THE TABLET OF STONE.
By consulting a watch they found that it was after six o'clock; but they
had brought supper along and ate this in preference to making their way
out of the cave to their camp on the mountainside.
"Farvel must not be allowed to get ahead of us in this search," declared
Robert Menden. "If he once got the treasure in his possession, the jig
would be up, so far as we are concerned."
"It's queer we haven't seen anything of him to-day," said Dick. "He must
be in the cave somewhere."
"There are so many branches we can easily keep apart," said Don. "It is
like the branches of a great tree lying flat underground."
"And we are like ants looking for the right branch," laughed Bob.
"I feel it in my bones that we have the right branch here," put in
Robert Menden.
"An' I feel thet way myself," added old Jacob. "I think we'll have thet
treasure in forty-eight hours, or sooner."
Both torches had burnt low, and now they lit fresh ones, which threw a
brighter light on all sides. They were moving along in a row when the
Englishman called a sudden halt.
"There is a wide crack in the rocks ahead," he declared. "Look out that
somebody doesn't tumble into it."
"Does it lead to the lower caves?" asked Dick.
"I'm sure I don't know, Dick. We can throw down a stone and see."
Robert Menden was about to look around for a suitable stone, when a cry
from Bob caught his ears.
"The tablet!" yelled the boy. "Look! look!"
All rushed to his side and gazed in the direction that he pointed out.
Sure enough, there on the very brink of the crack Menden had located,
was a long, flat stone. At one end of the stone they saw that a rude
cross had been carved. At the other end were the much sought-after
initials, M. M. M.
"Hurrah! the treasure at last!" cried Dick, and felt like dancing a jig
for joy.
"Where is the cedar box? I'm crazy to see how much it has in it!" put in
Don.
"I guess we're all crazy for that," laughed Leander, his scare having
been forgotten.
"It ought to be under the tablet," said Robert Menden. "Can the thing be
lifted by hand?"
He examined the tablet, which rested on several rocks set in the form of
a square, one side at the very opening just mentioned. The flat stone
was a heavy affair, weighing all of six or seven hundred pounds.
"Ye can't budge thet by hand," said old Jacob, who was almost as excited
as the rest. "It will take a block and fall, or a long lever, to do it."
"And we have neither!" groaned the Englishman.
They stared at each other blankly. What was to be done?
"Perhaps we can pull it away from the back," said Dick. "That is, if
there is any way of fastening the rope."
As he spoke he reached across the tablet from the front, and felt in the
back.
"By ginger! the back's hollow!" he burst out.
"Hollow?" came from several of the others.
"Yes, hollow. Here, give me one of the torches and I'll take a look for
the chest."
The light was speedily thrust forward, and while the others held him by
the legs to keep from sliding down into the crack beyond, Dick made an
inspection.
"The hole under the tablet is empty!"
A groan went up.
"Empty? Impossible!" said Robert Menden, and his face grew as white as a
sheet.
"Yes, the hole is empty."
"But—but—" began old Jacob.
"The bottom of the hole slopes toward the crack," went on Dick. "I'll
wager that when the flooring parted, the cedar chest fell down to the
bottom of the split."
There was a murmur of relief at this. Perhaps the treasure was not lost
after all.
"Let us throw a piece of torch down and see," said Bob; and his advice
was speedily carried out. But the torch went down so far, its light
revealed little but grotesque shadows, which might be treasure boxes or
something else.
The crack in the flooring was eight to ten feet wide; but taking a run,
Robert Menden cleared the distance, and aided by a rope, several others
followed.
From this side they could look into the hollow under the tablet with
ease. But this gave them little satisfaction, for the opening was as
empty as Dick had mentioned.
"I've a good mind to try my luck with the rope," said Robert Menden. "We
brought it along for the purpose of getting down holes, you know."
"Well, we'll let ye down as carefully as possible," answered old Jacob.
A noose was made and slipped around Menden's body, under his arms. Then
a smooth spot was selected, where the rope might run without scraping,
and the Englishman climbed down over the edge.
"Now, lower away," he called out. "But go slow, and don't let me slip
away from you."
He had a torch in one hand, while with the other he kept himself from
striking on the various sharp projections which he encountered. He went
down twenty, thirty, forty feet, and then to the very end of the line.
"A little lower!" he cried, as those above stopped and held fast to
several knots previously inserted in the rope.
"Can't put out any more," called down old Jacob. "Ain't ye reached the
bottom?"
"No; it's about ten or fifteen feet below this point."
"Can ye see anything?"
"See a lot of loose rock and—Yes, a corner of a box. I think the fall
broke the chest all to pieces."
"We'll haul ye up and git a longer rope," returned the Yankee tar. "He's
found the treasure right enough," he added, to the boys gathered around
him.
It was no easy task to bring Robert Menden up to the flooring again, but
at last it was accomplished, and the Englishman untied himself, none the
worse for his trip to the region below.
All greatly regretted there were no more ropes at hand.
"If we had them we might get at that treasure this very night," declared
Dick.
"Never mind; it's late," said old Jacob. "We'll go back to camp and
rest, and bring the other ropes in by daylight. I reckon it won't hurt
the treasure to rest another twenty-four hours."
"But we want to know how much is there, Jacob," said Bob.
"So we do—but we'll have to be patient."
"Yes, we had better go back," put in Robert Menden. "But first let us
cover that tablet with loose rock, so if Joseph Farvel comes this way,
he won't discover it."
This was considered good advice, and as loose stones were plentiful they
soon succeeded in hiding the tablet entirely from view. Then the spot
was carefully marked by another means, and they started once more for
the outer air.
The climb over the rough flooring tired them thoroughly, and by the time
the mouth of the main cave was gained they could scarcely drag one foot
after the other.
"I'll sleep to-night, no matter if it does blow," said Don. "But I guess
I'll dream of a lot of shining Spanish gold, too," he added, with a
smile.
All were in the best of spirits, and several of the boys began to
whistle as they set off for the camp on the mountainside. But this
Robert Menden stopped.
"We want to do this thing as quietly as possible," he said. "Remember,
we have both Joseph Farvel and the Porto Rican brigands against us. Even
if we get hold of that treasure, we'll have a job to get it safe to the
city or on board of the Dashaway."
Bob was in advance, knowing the trail pretty thoroughly by this time.
No sooner was the shelter under the rocks gained than he let out a wild
howl.
"The things are all gone! Somebody has robbed us!"
Bob was right. During their absence the camp had been visited by some
thief, and now everything, including the ropes and the cooking utensils,
as well as their supply of food, was missing.