CHAPTER XXVIII.A SECOND ALARM.
The old darky’s superstitious fears sometimes resembled stubbornness, as in this particular case, and Gil, after exhausting his powers of persuasion without effect, said impatiently:
“It’s mighty strange that you’re always afraid when there’s something on hand in the shape of work.”
“Cummin’ to dis yere islan’ wasn’ none ob my fixin’, an’ ef de captin would er lef’ me I’d done been gone outer de yacht afore she got pas’ New York Harbor, kase I knowed wha’ was goin’ ter happen,” and then Andy relapsed into moody silence.
The fact that they could not examine the treasure-chamber caused the boys the most intense desire to do so, and finally Nelse suggested that they try it alone.
“I’ll contrive to lower you down, Gil, an’ Mr. Jenkins can come into the tunnel long enough to help pull you out.”
“I’ve got a better plan than that,” the mate said, suddenly, as a happy thought occurred to him. “Andy shall stay here to listen for the blacks, an’ I’ll bear a hand. After you’ve been there long enough I can come after you.”
“I’se willin’ to stan’ watch ef all hands wants ter go,”Andy added, gruffly, and thus the matter was settled, although it would be necessary for Jenkins to remain in the tunnel.
The old darky seated himself with his back against the side of the shaft, a very dangerous position if any of the enemy should descend quickly, and the others commenced operations.
The torches were found in the tunnel where they had been dropped when Andy’s cry for help was heard, and, as he ignited one, Jenkins said:
“Now have a good look around, boys, an’ make sure them thieves didn’t leave anything behind.”
“Perhaps there was nothing but the diamonds in the hole,” Nelse suggested.
“I don’t allow pirates would go to the trouble of diggin’ sich a place for the sake of hidin’ a little thing like that. Have you still got them safe, Gil?”
“Trust me for that. Even while we were stealing up on the enemy, I kept feeling in my pocket to make sure they couldn’t get lost.”
“I allow there’s more than enough in them ’ere stones to pay for theDay Dream, an’ leave some over to tassel our handkerchiefs with. Now, are you ready?”
While they were speaking, Jenkins had been uncoiling the rope, and began to fasten one end under Gil’s arms as he spoke.
Then, lifting the boy clear from the ground, he let him drop slowly to the bottom with the torch in his hand.
The same operation was repeated with Nelse, and thetwo had ample opportunity to examine the subterranean chamber.
It had been built with exceeding care. The sides, which were cut in a coral ledge, as was the entire excavation, had been chiseled smooth, an operation which must have required no slight amount of time, and in the roof were what appeared to be two small apertures for the escape of air.
These details, however, were not noted by the boys until they had been in the cavern some time. Their first, and, in fact, only thought was of the supposed treasure.
The large amount of earth which had fallen when Gil was precipitated into the chamber, covered one end of the apartment entirely, and the fact of this having been thrown around considerably told that it had been overhauled to a considerable extent since Gil was drawn up, while the fragments of what he believed to be a box were scattered in every direction.
“There’s no question but that the men have been here,” Nelse said, sufficiently loud for Jenkins, who was lying over the aperture in such a manner that he could both hear and see, to distinguish the words.
“Of course they have,” the mate replied, angrily, “an’ that’s why they wouldn’t come with us to help Andy. Do you see anything?”
“Nothing more than this pile of dirt,” Gil replied. “If the spade is in the shaft we might throw it all over, an’ make sure they got everything.”
“That’s a good idea. Wait a minute an’ I’ll fetch it.”
Jenkins’ face disappeared from the aperture, and whilehe was absent the boys had a good opportunity to survey the singular place. In addition to what has already been spoken of, they noted with no small degree of surprise, that the remains of a stone stairway occupied one corner of the chamber, and immediately above it was a portion of a wooden hatch or trapdoor set in the earth by iron bands.
It was directly in the center of this, where the wood had decayed, that Gil fell, and the wonder was that he did not strike on the steps, in which case the mishap might have had a more unpleasant ending.
“All I can say is that the pirates must have had a lot of spare time on their hands, if they went to all the trouble necessary to make a place like this just to bury their treasure, when it would have been safer buried in the earth where a fellow couldn’t fall through by mistake, as you did,” Nelse said, laughingly. “It looks as if some one had the idea of living here.”
Before Gil could reply Jenkins arrived with the spade, and he said, as the implement was dropped on the loose earth:
“Better make a thorough search, boys, an’ if you think the work is likely to be too hard, come back, an’ I’ll go down.”
“We’ll attend to it. It can’t take such a very long time to get at the bottom,” Gil replied, as he began the task.
During five minutes of rapid work nothing was disclosed; but at the end of that time Gil unearthed a benchwhich had been crushed by the falling earth, and after that the discoveries came thick and fast.
Fragments of chairs, a mass of decaying matter which appeared to have been wearing apparel, rusty cooking implements, and, finally, in one corner, a low writing desk was found.
As the last-mentioned article was unearthed the boys gave vent to a cry of triumph, and Gil shouted excitedly:
“Here’s where we shall find the gold that the sailors overlooked.”
“I reckon you’re makin’ a mistake about that, my boy,” Jenkins replied, in a thoughtful tone. “It looks to me as if this place was used to live in, an’ most likely what treasure the people had who built the place was in the chest you fell on. If there were diamonds in it, the gold was there to a dead certainty, an’ we shan’t see anything more in the way of valuables.”
“It won’t take long to find out what is in here,” and Gil struck the ancient desk a heavy blow with the spade, causing it to fall in fragments.
At this instant the torch was extinguished, the wood having been consumed, and the eager explorers were forced to wait until Jenkins could make and send down another.
Now they searched carefully among the fragments, and the first article found was a metal casket covered with rust, and securely locked.
“Here’s what we want!” Gil cried, triumphantly, as he held it above his head that the mate might have a full view. “When this is opened we shall see a pile of gold!”
“It doesn’t appear to be very heavy.”
“You’re right. I never thought of that,” was the reply, in a tone of disappointment, and Gil tried in vain to open the box by striking it with the spade.
“Use this!” and Jenkins threw down one of the hatchets.
Even with such an effective implement it was not an easy matter to break the casket; but the metal finally yielded after repeated blows, and the boys gazed at the exposed contents in dismay.
Instead of treasure, they had unearthed nothing more than a lot of time-stained documents and Gil was about to throw them away when Jenkins called sharply:
“Pass them up here. We’ll have a look at the writin’ first, an’ then’ll be plenty of time to say they are worth nothing. What else was there in the desk?”
Again the boys resumed the search; but it seemed as if all the important contents of the chamber had been exposed to view.
Several tiny vials; some curious instruments, which might once have belonged to a surgeon, and a package of quills for pens, comprised the entire list of articles.
The loose earth had been examined thoroughly, and Gil said with a sigh of disappointment:
“There’s no reason why we should stay here any longer. It’s too hot down here for comfort, and we can look at the papers up above where there’s more air.”
“All right, here’s the rope. Send the iron box first, an’ then I’ll pull you out.”
Five minutes later the boys were in the tunnel, and since there could be no question but that the sailors had succeeded in getting the greater portion of the treasure, the contents of the casket attracted considerable attention.
“Let’s go up a long bit where there’s no danger the light of the torch can be noticed from the shaft, an’ see what’s written on all that paper,” Gil suggested, and Jenkins ran back to tell Andy of the change of position before following the boys to a point within twenty or thirty feet from the stone door which had been discovered some time previous.
Here the three seated themselves on the ground, and the mate was about to take the yellow documents from their long resting-place, when the torch was suddenly extinguished without apparent cause.
Nelse was on the point of making some laughing remark, when he felt the mate’s hand pressed firmly over his mouth, and at the same instant a draught of air swept down the passage as if a vent had suddenly been opened.
Motioning for the boys to follow his example, Jenkins rose to his feet, and as he did so it was possible to see a tiny thread of light from the end of the tunnel, where, a moment previous, had been only the most profound darkness.
There was no need now to speculate as to why the torch had been extinguished.
The blacks had discovered, even if they did not know it before, that the cave communicated with the tunnel, andwere about to creep upon the white party, hoping to take them by surprise.
The supreme moment had come, and the three who stood in that gloomy place listening for the sounds which should tell that the enemy was advancing, knew it was to be a struggle to the finish.