The wrecked gig was only a mass of splinters. They shot life-lines from the deck of the cruiser and these were clutched by those of the boat’s crew who rose again to the surface. But I cannot say how many of those ill-fated Turks were finally rescued. For we had our own ship’s safety to look after, and when the dreadful simoon had subsided, which it did as suddenly as it had appeared, but after several hours of terror, the Khedive’s man-o’-war was but a dim speck upon the horizon, and soon we had lost sight of her altogether.
When, the strain being at last over, we met together in the main cabin for supper, it was a dismal enough lot of faces that surrounded the table. Except Joe. Joe did not seem dismal at all. He smiled upon us most cheerfully, until we all hated the boy for his good nature under such trying circumstances.
No one, however, cared to mention our great loss—which was in everyone’s mind—except Archie, who growled out:
“Why in thunder couldn’t the simoon have arrived an hour or so earlier, before we were robbed?”
But we chose not to heed the wail. Fate has her own way of ordaining things.
I rose abruptly and passed into my cabin, and to my surprise Joe followed. As he lighted my lamp and turned up the wick so that it illumined the room brightly, I heard him whistling softly to himself.
The boy annoyed me, and I turned upon him rather savagely.
“You seem quite content to have lost your inheritance,” said I; “but the rest of us are not so well satisfied. Can’t you try to respect our feelings?”
He grinned at me most provokingly.
“Strikes me we’ve got something yet to be thankful for, sir,” he replied. “The Turks didn’t bag so much treasure as they thought they did.”
I stared at him with sudden interest.
“What do you mean, Joe?”
He stepped to my bunk and drew back the curtains. Then he threw aside the blanket and disclosed the berth heaped full with glittering jewels and golden ornaments that sparkled brightly under the clear rays of the lamp.
My cry brought the others running hastily into the room, but as their gaze followed my own and fell upon the mass of treasure they stood mute and still, filled with a wonder that fairly dulled their senses.
At last Uncle Naboth tumbled into a chair and began mopping his forehead with his red silk handkerchief, and I awoke far enough to ask, in an awed whisper:
“How did it happen, Joe?”
“Why, it was dead easy, Sam,” he replied with a laugh. “As soon as that infernal gunboat fired at us I knew something had to be done to save the treasure. So I ran down here and ripped open the seams at the bottom of all those canvas sacks, and dumped about three-quarters of the contents of each one of ’em into your berth. I left some of the stuff in the ends of the sacks that were tied and sealed, so if the Egyptians opened any of ’em they’d think they were still loaded all the way down with jewelry. Then I had to fill up the spaces, and that was harder than you’d think. I first chucked in all the old bits of iron and brass I could find in the junk-chest; but that wasn’t near enough. So I ran to the galley and got Bry to give me a lot of potatoes and a bag of beans. With these I filled up the treasure sacks and then sewed up all the seams again. It took some time to do this, and the only way I could hide the treasure was to cover it up with this blanket and draw the curtains. Mebbe I wasn’t scared stiff when the officers came down here! But they never thought to search the bunk in this cabin, though they went through all the others. I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t empty the bags entirely, for they never opened any of ’em; but I thought it was best not to take too many chances, and I guess we’ve saved about two-thirds of all the treasure we brought from the desert—except, of course, the rolls of writing, and those we didn’t care so much for, anyhow.”
By the time the boy had finished this speech he was the focus of all our admiring eyes.
“Don’t worry about what’s lost, Joe,” said Uncle Naboth, earnestly. “There’s enough left to make us all rich; an’ we owe it to your pluck and wit—an’ to nothin’ else.”
“Three cheers for Joe!” yelled Archie, joyously.
“Pshaw!” said Joe, flushing red, “what else was there to do?”
Three weeks after we anchored safely in Boston harbor, and before many days had passed Uncle Naboth’s prediction was amply fulfilled. The proceeds of the treasure made us all, in our humble stations, “rich,” and Joe’s share, being so much the largest, made him very rich indeed.
THE END.
[1]Pronounced “Gay-gay Maw-rock.”[2]Boys—young men.[3]Judge of the court.
[1]Pronounced “Gay-gay Maw-rock.”
[2]Boys—young men.
[3]Judge of the court.
A NOVELTY EVERY GIRL WANTS
In which to keep the happy record of her last year in school or college—a book she will keep and prize always.
Reduced Title Page
Reduced Title Page
There is a place for everything dear to the girl graduate’s heart and memory—class flower, color, yell, motto, photographs, jokes and frolics.
Departments for social events, officers, teachers, invitations, baccalaureate sermon, programmes, presents, press notices, class prophecy and other “doings.”
The Girl Graduate is equally appropriate for young misses leaving grade and high schools and their older sisters who have “finished” at college or boarding school. It makes a suitable present at any season of the year.
NINTH EDITION. Revised and improved
Dainty designs in delicate coloring on pearl gray stationery. Cover to match, with a trellis of rose in tints and decoration in gold.
Decorated on Every Page.8vo. 200 pages. Each book put up in an attractive gray box. Price $1.50. Full leather, gold edges, De Luxe edition. Price $3.00