CHAPTER XXIV.THE TREASURE CHAMBER.
Strange as it may seem, Gil’s announcement caused Nelse to forget entirely the danger by which they were surrounded, and, regardless of the fact that none of the party were certain of ever leaving the tunnel alive, his only desire now was to gain possession of the supposed hoard.
The sailor was not one whit less excited; he had a stock of matches in his pockets, but could not find them until after a search of several seconds, owing to extreme agitation caused by Gil’s announcement.
“Do hurry!” Nelse cried, impatiently, as the man fumbled about his clothing. “Something may happen to prevent us from seeing the treasure if you spend so much time doing nothing.”
“I’m trying to find another match, an’ then, perhaps, we can rig up somethin’ that’ll answer for a torch, but it seems as if my fingers were all thumbs jest now.”
“Don’t keep me waiting here all day, for I want to know what I’ve struck,” Gil cried, and after a few seconds more a tiny flame told that the sailor had finally succeeded in finding that which was wanted so badly just at that moment.
Nelse seized the first opportunity to search with hiseyes for something which would serve as a torch, but the floor of the tunnel was as clean as though swept with a broom, and he said to Gil:
“There isn’t so much as a twig here, but I reckon we can afford to use a few matches so’s you can find out what you’ve got. Send it up, an’ I’ll soon see if it is the article we’ve been hunting for.”
“Lower the rope, and I’ll bring it.”
“How far down are you?” the sailor asked, as, the match having been consumed, he crept toward the aperture.
“I can’t tell, but it seemed as if I fell a long distance. We’ll soon find out if you’ll give me the chance.”
Nelse paid out on the rope until he was certain not less than fifteen feet had been lowered into what he hoped would prove to be a veritable treasure chamber, and then Gil shouted:
“Hold on, I’ve got enough. You’ll have to pull me up, for I want to come with both hands full.”
“Make it fast under your arms, and I reckon we’ll be able to manage the rest.”
This portion of the work was quickly accomplished, and when Gil stood beside his companions the sailor would have lighted another match if the boys had not prevented him.
“Wait until we are at the entrance, and then, perhaps, the same light will show us materials for a torch,” Nelse said, as he seized Gil’s arm, hurrying him toward the shaft.
The man who was on watch had heard all the conversation,and his excitement was quite as great as that of the others.
“I’ve got a piece of paper here, an’ we’ll use it to help out with the matches.”
As he and his mate twisted this firmly to prevent it from burning too quickly, and then ignited one end, Gil held forth the supposed treasure, and loud exclamations of joy and surprise burst from the lips of all, as they saw what at first glance seemed to be a mass of sparkling fire in the boy’s hand.
“They’re diamonds!” Gil cried, with yet greater excitement. “A whole string of them, and there must be more that’s valuable where these came from.”
Not until the paper had been entirely consumed did either member of the party cease to gaze at the wondrously brilliant gems, and then all realized that they had neglected to look for wood with which to make a torch.
“We must use more matches,” Nelse said, breathlessly, “and if we can’t find wood here, one must venture out, for we’re bound to know what is in that hole before morning.”
“I reckon we’ll stay right in this spot till Jenkins comes back, seein’s how we’re prisoners so long as the rope is at the bottom of the shaft,” Gil replied, grimly; “but it won’t be so very hard to wait, now we know the treasure has been found. I wonder how much more there is?”
“Did you feel anything else?”
“It seemed as if there were a lot of packages, done up in rotten sail-cloth as these were. I felt around some,but didn’t dare to move very much, for fear of getting another fall.”
“Was the place a regular cave, or only a hole?”
“I think it’s a room built to hide things in, for there seemed to be a floor of rock, though, of course, a good deal of earth fell in with me, and made it appear as if filled nearly full; but I could take several steps in half-a-dozen directions.”
During this conversation the sailors had ignited another of the precious matches, and learned to their great disappointment that there was nothing in the shaft out of which a torch might be made.
“We can afford to wait,” Gil said, philosophically, and he had hardly ceased speaking when a low hail from the surface caused all hands to spring to their feet.
“Hello below! Everything goin’ on ship-shape?”
“Who’s there?” one of the sailors asked, cautiously.
“Me—Jenkins. I only came to see if anything had gone wrong, an’ now I know you’re all right I’ll do a little more skirmishin’. I haven’t found anything to bring the water in yet.”
“Come down first!” Gil whispered. “We’ve found a lot of diamonds!”
“What?”
“We’ve got fifteen or twenty big diamonds——”
“Pass up the rope, an’ be quick about it!”
The sailors did in a few seconds what might have taken the boys a long while to do, and Jenkins came down with the greatest possible speed.
As a matter of course, it was necessary to use morematches in order to show him the treasure, and he literally gasped with surprise when the glittering gems were held before his eyes.
“Talk about luck, boys!” he cried, in delight. “Why, sich a sight as that makes up for the scrape we’re in, an’ if it was twice as bad I wouldn’t have it changed, providin’ we could get as much more out of the business. That old picture amounted to somethin’ after all, didn’t it; but we might never have read the thing right, an’ it’s mighty fortunate them imps forced us to cover.”
Again Gil was forced to repeat his story, and when it was concluded the mate insisted on making an examination of the excavation at once.
“There’s plenty of time to look for water after we know how much you’ve found. I’d rather see diamonds than drink the best stuff these old pirates ever took on board.”
“Get the torch, an’ we’ll all go,” Gil said, with a laugh, for he felt very jolly, despite the enemies who would soon hunt him down, now the location of the treasure had been discovered.
Jenkins climbed to the mouth of the shaft as nimbly as a cat, returning a few moments later, after having thrown down inflammable material sufficient to provide the party with light for many hours.
Binding together several pieces of fatty wood, and coiling the rope on his arm, the mate led the way into the tunnel a short distance, where the torch was ignited, and the work of searching for the pirates’ wealth began.
There was no difficulty in finding the place where Gil had sunk through the bottom of the passage. The earthhad given way at one side of the tunnel, until a hole fully a yard square was formed, and, peering into this, the excited ones could see a small chamber, which was evidently hewn from the solid rock.
The size or shape could not be determined, but that made little difference just then, so eager were all to know what was concealed beneath.
“You two wait to help us up,” Jenkins said to the sailors, “and after we’ve had a squint at the place you shall have a chance.”
“Will stayin’ here keep us out of a share of the stuff?” one of the men asked, as if doubtful whether he would be dealt with fairly.
“Not a bit of it,” Gil replied, quickly. “I suppose you will be satisfied to have father make a division of everything that’s found, and what he says is fair you shall have.”
“We’re ready to trust to the captain’s way of sizin’ the thing up.”
“I reckon you’ll have to be,” Jenkins growled, “for when it comes down to what is square, neither of us are entitled to anything. The picture belonged to the boys, an’ we come here in the captain’s employ, drawin’ good wages, so the profits of the voyage oughter go to him the same as if theDay Dreamhad got these diamonds for freightin’ a cargo.”
“But this ain’t the same thing as freightin’, by a long shot,” was the sulky reply. “We’re on land now, an’ the yacht is at the bottom, consequently we’re our own masters.”
“You won’t say that when it comes to a question of drawin’ wages.”
“It ain’t any sure thing that we’ll be paid for this kind of work.”
“Now see here,” Gil said, in a tone of authority, “we won’t have any quarreling. Whatever treasure may be found shall benefit all hands in such proportion as father may think best, though, of course, it wouldn’t be right to divide it into even shares.”
“We don’t expect as much as he gets, but want a fair divvy,” the second man said, sulkily, and the boys understood that the finding of the diamonds had but given them a new cause for anxiety, since the sailors, made greedy by the sight of the gems, might prove worse enemies even than the blacks.
“You heard the promise that Gil made, which was more than reasonable, considerin’ they’re entitled to everything if the matter should go inter a court of law, an’ now hold your tongues,” Jenkins said, angrily. “We’re standin’ here fightin’ when at least one of us should be in the shaft to know if anything is goin’ on wrong outside, an’ there’ll be plenty of time to settle the division part when we’ve found all that’s below.”
“You are takin’ up more time chinnin’ than we did,” the older of the men replied, insolently, and Gil began to regret having made the discovery so soon.
Jenkins remained silent a moment as if trying to decide what should be done to check the apparent mutiny before it assumed dangerous proportions, and Gil whispered:
“Don’t pay any attention to what they say. Neither of them will be dissatisfied after father comes, no matter how much we may find.”
“I was wonderin’ whether we hadn’t better stop the whole thing right here, an’ let the captain——”
He ceased speaking very suddenly, for at that instant a shrill cry was heard from the direction of the shaft, and Nelse said, as he ran forward:
“That was Andy! The blacks have got hold of him!”