Due to the specific subject matter, let me say that years of connected research has allowed me access to many interesting first hand accounts that touch on the question asked. Having said this, and as example, there are accounts of Chief's using a single slave to transport his personal treasure to a secret hiding location, the Chief returned but the slave did not.
There are accounts, and even admissions of buried treasure, but these are seldom under the same context as fiction writers have lead us to believe. Most of the accounts I have run across have included extremely well organized enterprises, i.e, large smuggling operations, well funded operations with specific objectives, etc. The notion that "pirates" made it a habit to run around the country side indiscriminately burying treasure is mostly that of fiction tales. In fact, most of them were poor and of little success and means. "Small caches" probably did/do exist here and there but I would say there were "very few" substantial caches and that the vast majority of those didn't remain buried for all that long. But.....there are still a few accounts/admissions of these larger caches having been hidden/buried.......just not by "pirates" as much as "privateers".
