THE TREASURE CHAMBER
At high water the wrecked craft was moved for a distance of nearly a
hundred yards towards the shore ere she grounded. This completed the
day's work, and on the following morning at low tide the "slack" was
again taken in so as to enable the rising tide again to lift the yawl
clear of the bottom.
This time, owing to the bed of the lagoon shoaling more rapidly, only
twenty yards were gained.
"It will be a tiring and tedious job, I can see," said Terence. "How
are we to manage when the hull is brought close in shore?"
"We'll have to be content to move her a few feet at a time," replied
Ellerton. "It's slow work, I admit, but we are making very
satisfactory progress."
With the arrival of the neap tides, the work came to a standstill, the
rise of water being insufficient to justify the time and labour spent
on it; so the slings were cast off and buoyed, and the canoes brought
into the little natural harbour, where they would be safe from all but
an exceptional on-shore gale.
During the interval, the lads utilised several spare lengths of rails,
and spiking them into rough sleepers, formed a temporary hauling-up
slip.
Two of the wagons were dismantled, and the axles and wheels attached to
a cradle, while a winch was firmly bolted to a secure foundation on the
shore at twenty yards above high-water mark.
The rails were to be laid down at low water as far seaward as possible,
and the sleepers sunk by means of heavy stones. Andy hoped to avail
himself of a high spring tide to float the yawl right over the cradle,
then, casting off the lashings that supported her, they could haul the
wreck up by means of the winch and effect the repairs at their leisure.
Unfortunately, with the return of the spring tides a strong on-shore
breeze sprang up and continued with unremitting freshness for over a
week, so that the members of the salvage party were compelled
temporarily to abandon their enterprise.
"Never say die," exclaimed Mr. McKay encouragingly. "Another fortnight
and I hope we shall be able to resume the work. In the meantime, lads,
what do you say to a kind of picnic?"
"A picnic?" asked Ellerton. "Where to?"
"I am thinking of paying another visit to the buccaneers' cave. I'm
very curious to know what is on the other side of that iron-bound door,
and I've no doubt you are equally so."
"Hurrah!" shouted the lads in chorus. "When shall we start?"
"In an hour," replied Mr. McKay promptly.
"Bursting open the door will be a tough job," remarked Andy. "How do
you propose to do it?"
"I hope to manage it by means of an explosive," replied his father.
"Dynamite?"
"No, there's too much risk in carting a few sticks of that stuff
through a tunnel a hundred yards in length or more. One slip and it
would mean sudden death to the lot of us. I want a couple of fuses,
however, so while we are getting ready you can run up to the magazine
and obtain them."
While Andy was away on his errand, Mr. McKay opened a few cartridges
and extracted the cordite.
"This stuff is safe enough with reasonable precautions," he remarked to
Ellerton, who was watching Mr. McKay with no little fear. "So long as
it is not under compression cordite can be lit without the faintest
danger. In the open air it merely fizzles like a damp squib."
"Couldn't we smash the door with an axe?" asked Ellerton.
"We could, but I prefer not to. In the first place there's not much
room to wield an axe; in the second, as I mentioned before, I have my
suspicions regarding that door."
"What suspicions, sir?"
"Wait and see!" replied Mr. McKay with a laugh.
On the arrival of Andy with the fuses, the little party set out for the
cave, each member carrying part of the equipment. On gaining the
summit of the hill overlooking the house, Mr. McKay scanned the horizon
with his glasses to satisfy himself that no canoes were approaching the
island, then, having reassured himself on that point, he gave the word
to step out briskly.
"I don't want to spend a night away from the house in case anything
happens," he explained.
"But do you expect another crowd of savages?"
"I didn't expect the last lot," he replied grimly, "but they came all
the same."
The journey through the forest and across the rock-strewn plain was
performed without incident, and within a couple of hours after leaving
the house the party drew up at the mouth of the tunnel.
Here each member lit a lantern, and in a comparatively bright light the
passage of the tunnel commenced. Quexo, however, remained in the open
air. Nothing could prevail upon him to descend into the bowels of the
earth.
Once or twice someone stumbled, Terence falling heavily and barking his
shins, while Mr. McKay's head came in contact with the roof much too
often for his liking; but in high spirits the explorers crossed the
floor of the abyss, traversed the second tunnel, and gained the
armoury. Here they rested ere commencing the final stage of their
journey underground.
At length the explorers came face to face with the mysterious
iron-bound door. In spite of themselves they felt a strange sensation
as they gazed upon the relic of bygone days. What lay behind it? What
secret did it guard so well?
"Stand back a bit, lads, and hand me another lantern," said Mr. McKay.
Dropping on his knees, he carefully examined the floor and the
iron-shod threshold of the door, probing the narrow slit with his
knife. This done, he turned his attention to the walk and the crown of
the arch next to the woodwork, tapping the stone with the blade of his
knife with the greatest caution.
The others looked on with interest not unmingled with curiosity and
awe. At length, apparently satisfied with the examination, Mr. McKay
rose.
"I want you to bore a hole here," said he to Andy, pointing out a place
in the door barely two inches from the floor.
Andy, armed with a ratchet-brace, began his task, and the subdued
silence of the underground passage was broken only by the rattle of the
pawl and the sharp burr of the bit as it wormed its way steadily
through the stout oaken plank.
"It's hot work," exclaimed Andy, who in order to use the brace in that
most inconvenient place was obliged to lie full length on the floor.
"I know, but keep it up," replied Mr. McKay, who, grasping a crowbar,
was standing astride his son's feet.
"Stand a bit farther back," he continued, addressing Ellerton and
Terence.
The two lads instantly obeyed, though they wondered at Mr. McKay's
alert and expectant attitude.
Suddenly, like the tongue of an enormous serpent, a double-pronged barb
of steel flashed dully in the candle-light, passing completely across
the passage and about three feet above and over Andy's prostrate body.
In an instant Mr. McKay's powerful arm brought the crowbar upward in a
resistless sweep, and with one blow severed the dreadful device of
death.
The lads, pale with the excitement and horror of the incident, could
only utter an exclamation of astonishment while Andy hurriedly backed
away from the well-guarded door.
"Pleasant, isn't it?" remarked Mr. McKay in a cool matter-of-fact tone,
as if such incidents were of an everyday occurrence. "I had my
suspicions, as I said more than once before. That device was cunningly
contrived to salute marauders in a very forcible manner. Had either of
us been standing in front of the door we should have been transfixed in
a jiffy. Now, carry on, Andy. I don't think there's anything more to
be feared on this side of the door, at any rate."
But Andy was not equal to the task. The risky experience had, to use
his own words, completely knocked the stuffing out of him.
"Let's quit; the game's not worth the candle," said Terence.
"Rather not!" replied Mr. McKay, resolutely. "There's something worth
securing behind that door, or the former owners would not have taken
such elaborate and crafty steps to guard it. Here, Ellerton, stand by
with the crowbar in case of accidents, and I'll finish boring the hole."
So saying, Mr. McKay took up a position similar to that formerly
occupied by his son and plied the brace vigorously.
Ere the bit had sunk another quarter of an inch there came a dull
metallic sound from the remote side of the door.
"What's that?" gasped Andy breathlessly.
"Another surprise for trespassers," replied his father without ceasing
in his work. "I've released another secret spring, I suppose.
However, we are on the right side of the door this time."
Having bored the hole sufficiently deep for his purpose Mr. McKay
proceeded to insert the cordite, ramming it tightly home with the end
of the crowbar. The rest of the explosive he laid close to the base of
the door, covering it with stones and pieces of rock brought from the
floor of the chasm.
"Now let's go back to the other tunnel," he continued, after the
detonator and the fuse had been inserted and the latter fired.
"There's no hurry; the explosion will not take place for five minutes."
As the moments sped, the lads awaited in breathless silence the sound
of the detonation.
Presently a dull rumble echoed through the rocky passage, followed by a
blast of air mingled with the acrid fumes of the cordite.
"Not so fast! Not so fast!" cautioned Mr. McKay, as the lads began to
run towards the hitherto baffling barrier. "Some of the rock may be
dislodged."
As it was, they were obliged to wait some considerable time, as the
atmosphere in the tunnel was so vile that it was impossible to breathe
with comfort. Then as the mist gradually cleared, the dull yellow
glare of the lanterns revealed a mass of shattered woodwork where the
door had stood; while a foot beyond was a barrier of steel rods, which,
serving the purpose of a portcullis, had fallen from above.
"That's what we heard fall," observed Mr. McKay. "The idea was, I
suppose, that any unauthorised person who escaped the lance-thrust on
this side of the door would, on opening it, be impaled by the weapons
concealed in the roof. Now to settle with this obstruction."
A few powerful strokes with an axe shattered enough bars to enable Mr.
McKay to squeeze through, and, followed by his eager companions, he
entered the mysterious cavern.
At first there was little to attract the attention of the explorers.
The cave was of irregular form, being about fifty feet in length,
thirty in breadth, and varying in height from twenty-five to six feet.
On the floor were six wooden chests, ordinary in appearance and
apparently of simple construction; they would have easily been mistaken
for seamen's chests placed in a lumber-room.
Striding up to the nearest one, Mr. McKay raised the lid. There was no
creaking of rusty hinges, no glitter of gold and jewels to dazzle the
eyes. The chest was empty!
"Well, this is a sorry trick to have played on one another after so
much trouble," commented he with a forced laugh. He was visibly
disappointed, and his discouragement was shared by his companions.
"No doubt this has been the hiding-place of some great hoard," he
continued. "But the buccaneering rascals have evidently removed their
booty. I've drawn a blank, so you, Ellerton, try your hand."
The second chest was opened with equal ease, but to the unbounded
delight of the whole party the coffer was two-thirds filled with yellow
metal ingots, which flashed dully in the light of the lanterns.
"Gold!" was the chorus of exclamation.
"Gold it is," added Mr. McKay. "But a deal of good it will do us in
our present state! However, let's continue the examination."
The remaining four coffers gave more trouble, the lids being secured by
stout iron screws. Two were filled with gold and silver ornaments,
cups, vases, and plates--the plunder, doubtless, of many a rich city of
Spain's colonies on the shores of the Pacific. The remaining two were
laden with virgin gold.
"Well, lads," exclaimed Mr. McKay, when the last coffer had been forced
to disclose its contents, "once we get this stuff safely to a civilised
country we shall be rich beyond our wildest imagination. We'll share
and share alike, of course."
"What is the value of the treasure?" asked Ellerton in an awestruck
voice, for the sudden avalanche of untold wealth had wellnigh upset him.
"Goodness only knows! There's enough to enable you to go through life
without doing another stroke of work. That is, of course, when you are
home in England once more. But, my lad, don't look upon it in that
light. Take my word for it that idleness is a curse, and the wealth,
if used solely to promote idleness, would serve a better purpose if it
lay a thousand fathoms deep on the bed of the ocean."
"If ever I take my share back to my home, I trust I'll use it to a good
purpose," said Ellerton.
"I trust so, too," added Mr. McKay. "Now, let us see if there's
anything else of interest here. I am anxious to examine these
murderous devices. Ah!"
Mr. McKay pointed in the direction of the shattered door. On either
side, but separated from the entrance tunnel by a massive wall composed
of the solid rock, was a narrow and lofty passage, both running
parallel with the tunnel.
Lantern in hand, Mr. McKay stooped down and entered the right-hand
recess, and to his surprise he found no fewer than six steel lances,
each accompanied by a tightly coiled spring, while a seventh had
uncoiled itself, the spiral spring stretching from wall to wall.
"Great heavens!" he exclaimed with thankfulness. "We've had a
fortunate escape. Each of these fiendish contrivances is set to launch
itself into the tunnel on the outside of the door. The one we released
is the nearest."
"Then we must have passed them?" asked Andy.
"Yes, and by the intervention of Providence they failed to act. Watch!"
And touching a slender steel rod that passed from the front of one of
the springs to the floor, Mr. McKay gave it a sharp upward jerk.
Instantly the hidden coil released itself, and the dread weapon
disappeared through the rock which separated the cave-like recess from
the tunnel.
"The whole contrivance, though deadly, is comparatively simple,"
explained Mr. McKay. "Underneath the floors of both chambers are a
number of levers. The weight of a person treading in the tunnel would
cause the lever to move a rod, which in turn releases a finely set
trigger which controls the springs. Owing to years of idleness the
levers failed to act, and only Andy's continuous exertions as he lay on
the ground in front of the door caused one of the springs to be
released. I bargained for one, but not a dozen or more, by Jove!"
"A dozen?" echoed Terence.
"Aye, a dozen at least. We'll find six or seven more on the other side
of the tunnel."
One by one the remaining springs were released, and on entering the
left-hand cavity a similar state of things was revealed.
"I don't think we need fear these any longer," continued Mr. McKay, as
the sound of the releasing of the last spring vibrated in the confined
space. "Now the question is, what is to be done with the stuff?" and
he indicated the coffers with a wave of his hand.
"Leave it here," suggested Andy.
"I would but for one reason. If we are taken off the island by a
passing ship, the captain would not feel inclined to waste time while
we were bringing these chests from here to the shore, for, of course,
we could not reveal the nature of their contents. No; I propose to
cart the whole of the treasure back to the house, stow it away in small
boxes that are convenient to handle, and bury the boxes a few feet
under the floor."
Each member of the party thereupon filled his haversack with as much
gold as it would hold, until the stout canvas straps cut into the
shoulders of the wearers; and thus laden they retraced their steps,
arriving on the surface in a breathless and exhausted condition.
Here the loads were redistributed, and making better progress, the
wearied adventurers arrived at their dwelling just as the sun dipped
beyond the lofty peak of the island.