Bernard Grimshaw invested his last remaining funds in a little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean in 1962. Friends were in shock when they learned that he moved away from civilization and spend all his time on a secluded piece of land. Even more surprising was the fact, that when some rich Arab sheikh offered Bernard millions of dollars for this land, he refused to sell it.
It turned out later that for 40 years Bernard Grimshaw was looking for the pirate treasures, that were hidden on the island.
The man paid for the island only $13,000. And the size of Moyenne was 0.089 square kilometers, which was enough just for one person.
As soon as Bernard bought the island he gathered his things, moved there and began to explore the territory. It wasn’t a piece of cake to organize his life there. There was no drinking water at first, and the man had to travel to the neighboring islands to bring it.
He also spend a lot of time to cultivate the land. He planted palms, mangoes and fruit trees. But it was also kind of a loophole which allowed him to dig deep holes without any suspicion. So most people just thought of him as a fan of Robinson Crusoe.
People had no idea that, on an African expedition, the man stumbled upon information about the treasures of the famous pirate Olivier Levasseur. The East India Campaign pressed the privateer on the last remaining ship exactly to Moyenne in 1729. It was logical to assume that Levasseur left the lion’s share of the treasures here. They are estimated by historians at about $40 million.
It took 40 years for Grimshaw to dug up the entire island. And over the years the island was turning into a real paradise on Earth. Out of boredom, the man attracted birds to his island and provided a shore for giant sea turtles, which were hunted on all other islands.
Only in 2000s, Bernard Grimshaw told the press that he was hoping to find the treasures, but with no luck. Still there is no information, if he succeeded. But there is confirmed information about the attempt of the prince of Saudi Arabia to buy the island for $50 million. Grimshaw refused the prince.
Moyenne is now back under public administration. It was turned into a national park, and treasure hunts were simply banned.
