THE CIPHER
SOMEHOW, or the other the news of my uncle's adventures were noised
abroad far beyond the limits of our village, and for a week or more
we were besieged with letters and telegrams from various people, most
of them absolute strangers, offering congratulations, but more
frequently asking impertinent questions about the "San Philipo"
treasure. Several London and county papers sent representatives down
to interview the survivor of the wreck; but to all requests my uncle
turned a deaf ear, politely yet firmly refusing to give any
information, so that interest in the mystery grew rather than waned;
and exaggerated rumours, amusing no doubt to others, appeared in
various journals, greatly to my father's and uncle's disgust.
In accordance with his resolution, my father went over to Pridmouth
and obtained the metal box with its precious contents, together with
the clothes my uncle was wearing at the time of the shipwreck.
Curiously enough, his watch, which had been in the water for nearly
an hour, was practically uninjured, only a faint trace of rust
showing near the hinge, while, on being rewound, it ticked as merrily
as ever.
We had arranged to defer the opening of the box till the afternoon,
when all three of us would be present; but I firmly believe my father
could not resist the temptation of glancing inside to make sure the
parchment was still there.
He arrived home in high good humour, for on the return journey, he
had picked up a horseshoe and had crossed the ferry in company with a
hunchback, both of which incidents are regarded, even in these
matter-of-fact days, as being conducive to a run of "good luck"; and
preparations were immediately made for the examination of the
mysterious relic of old Humphrey Trevena's seafaring days.
I handled the box with a feeling almost of reverence. It was about
the size of a cigar-case, and made of a dull, heavy metal resembling
bronze, although tarnished with the effects of time and exposure to
the salt water. It was embellished on the front of the outside by
quaint figures representing Boreal urging a seventeenth-century
frigate on its course, with Neptune and Britannia holding a friendly
conference in the background, and, on the back, by a monogram of
letters "H.T." and the date 1719.
"Open it, Reggie," said my father; and, after I had fumbled about
with the spring for a few moments, the lid flew open, and I saw for
the first time the puzzling piece of parchment which was fated to
lead us through great perils by land and by water ere we accomplished
our quest.
With trembling hands I unfolded the paper, my father and uncle
looking eagerly over my shoulder. As Uncle Herbert had already
informed us, there was nothing but a big square subdivided into a
host of smaller ones, and a few unintelligible words and the symbols
of degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude and longitude, with no
figures given, save a solitary figure 1.
Here, in fact, is a copy of it--
Steer N.E.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | " | | ' | | | | | | | | ° | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| " | | | | | | | | | | | | | ° | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
[Illustration: The unsolved cipher.]
"Well?" asked my uncle, elevating his eyebrows. "What do you make of
it, Howard?"
"Give me time. What does he mean by 'steer nor.'-east,' I wonder?"
"That's what has been puzzling me, for in his log Humphrey states
definitely that he followed the 'San Philipo' in a nor'-westerly
direction, consequently the directions appear to be misleading."
"Possibly they were intended to be so," replied my father dryly. "But
these marks of latitude and longitude--do they convey anything?"
"Nothing, except that certain numbers are evidently intended to fill
in the squares so indicated, and the puzzle is, what are these
numbers?"
"Ah, what?"
"I tell you what; I can see it all now. Amongst the other papers that
were stolen was the key to the cipher. Don't you remember my saying
that one sheet contained a host of figures? Howard, old man, I am a
careless idiot and deserve to be kicked for my negligence."
"It can't be helped," replied my father philosophically. "What is
done cannot be undone, so the less said about it the better. We must
rack our brains to find a solution to the cipher without the aid of
the key. Don't look so glum, Herbert. Better luck next time."
Long after I had gone to bed my parent and his brother pored over the
stubborn cipher, either with the aid of frequent references to the
log of the "Anne" or the chart of the Pacific, which had been ordered
from Potter's some time ago. They must have sat up half the night,
for they were both late at breakfast next morning and were horribly
short-tempered in consequence.
I went to school that morning as usual, but the excitement of the
previous day proved too much for my attention, and, in consequence, I
was sent to detention for an hour. If there is anything I loathe,
detention holds an easy first, for the monotony of an hour's
imprisonment at the end of the day, is particularly galling to a boy
fond of outdoor pursuits. I am sure the junior masters do not
appreciate the task of looking after the delinquents either, and
Newman, the Second Form master, was no exception. So in less than a
quarter of an hour he cleared out, leaving us to our own devices.
The fellow at the desk next to mine, a boarder named Ward, of the
Upper Fifth, who was ever in hot water, was busily engaged in
covering sheets of paper with roughly drawn lines, and as he
appeared to derive a considerable amount of satisfaction from the
task, I remarked:
"What are you up to, Ward; noughts and crosses?"
"Noughts and crosses, my grandmother!"
"What, then?"
"Trying my hand at a magic square."
"A magic what?"
"Square, you ass! look and see for yourself."
On closer examination I found that he had drawn a rough square and
had subdivided it into nine smaller ones, by means of two horizontal
and two vertical parallel lines, and the spaces thus formed he was
busily filling in with the numbers 1 to 9.
"What happens when you finish it? Where does the magic part of the
show come in?" I asked. "It seems a very tame sort of amusement."
"Not when you get thoroughly interested in it," replied Ward. "You
see, the idea is to arrange the figures so that each of the
horizontal, vertical, and diagonal rows make a total of fifteen. It
takes a bit of juggling, I assure you, and I am told that even larger
magic squares can be formed. Ah! That's done it."
With a slightly growing interest I watched Ward manipulate the
figures until he arrived at the solution, which, for some unexplained
reason, I copied down--
+---+---+---+
| 8 | 1 | 6 |
+---+---+---+
| 3 | 5 | 7 |
+---+---+---+
| 4 | 9 | 2 |
+---+---+---+
[Illustration: A magic square.]
"There are other arrangements of the numbers," he remarked; "for
instance, you can get another magic square by exchanging the top and
bottom lines or the outside vertical columns; but I have not managed
a larger square yet. Hello! Here comes Newman, so it must be close on
half-past five."
The miserable hour over, I made my way homewards, revolving in my
mind the problem of Humphrey Trevena's cipher, till by some
unaccountable impulse, as I was sitting in the ferry-boat that plies
between Fowey and Polruan, I formed some hazy connection between
Ward's magic square and the exaggerated chessboard design that was so
sorely puzzling my father and uncle.
Rapidly the connection grew, till by the time the boat ran alongside
Polruan quay-steps I firmly assured myself that Old Humphrey's cipher
was based on the principle of a magic square; and, arguing that the
solution of the "fifteen" square must be governed by some fixed rule,
I determined to try to solve the working of Ward's puzzle, and to
apply the principle, if possible, to the more complicated cipher.
With this object in view, I began my task. My father and uncle had
gone out to the Yacht Club, so that I knew I should be free from
interruption.
My first step was to make a copy of the magic square and indicate the
order of the numbers by straight lines from one to the other. When
completed, the diagram looked positively bewildering, and the only
information I could gather was that the numbers 4, 5, 6 formed one of
the diagonals, and ran obliquely from the bottom left-hand corner to
the upper right-hand one, and that the centre number was the 5, or,
the numeral next to half the highest number of the squares.
Next I tried a "twenty-five" square, the diagonal reading 11, 12, 13,
14, 15. The position of the 1 I had already fixed by that in the
smaller square, which, by a sudden inspiration, I remembered occupied
the same relative position in Humphrey Trevena's cipher. As in the
"nine" square the 7 came immediately below the 6; I adapted the
principle by placing the 16 in the square below the 15.
All this took time, but I felt satisfied that I was on the right
track, till I came to the rest of the numbers, and, try how I would,
I could not apply the principle any farther.
At length, with bewildered brain and aching head, I gave up the task
for the time being, and, putting on my cap and calling my dog, I set
out for a ramble to try and cool my heated brow.
I intended to walk in the direction of Lanteglos, and make a circuit
through Hall Walk, Bodinneck Ferry, and Fowey, but, on reaching the
little hamlet of Pont, I sat down on the handrail of the little
wooden bridge, and amused myself by sending the dog into the water.
At length I desisted, and, ignoring the antics of my faithful
companion, I fell into a brown study--a thing under ordinary
circumstances I rarely do.
Twilight was drawing in, and against the vivid red hue in the western
sky the placid waters of the tree-fringed creek made an entrancing
picture, that harmonized with my dreams of adventure in the future,
like a presage of good fortune.
Unconsciously I found myself toying with a pocket compass I
invariably carried, and as my eyes lingered for a moment on the
delicately balanced needle, I saw in my mind's eye, not the compass
card, but the outlines of a magic square, with the needle forming the
puzzling diagonal. In the haphazard position I held the compass the
needle pointed to N.E. on the card, and, like a flash, occurred the
directions scrawled upon the mysterious cipher, "Steer nor'-east."
"I have it!" I exclaimed aloud in my excitement. "'Steer nor.'-east'
must be old Humphrey's way of expressing the sequence of the numbers
on his cipher; and that is the direction of the diagonal."
Without a moment's delay, I hastened home to make a fresh onslaught
upon the puzzle, and, to make a long story short, I solved the
"twenty-five" square by constructing two similar squares on its north
and south sides--i.e. the top right-hand sides--and starting with the
figure 1 and working in a N.E. direction, so that directly a number
fell within one of the divisions of the adjacent squares, I
transferred it to the corresponding division of the original design.
But when by this means I came to a space already occupied by a
number, I found, by consulting the already completed nine-divisioned
square, that the next number was placed in the vacant space that
invariably occurred below.
The completed square, which I regarded with considerable
satisfaction, appeared as under--
+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| | 18| 25| 2 | 9 |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| 17| 24| 1 | 8 | 15| 17| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| 23| 5 | 7 | 14| 16| 23| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| 4 | 6 | 13| 20| 22| 4 | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| 10| 12| 19| 21| 3 | 12| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| 11| 18| 25| 2 | 9 | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Total of each vertical, horizontal,
and diagonal line = 65.
[Illustration: A bigger magic square.]
Now came the crucial test of constructing a square with the same
number of subdivisions as there were on Humphrey's cipher, and an
intelligent application of the figures to the symbols of latitude and
longitude; but here I was nonplussed, for I had no copy of the
cipher, neither could I remember the actual numbers of subdivisions.
Just then, however, my father and uncle returned, and while at supper
they did not fail to notice my excitement.
"Whatever is the matter with you, Reggie?" asked Uncle Herbert. "You
look like a cat on hot bricks."
I was burning with impatience to let them know of my evening's work
and its results, but, fearing that after all there might be some flaw
in my theory, and having another motive in view, I managed to
restrain myself.
Little more was said during the meal, but on its completion
preparations were made to continue the investigations of the mystery.
"I say, pater," I exclaimed. "Don't you think it would be better to
make a copy of the cipher: it would save the original, you know."
"Just so, Reggie, I will; but I think it's about time you went to
bed."
"Another hour won't make much difference," I replied. "You see,
to-morrow's a holiday."
My father assented, and gleefully I set about the task of making a
duplicate of the cipher, of which I was now firmly convinced I held
the key.
It was not a long business, and when completed, I stealthily removed
a second copy which I had obtained by means of a carbon paper, and
announced my intention of "turning in."
It was, however, far from my thoughts to go to bed, and directly I
reached the solitude of my room I set to work to fill up the blank
spaces of the cipher, which, thanks to my previous trials with the
smaller squares, was a comparatively rapid and easy task.
Steer N.E.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +
| |123|140|157|174|191|208|225| 2 | 19| 36| 53| 70| 87|104+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|122|139|156|173|190|207|224| 1 | 18| 35| 52| 69| 86|103|120+122|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|138|155|172|189|206|223| 15| 17| 34| 51| 68| 85|102|119|121+138|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|154|171|188|205|222| 14| 16| 33| 50| 67| 84|101|118|135|137+154|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|170|187|204|221| 13| 30| 32| 49| 66| 83|100|117|134|136|153+170|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|186|203|220| 12| 29| 31| 48| 65| 82| 99|116|133|150|152|169+186|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | "| | '| | | | | | | | °| | + |
|202|219| 11| 28| 45| 47| 64| 81| 98|115|132|149|151|168|185+202|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|218| 10| 27| 44| 46| 63| 80| 97|114|131|148|165|167|184|201+218|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
| 9 | 26| 43| 60| 62| 79| 96|113|130|147|164|166|183|200|217+ 9 |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
| 25| 42| 59| 61| 78| 95|112|129|146|163|180|182|199|216| 8 + 25|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| "| | | | | | | | | | | | | °| + |
| 41| 58| 75| 77| 94|111|128|145|162|179|181|198|215| 7 | 24+ 41|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
| 57| 74| 76| 93|110|127|144|161|178|195|197|214| 6 | 23| 40+ 57|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
| 73| 90| 92|109|126|143|160|177|194|196|213| 5 | 22| 39| 56+ 73|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
| 89| 91|108|125|142|159|176|193|210|212| 4 | 21| 38| 55| 72+ 89|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|105|107|124|141|158|175|192|209|211| 3 | 20| 37| 54| 71| 88+105|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |
|106|123|140|157|174|191|208|225| 2 | 19| 36| 53| 70| 87|104+ |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Lat. N. Lon. W.
151°45'11"W 7°24'41"N
Total of every horizontal, vertical row = 1695
[Illustration: THE SOLVED CIPHER.]
In less than an hour I had completed the solution, checking the
totals, which in every case amounted to the sum of 1,695; and,
applying the marks of latitude and longitude, I found that the
position was 7° 24' 41" N. and 151° 45' 11" W., which, in spite of
the absence of an atlas, I knew would be somewhere in the Pacific
Ocean.
Cautiously I made my way downstairs, holding the completed cipher
rolled tightly in my hand. The dining-room door was slightly ajar,
and through the opening I could see my father and uncle leaning over
the table, which was littered with charts, papers, and writing
materials.
"I am afraid we are checkmated," I heard my father remark
despondently. "The treasure of the 'San Philipo,' will never come
within our grasp."
As I entered the room they both looked up in amazement.
"Reggie!" exclaimed my father deprecatingly.
"All right, pater," I replied, with the boldness acquired by my
success. "I want to make a bargain with you."
"A bargain? I don't understand."
"What I mean to say is this: If you make a search for the 'San
Philipo' treasure, promise me that I can go too."
"Bless the boy!" ejaculated Uncle Herbert. "What does he mean?"
"The possibility of a search is very remote," said my father, "as we
have absolutely no definite information to work upon, and no
likelihood of gaining any; but I really don't understand what you
mean by the word 'bargain.'"
"I mean," I replied stoutly, "that if I find a key to the cipher, do
I take part in the search?"
"I see no reason why you shouldn't if----"
"Then you promise?"
"Yes."
"Thanks," I replied, flourishing the paper I held in my hand.