A MYSTERIOUS DOCUMENT
The two captains scanned the document closely.
"It certainly is a map," pronounced Captain Hamilton decisively.
"That's what it 'pears to be," admitted Tyke.
"And it's the map of an island," went on Hamilton. "See," he pointed
out, "these wavy lines are meant to represent water and these firmer
lines stand for the land."
The others followed the movement of his finger and agreed with him.
"Well, after all, what of it?" asked Tyke, leaning back in his chair
with affected indifference.
"There's this of it," said his visitor throwing his extinguished cigar
into the waste-basket and drawing his chair still closer. "I feel that
we have a mystery on our hands, and we should examine it fore and aft
to find what there is in it."
"I s'pose the next thing you'll be saying is that's it's a guide to
hidden treasure or something like that," jeered Tyke feebly, to conceal
his own growing excitement.
"Stranger things than that have happened," replied the captain
sententiously.
"Have it your own way," assented Tyke, rising and going to the door.
"Winters," he called, "jest remember that I'm not in to anybody for the
rest of the afternoon."
"Yes, sir," replied Winters dutifully.
Having locked the door as an additional guard against intrusion, Tyke
rejoined the two at the desk.
"Fire away," he directed. "What's the first move?"
"The first thing is to make out what's written on this other paper,"
said the captain, handling it gingerly.
The three bent over and studied the document closely.
"Why, it's some foreign lingo; Spanish probably!" exclaimed Grimshaw.
"Not a word of English anywhere, as far as I can make out."
"That's so," agreed the captain, a little dismayed at the discovery.
"We've struck a snag right at the start. If we have to call in any one
to translate it, we'll be taking the whole world into the secret, if
there is any secret worth taking about."
"Don't let that worry you," Drew intervened. "I think I know enough
Spanish to be able to make out the paper."
There was an exclamation of delight from Captain Hamilton and a snort
of surprise from Tyke.
"Why, I never knew that you knew anything about that lingo!" the latter
ejaculated.
"I don't know any too much about it," returned Drew, modestly. "But
the South American trade is getting so big now that I thought it would
be a good thing to know something of Spanish; so I've been studying it
at night and at odd times for the last two years."
"Well, don't that beat the Dutch!" cried Tyke delightedly. "Now if I
was superstitious"--he stared truculently at the suspicious working of
Drew's mouth--"I'd be sure there was something in this that wasn't
natural. We want to look into the box, an' it busts open in front of
us. We want to read that Spanish lingo, an' you know how to do it.
I'll be keelhauled if it don't make me feel a little creepy. That is,"
he corrected himself quickly, "it would if I believed in them things."
"Well, now that we know you don't believe in them," said Captain
Hamilton, with the faintest possible touch of sarcasm, "and since our
young friend here is able to read this paper, suppose we go to it."
"You bet we'll go to it!" cried Tyke eagerly. "You jest take a pencil
an' write it down in English as Allen reels it off."
"There won't be any 'reeling off'," warned Drew, as with knitted brow
he pored over the document. "In the first place, the Spanish used here
is very old, and some of the words that were common then aren't in use
any more. I can see that. Then, too, the ink has faded so much that
some of the words can't be made out at all. And where the paper has
been folded the lines have entirely crumbled away."
"Sort o' Chinese puzzle, is it?" queried Tyke dismally.
"A Spanish puzzle, anyway," smiled Drew. "I need something to help out
my eyes. I wish we had some microscopes in our stock, as well as
telescopes."
"We'll get the best there is in the market if necessary," declared
Tyke. "But jest for the present, here is something that may fill the
bill."
He reached into a drawer and brought out a reading glass that could be
placed over the paper as it lay on the desk.
"The very thing!" exclaimed Drew as he applied it. "That helps a lot."
There was a tense air of expectancy over all three as he began to read.
Tyke kept nervously polishing his glasses, and Captain Hamilton's hand
was the least bit unsteady as it guided the pencil. Drew's voice
trembled, though he tried studiously to keep it as calm as though he
were reading off the items on a bill of lading in the ordinary course
of business.
But if the work was exciting, it was none the less very slow. Once in
a while there would be a word that was wholly outside Drew's
vocabulary. In such cases the captain put it down in the original
Spanish for Drew to study out later by the aid of his dictionary. Then
at the points where the story seemed most important, there would be a
crease in the paper that would eliminate an entire line. Other words
had faded so completely that the magnifying glass failed to help.
But at last, despite all the tantalizing breaks, the final word was
reached, and the captain sat back and drew a long breath while the
younger man refolded the paper.
"Well now," said Tyke, "lets have it all from the first word to the
last. An' Cap'n, read mighty slow."
Amid a breathless silence, Captain Hamilton commenced reading what he
had taken down.
"Trinidad, March 18, 17--.
"In the name of God, amen.
"I Ramon ...... rez unworthy sin .......... ...... fit .... ......
name ...... .... lips .... ...... ...... knowing ..... .... .... ....
.... mercy ........ ...... ...... shown none, expecting .... .... ....
.... .... .... deepest hell yet .... .... .... .... .... Mary .... ....
.... .... saints .... shriving .... .... Holy Church .... .... ....
confess .... .... .... life.
".... .... .... wild .... .... .... .... .... .... .... Tortugas ....
French .... _Reine Marguerite_ .... .... .... .... .... .... death.
From there we ran to Port au Spain .... .... .... plundering .... ....
.... .... city, .... many men and boys and .... .... .... women and
..... Off one of Baha .... Cays .... .... .... galleon .... .... ....
.... fought stoutly .... .... .... .... walk .... plank. Other ships
.... .... .... .... .... forgotten. We took great spoils .... ....
.... .... accursed ... ... spent .... .... living,
"I .... .... .... captain. Down in the Caribbean Sea we .... ....
caravel .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... one hundred and
twenty. Lost ship in tornado .... .... .... .... got another.
"Many more .... .... .... .... .... .... .... weary .... .... telling
we .... .... .... God .... man.
"At last .... .... ten .... .... .... butchery .... frigates .... ....
ch ..... Fled to one of the .... islands .... careened. Tired knowing
.... .... sooner or later I made up my mind .... .... .... .... one
more rich prize .... .... wickedness.
"We captured the .... Guadalquiver ..... Desperate .... .... blood
..... thousand doubloons .... pearls .... .... price.
"I knew of an island off the beaten track where there was good hiding
.... .... found, night. Cutter .... .... ashore, mutiny .... ....
killed them both. And there the booty is still .... .... .... ....
.... forbid.
"Now standing .... .... .... .... .... hell, I have made .... drawing
.... .... island where .... buried. I give it freely .... Mother ....
.... .... .... cand .... .... .... altar and .... .... masses .... ....
unworthy soul.
his
(X) _Al_ .... ....
mark
"Attest _Pablo Ximenes_, notary."
The captain laid the paper on the desk and glanced at the intent faces
of his companions.
"Now, what do you make of that?" he asked.