day and those waters, set out for the best location
which fortune and a west wind should put in their way. They were
allowed to put up sapodilla shelters at the harbor mouth, and also to
shoot their French bullets into wild bulls on the opposite coast.
“In a few weeks it became evident that the rascally strangers could
slaughter and boucan more beeves in a day than the entire Spanish
community could in three. Boucanning, by the way, was a peculiar
process of curing flesh by jerking, salting, and drying in the
sunshine, the term being derived from an aboriginal word applied by
the cannibal Caribbes to the curing of human flesh. Such was the
skill of the intruders in converting the bulls into a superior,
merchantable product by means of the boucan that the Spanish
derisively applied the native word to them.
“As Tortuga lay directly in the path of European vessels bound for
Mexican ports, the fifteen Frenchmen immediately built up a thriving
business in boucanned beef. Doubloons, pieces-of-eight, and
moidores became to them as shells or seabeans to the Spanish
fishermen. Word went back apace to St. Christopher, throwing that
island into such an uproar that the craze to go a-boucanning carried
its most unruly seamen to the Tortoise.
“Frenchmen came down upon the islet like a swarm of mosquitoes,
and overran it before the simple Spanish folks could recover from
their astonishment. Ominous growlings were heard among the
original settlers, but for such trivial matters as round Spanish oaths
the intruders cared never a whit. Just before dawn, December 1,
1633, the Spanish islanders met at the plaza of their little town, and
descended headlong upon the intruders at the boucanning beaches.
Then began a massacre, during which the intruders were cut down
wherever found.
“Immediately after this the boucanning foreigners formed
themselves into a band composed of a collection of couples. Each
two hunters made common property of all possessions of either.
They bound themselves by every oath to an imperishable
brotherhood. Each swore to avenge with death any insult offered to
the other. The two hunted and lived together by day, slept together
by night, and were as one flesh; and always as the band ranged the
coast valleys, grew the purpose of avenging the Tortuga massacre.
“A few months later the Frenchmen took the islanders by surprise. A
carnival of butchery ensued. When it was completed the village was
burned. The most lawless of the murderers was one Pierre Le Gros,
a sailor of oxlike frame and weight, hailing originally from Dieppe,
who, with twenty-seven fellow spirits, stole a small sloop from a
Tortugan skipper, and started on a nautical foray on whatsoever
Spanish merchantmen fate might cast in his course.
“The act was of sufficient gravity to daunt even the chosen crew of
cutthroats captained by Pierre, had the proposed prey been anything
but Spanish, since it was plain piracy. For two days the sloop ran on
before a northerly wind, swinging down into the Caribbean Sea, but
sighting no craft. On the third afternoon out Pierre spied a galleon,
one of the Panama pearl fleet, which had been separated from its
sister vessels in a recent hurricane. Until night shut down, he craftily
kept away toward the windward horizon. Then, under cover of the
darkness, he swiftly and silently approached, coming alongside at
daybreak. The entire twenty-eight buccaneers boarded the galleon,
leaving their sloop adrift.
“Six men rushed headlong to the gunroom, taking immediate
possession. Six more went to the clumsy steering apparatus, while
Pierre, with the remaining fifteen, hove the morning watch
overboard and made for the cabin. On bursting into the captain’s
room, Pierre found the worthy Don playing at cards with his officers,
and discussing a goodly measure of Madeira.
“Before the captain could speak, the pirates swarmed into the
apartment, and covered the group with their pistols. In less than
three minutes the prize was theirs. The crew were marooned, and
the galleon taken to France, where, she and her cargo quickly
disposed of, the buccaneers left with all speed to rendezvous at the
Tortuga.
“When the intelligence of this exploit reached the Tortoise, the entire
island was thrown into a hubbub. Nothing was thought of but to go
buccaneering for galleons. Brig after brig and ship after ship were
fitted out, and in a year this species of piracy became a recognized
business. Ten years later the Spanish commerce in these waters had
been almost entirely destroyed. The sea was forsaken for the richer
prizes on land. The rich capital of Campeche was sacked, to be, in
turn, followed by Panama, and the curers of beef had become such
a power as to attract the attention of every nation.”
“Is that all?” Gil asked, as Nelse ceased reading.
“Every word, and it isn’t such a bad sort of story, except that there’s
not more than half enough. I wonder why your father has been
keeping it in the chest?”
“I don’t believe he knew it was here. But look at the rest of this
stuff! Do you suppose these have anything to do with the piece of
newspaper?”
As he spoke, Gil picked up the other articles, and he and Nelse were
gazing at them in perplexity when Captain Mansfield entered the
attic.
 CHAPTER II.
AT SEA.

“Well, what are you boys hunting for? Pirates’ gold?” Captain
Mansfield asked, with a hearty laugh, as he looked over Gil’s
shoulder.
“We came here for this old chest, because our trunks won’t hold all
we want to carry, and in it found these things, which I don’t suppose
amount to anything; but I can’t make out why you or any one else
would want to keep them.”
As he spoke, Gil laid on the lid of the box the different, apparently
useless, articles which had fallen out when the hasp was broken.
They all had that peculiar musty, salty odor, which tells of months
spent in the forecastle, while the good ship plows her way across
this or that ocean, one day aided by favoring winds, and on the next
battling for life with the spirit of the tempest.
First the newspaper story was placed before Captain Mansfield; then
a small coil of thin, well-waxed cord; then a piece of hard, dark-
colored wood about four inches long by two wide, with the following
marks rudely cut, as if with a sheathknife:

A fragment of an old British admiralty chart, showing a portion of the

northwestern end of the Island of Hayti, was next examined, and
then Gil unfolded a rough drawing, of which the sketch below is an
exact copy:
“Do you know where these things came from?” Gil asked, after his
father had gazed at the odd collection for several moments in
silence.
“I never saw them before.”
“Wasn’t this your chest?”
Captain Mansfield examined the outside of the box intently,
apparently more interested in the find than the boys, and then said,
slowly:
“It belonged to an old sailor whom I found in Hong Kong many years
ago. He was in the last stages of consumption, and begged me to
bring him to this country. I advised him to remain in the hospital, for
it seemed certain he would die at sea; but he persisted, and on the
fortieth day out we were obliged to give him a sailor’s burial. The
night he died we were doing our best to save the ship, she having
been partially dismasted in a typhoon, and when he asked for me, I
was needed on deck. He sent word by one of the men that I was to
keep his chest, which I did, although it seemed nothing more than a
dying man’s whim. It was probably brought here with my dunnage,
and I have never thought of it since. Now I can fancy what sort of a
yarn he wanted to tell me.”
“Do you suppose these things refer to buried treasure?” Nelse asked,
excitedly, remembering what had been read.
“He probably thought he knew where some of the buccaneers had
hidden their booty. Take ten old sailors together, and it is safe to say
that five of them believe they can find gold which has been hidden
by pirates.”
“Is what we read in the newspaper true?” Gil asked.
“There can be no question about it. There have been several reliable
histories of these sea robbers written, and by looking in an
encyclopædia you will learn how fragmentary this article is. New
Segovia, in Honduras, was sacked by them. Maracaibo and Gibraltar,
in the Gulf of Venezuela, were plundered by the buccaneers under
the command of D’Ollonois. Morgan, with two thousand men,
crossed the Isthmus to lay siege to Panama, and destroyed it. Coxon
ravaged the coast of Peru, and I might go on telling of their crimes
until next week without finishing the story. All this doesn’t prove,
however, that your find contains a clew to buried gold.”
“But why not try to learn if these things really amount to anything?”
Gil suggested, eagerly. “You have said you didn’t care where we
went, and this would give us a purpose.”
“Yes, and one involving no end of hard work; but if you boys want to
make the venture, and can decide where this particular spot is
located, I’ll head the Day Dream for the place, and give you a
chance.”
Nelse and Gil began to express their gratification; but the latter’s
father interrupted them by saying:
“Don’t thank me. Treasure hunting is very different from what you
fancy, and one day’s work, under a tropical sun, no matter how
promising your clews may be, will result in a most intense desire to
leave such jobs to other idiots. It is time now to get your traps on
board, for the storm gives promise of clearing away, with a favoring
wind, and the Day Dream will be under way before sunrise.”
Then Captain Mansfield left them, and the boys set about obeying
his orders by first wrapping the supposed guides to a large amount
of wealth carefully in brown paper, after which the remainder of the
work was quickly accomplished, for their minds were so filled by
belief in their ability to unearth a pirate’s hoard, that many things
were left behind, which, under less exciting circumstances, would
have been thought absolutely indispensable.
An hour later the two were sitting in a snug corner of the yacht’s
kitchen, talking with the old darky who was “de captin ob dis yere
place,” and who rejoiced in the name of Andrew Jackson Washington
Storts.
“De skipper am pow’ful fond ob loafin’ ’roun’ in de schooner,” Andy
said, by way of opening the conversation.
“But this time it’s to be a regular cruise,” Gil replied. “We’re going for
gold, and, unless a regular hurricane strikes us, there’ll be no
shortening of sail until we make a harbor on the coast of Hayti.”
“Wha—wha—wha’s dat?” Andy asked, in mingled surprise and alarm,
and turned suddenly to face the boy.
“It’s nothing to be frightened about; we’re only going to Hayti.”
“After pirates’ gold?”
“We shall make a try for it, although father don’t think the venture
will be success——”
“Don’ do it, honey, don’ do it. Yo’ neber was dar, an’ yer ain’ got any
call fur to go.”
“You’ll think we’ve had a call when you see what was found in the
chest of a sailor who died aboard uncle’s ship,” Nelse said,
laughingly.
“You’se gwine kase ob wha’ a dead man tole yer?” and now Andy
exhibited every sign of fear.
“Of course a dead man couldn’t tell us anything,” Gil replied,
impatiently. “We don’t believe in ghosts.”
“But yer will, honey, ef dis yere craft anchors anywhere ’roun’ Hayti
near the gold wha’s got blood on it.”
“So you’ve heard about treasure being buried there?” Nelse cried,
excitedly.
“I’se done more’n hear ’bout it, chile. Ef I should go fur to tell yer all
I’se seen, de berry hair would tumble away frum yer head.”
“Tell us about it, and we’ll risk our hair,” Gil said, coaxingly.
“Yer doesn’t know wha’ you’se askin’, chile. I’d done gone die dead
ef I should splain half I’se seen in dat hole ob de debble. Does yer
hab any idee who’s libbin’ dere?”
“The natives of the island, I suppose.”
“Jes’ listen to me, chillun, an’ den go ashore same’s I’se gwine fur to
do ef de captain ’sists on headin’ dis yere schooner to dat place.
Dere’s voudoos ’roun’ de coast,” and the old man looked over his
shoulder, as he spoke, as if believing some horrible punishment
would be meted out to him for so much as mentioning the dreaded
name.
“What are they?” Nelse asked, surprised at the exhibition of fear.
Andy looked at the questioner as if in pity because of the ignorance
displayed, and after a short, impressive pause, replied, solemnly:
“Ef yer doesn’ know, honey, Andy Storts ain’ de one wha’s gwine fur
to put yer in any trubble. Dem as goes to dat ar place ain’ nebber
gwine ter cum back, an’ yer better foller me ashore, kase I don’
hanker arter bein’ dead.”
As he spoke, the old darky began gathering up such of his
belongings as were in the galley, literally trembling with fear
meanwhile, and the boys regarded each other in silent amazement
until the trampling of feet overhead caused Gil to dart up the narrow
companionway.
An instant later he shouted:
“Come here, Nelse! The storm has cleared off, and we are under
way.”
An exclamation of dismay burst from Andy’s lips, and, dropping the
articles from his arms, he rushed to the deck.

“Andy rushed to the deck.” See page 18.

The Day Dream was already several miles from her anchorage,
sending the spray up from her glistening cut-water as she glided
swiftly, with every inch of canvas drawing, toward the sea.
The exhilaration of the sail caused the boys to forget Andy and his
fears temporarily, and they watched the graceful craft threading her
way in and out among the many vessels and steamers, now
apparently about to be run down by some iron monster, and again
threatening a saucy tug with a blow of her fore foot.
Captain Mansfield was standing near the helmsman, watching over
the safety of his yacht, when the old darky approached him in the
highest state of excitement.
“I’se done gone altered up my mind, captin, an’ carn’ go on dis yere
cruise,” Andy cried, forgetting, in his terror, that he had no right to
speak to the master of the schooner under such circumstances.
“Hold your tongue and go back to the galley! I’ll listen to you when
we are outside.”
“I’se gwine ter be set ashore, sah.”
“You’re going to be thrown overboard, if you don’t stop that noise
and get away from here,” was the stern reply, and, fearing present
danger rather than that in the future, the steward beat an
undignified retreat, but at the same time firmly resolved he would
not allow himself to be carried to sea in the Day Dream.
Gil and Nelse had heard the short conversation; but there were so
many things to occupy their attention, that they dismissed it for the
time being, as something too trivial to require a second thought.
And each moment the Day Dream was drawing nearer and nearer to
the entrance of the harbor. The wind was favoring, and Captain
Mansfield, true to the instincts which had animated him while in
command of a ship, thought only of showing his celerity in leaving
port.
Down through the narrows the little craft speeded, leaving behind a
wake of silver to show her course, and from there to the lower bay,
still holding the wind at its best drawing point, until she was finally
bowing and courtesying to the long swell of the Atlantic, while in the
galley old Andy remained on his bended knees, praying that stress of
weather might force her into some port before reaching Hayti, at
which he could make his escape from the terrible dangers which he
firmly believed threatened all who should attempt to recover the
buried treasure which had been gained only by the shedding of
blood.
 CHAPTER III.
A MESSAGE.

It is not to be supposed that the boys escaped a severe attack of

seasickness when the Day Dream was tossing about on the Atlantic
swell.
Both had indulged in a certain amount of yachting in the river and
sound; but the violent leaps and plunges of the schooner were
something so entirely different from what they had been accustomed
to, that all power of resistance was lost immediately giddiness and
nausea seized their victims.
Therefore it was that the first two days out were not particularly
enjoyed by the boys; but, at the expiration of that time, even the
suggestion of fried salt pork failed to disturb them, and once more
they were in a condition to speculate upon the possibility of finding a
buried treasure.
That old Andy had not succeeded in going ashore they knew,
because of having seen him several times; but his fears had not
been allayed, as could be told by the expression on his face. He had
the appearance of one who fancies he is menaced by a sudden and
immediate danger, and glanced from time to time over his shoulder,
looking, as Nelse expressed it, “as if he believed half-a-dozen pirates
were trying to sneak up on him.”
Half-an-hour after their first appearance on deck since the yacht left
Sandy Hook, the boys paid the cook a visit, and hardly were they
inside the galley when he broached the subject uppermost in his
mind by asking:
“Has you’se done gone tole de captin ’bout wha’s gwine ter happen
ef dis yere schooner fools ’roun’ de shore ob Hayti?”
“We haven’t done much of anything else than attend to our
stomachs for the last two days, Andy,” Gil replied, with a laugh.
“Why don’t you speak to him about it?”
“I’se had ernough ob dat kin’ ob work. De night we done lef’ port I
tole him as how dis nigger wouldn’t stay aboard, an’ by jes’ de
po’est kin’ ob luck dere was a rope’s end handy fur him to grab.”
Andy rubbed his back, thus preventing any necessity for further
disclosures, and the boys laughed heartily, thereby causing the old
man to lose his temper.
“Dere ain’ no fun in dem tings, an’ de captin’s gwine ter fin’ out de
se’rus side ob life ef he keeps dis yere craf’ headed like she am
now.”
“It’s foolish for you to trouble your head about what we may find in
Hayti,” Nelse replied, earnestly, “for even in case we should touch at
the very spot where these voudoos hang out, you needn’t go
ashore.”
“Dey kin cum at yer anywhere,” Andy said, with an ominous shake of
the head, and then he turned so suddenly, in order to look over his
shoulder, lest the phantoms of the pirates should be pursuing him,
that he nearly toppled headlong.
As a matter of course, the boys enjoyed this hugely, and their mirth
only served to kindle his wrath anew.
He closed his thick lips tightly, as if to say he would not allow himself
to be coaxed into speaking again, and Gil was on the point of trying
to soothe him, when a shout from above caused him to remain
silent.
“The captain says the boys are to come on deck and see what we
have picked up.”
Gil and Nelse obeyed hurriedly, and were not a little surprised at
seeing nothing more than a dead bird lying on the main hatch.
“Did you shoot it?” Gil cried, in surprise, wondering how it happened
that they had not heard the report of firearms.
“It was dead, floating, and we picked it up,” Captain Mansfield
replied.
“What for?”
“I saw something red had been tied under the poor thing’s wing,
and wanted to find out what it meant. By doing so, we shall be able
to rescue several unfortunate men from considerable suffering, if not
death.”
“What do you mean?” Gil asked, in astonishment, and in reply his
father held up a small piece of brown paper.
“This was what we found wrapped in a tarred cloth, with a bit of red
flannel to attract attention. The cord was a piece of gut, which has
swelled until the messenger choked to death.”
Gil took the paper almost reverentially, and, as Nelse looked over his
shoulder, read the following:
Shipwrecked men on Walker Key at the northern slope of
Little Bahama Banks, dying from thirst.
This message from the sea, brought by a bird, and discovered only
by the merest chance, caused the boys the most intense
astonishment, and Gil asked, breathlessly:
“Do you believe it can be true, father?”
“People do not do such things for sport. It must have cost them
considerable labor and ingenuity to catch this gull, and if they are
yet alive, we’ll soon relieve their sufferings.”
“Are you heading for there now?”
“Yes, and it is very nearly a true course for us. We had only to shift
the helm a couple of points.”
“When shall we arrive?”
“To-morrow noon, if this wind holds. Go into the cabin, and by
looking at the chart which is spread out on the table, you will learn
exactly where the sufferers were when this gull was set free.”
The boys went below, after looking once more at the bird which had
performed its mission, even in death, and then it was not difficult to
ascertain very nearly the position of the schooner, for the course had
been traced in pencil on the chart up to that morning.
“We can’t be delayed very long,” Gil said, after they had gratified
their curiosity, “for if the men are yet alive they’ll be ready to leave
the key at a moment’s notice; but I suppose it will be necessary to
put them ashore somewhere before we go to Hayti.”
“You are talking as if we knew exactly where to find the place
marked out on the paper we found.”
“Well, don’t we?”
“I wouldn’t like to say that I do.”
“It doesn’t seem as if there could be any question about it. The
piece of newspaper referred to what had taken place on the Tortuga
de Mar, and the fragment of chart showed that island——”
“Yes, and a portion of Hayti as well.”
“But the drawing represents a small body of land.”
“Look at it again, and you’ll see that only a part has been shown.
How do you know it does not represent the end of some other key?”
“The newspaper shows that.”
“I don’t think so,” Nelse replied, firmly. “What we read was the story
of how buccaneering first came about, and, of course, it was
necessary to speak of the small key where it had its birth.”
“If that was its only use, why did the owner of the things we found
keep it so carefully?”
“Probably to show his shipmates that at least a portion of his story
was true.”
Until this moment Gil had had but little time to speculate upon the
supposed treasure, owing to the fact of his having been taken sick
so soon after the discovery in the attic was made, and now a very
unpleasant doubt came into his mind.
It no longer seemed such an easy matter to find the place
designated, and he began to fear the treasure hunting would be
brought to an end before it had really commenced.
“I shall believe the Tortuga de Mar is the place until we have
searched over it pretty well,” Gil said, after a long pause. “Then, if
nothing is found, we’ll say the drawing must refer to some spot on
the island of Hayti.”
“But what about the voudoos which are causing Andy so much
alarm?”
“What’s that?” a voice asked from the companionway, and an instant
later Captain Mansfield was in the cabin. “Where did you boys ever
hear anything about voudoos?”
“Andy says they’ll kill us if we attempt so much as to anchor near
where any pirate hoard is supposed to be hidden,” Gil replied, with a
laugh.
“So that is why he insists on being put ashore?” the captain said,
half to himself.
“Is there any real reason why he should be afraid?” Nelse asked.
“Certainly not. It is true that there are a large number of negroes,
more especially in Hayti, who believe in that sort of mummery; but
you can hunt for the treasure just as long as you please without fear
of being molested by any of them.”
“And you are willing we should make the attempt?”
“Dig away as much as you please; but I fancy a couple of days’ work
will give you all the searching that’s needed.”
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