Deep in the Pacific Ocean, 350 miles off the coast of Central America sits a small, unimposing island, surrounded in natural beauty. One of the island's lesser known claims to fame is that its tropical climate and lost-world appearance were the original inspiration for Jurassic Park's fictional Isla Nublar. Better known, however, are the myths and legends that pertain to the hoards of pirate treasure, buried beneath the surface and lost for over two centuries. Hundreds, if not thousands, of expeditions have sailed to its isolated shores in the hope of uncovering the untold riches, with little to show for their efforts but the wild stories that have helped to continue the legend of the Lost Treasure of Lima for over two hundred years.

Pim, Bedford & Seemann, Berthold (1869) Dottings on the Roadside in Panama, Nicaragua and Mosquito. Chapman & Hall, London, UK.

Montmorency, Hervey (1904) On the Track of a Treasure. Hurst & Blackett Ltd. London, UK.

Plumpton, James (1935) Treasure Cruise. Witherby Publishing, London, UK.

The Buffalo Commercial (1854) The Cocos Island Treasure. The Buffalo Commercial, 12 Dec 1854, p1. USA.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1854) The Cocos Island Treasures. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 12 Dec 1854, p2, USA.

Smith, David (1932) El Dorado. Blackwood's Magazine  July-December 1932: Vol 232, The Leonard Scott Publication Co. NY, USA.

Cooper, Stephen (2017) Cocos Island & The Treasure of Lima. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

The New York Times (1855) News from the Cocos Expedition. The New York Times, 9 Feb 1855, USA.

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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