During this evening Gil and Nelse could do no more than speculate as
to whether it would be possible to find a conformation of the coast
similar to the one shown by the rude chart, and since this question was
to be settled definitely in such a comparatively short space of time
neither Captain Mansfield nor Mr. Jenkins would so much as take part in
the conversation.
Even the exciting thoughts of discovering pirates’ treasure were not
sufficient to prevent them from feeling sleepy after a while, more
especially when all save the watch had turned in, and at midnight they
crept into the little stateroom.
Both the boys lay down with the determination to be on deck at the
first sign of dawn, and yet the sun was half an hour high before either
opened his eyes.
Nelse was the first to awaken, and he cried, in a tone of deepest
anxiety, as if believing the delay might in some manner result to their
injury:
“Get up, Gil! If this is the way we set about hunting for gold there
won’t be a very good chance of finding any. We should have been on deck
two hours ago.”
This summons was sufficient to bring Gil to his feet instantly, and,
after a hurried toilet, the two were leaning over the rail aft, with
the well-worn and enigmatical piece of brown paper spread out where it
could be studied at their leisure.
When they first gained the deck Andy was coming from the galley to the
cabin with the morning meal; but both the would-be treasure seekers
were in such a high state of excitement that they actually forgot their
curiosity of the previous night, and did not even think to ask what
steps he had taken to insure his safety against the dreaded voudoos.
“If that was intended as a chart of the Tortuga de Mar the schooner
is in the best possible place for you to go ahead with the work,” Mr.
Jenkins said, as he approached the boys. “There’s the point of land,
with a rock or bit of coral to the nor’ard of it, an’ dead as the
bowsprit shows is the cove with what I take to be soundings; but have
you fellows figured out the meaning of the other things?”
“We think the drawing of the schooner with a lead-line on which is the
figure eight, hanging from her bowsprit means that only a small craft
with a draught of not over eight feet can get in there,” Gil replied.
“I reckon that’s right, though it was a waste of time an’ lead pencil
to make the craft after showing the soundings.”
“Then the letters and figures on this stick, and the straight lines
on the side, refer to the same thing, which is that from a certain
tree--for those scratches must have been made to represent foliage--at
a distance of eighteen feet and eight inches north, then five feet
west, the treasure will be found.”
“Well, you’ve figured it out better than I expected,” Mr. Jenkins said,
approvingly; “but how do you know whether the measurements are in feet,
yards or fathoms?”
“That part of it is guesswork, of course. I don’t think it can mean
fathoms, because of the fraction eight, therefore it will only be
necessary to try the feet and yards, which can’t be such a great amount
of work.”
“No,” the mate replied, slowly and thoughtfully, “not if this is the
place, or if you find the right tree, or if there’s any treasure
buried on the island; but according to my way of thinking it’ll be a
decently hard job to decide exactly where the sights should be taken
from, considering the fact that this part of the island is fairly well
wooded.”
Then Mr. Jenkins walked away, for the cook had announced that breakfast
was served, and the boys were again plunged into a disagreeable state
of uncertainty because of the difficulty they would undoubtedly have
in trying to decide which was the landmark referred to on the supposed
chart.
Andy did not so much as look at Gil and Nelse when they came into the
cabin. It seemed as if he tried to avoid meeting their eyes, and during
all the time they were talking with Captain Mansfield relative to the
finding of the tree, he stood just inside the pantry making some of the
most extraordinary gestures possible.
“There is nothing to prevent your going ashore with Mr. Jenkins, if you
feel so disposed,” Gil’s father said, as he finished his meal. “I am
not inclined to any such exercise, but can manage to pass the time with
some degree of comfort while the search is made.”
The boys had hoped the captain would become interested in the proposed
work when they were where an investigation could be made; but this last
remark showed that he did not intend to have anything to do with the
decidedly mythical treasure.
Mr. Jenkins, however, was not only ready but eager for a trip ashore,
and, without waiting for orders, he caused one of the tenders to be
lowered.
If there were any inhabitants on this end of the island they had kept
well out of sight, and to guard against a possible attack by wild
animals the boys armed themselves with revolvers as well as rifles.
There was plenty of work aboard for the sailors, therefore the
treasure-seekers were expected to do their own rowing, and, with all
hands except Andy watching from the rail, they started, heading
directly for the cove.
Gil suggested that, in order to make certain the narrow strip of water
was the one they were anxious to find, soundings be made. If the depth
of water should coincide with the fifteen, ten and eight of the chart
it would afford a certain degree of proof, but to this Mr. Jenkins
objected.
“It would be only a waste of time,” he said. “The bottom so near
inshore shifts every year, and you couldn’t even rely on a Government
chart.”
“I thought from what we read in the newspaper clipping that the island
was small,” Nelse said, as the boat neared the shore. “It looks pretty
big from here.”
“Twenty-two miles long and five wide, according to the geographies,”
the mate replied, with a laugh, “so you see there’s plenty of room
for adventure in case Andy’s voudoos really make this place their
headquarters.”
“Do you believe in anything of the kind?”
“That the negroes of Hayti practice the rites of voudooism there can be
no doubt; but of course the cook has exaggerated matters.”
By this time the little tender’s bow had been run up on the sandy
beach, and, after looking carefully around to make certain no one was
lurking in the vicinity, the party landed.
The boat was made fast, and Gil led the way on what now seemed a
hopeless task, that of finding a tree so old as to give promise of
being the one from which the proper bearings might be taken, if
indeed there was anything proper or positive in the document they had
discovered.
The foliage was dense; so matted in places as to render it difficult
for the travelers to force a passage through, and thus they were
obliged to go blindly on, passing near perhaps the very object for
which they were searching.
There were many birds to be seen and heard, but no other form of animal
life was found during the tramp, except once when a hog, probably a
descendant from those brought to the island by the original buccaneers,
dashed out of the thicket, almost overturning Nelse, and disappearing
again before either of the party had an opportunity to fire a single
shot.
At the end of an hour, when they were three miles from the beach, as
nearly as could be judged, the mate threw himself on the ground as he
said, impatiently:
“It is foolish to keep on in this manner. We haven’t come across a tree
of any size after walking this distance, although we know there were
very many to be seen in the immediate vicinity from the schooner’s
deck.”
“The undergrowth is so dense that we shouldn’t know it if one was a
dozen feet away,” Nelse replied, fanning himself vigorously, for the
heat at this point, where the cooling breezes from the sea could not
penetrate, was almost stifling.
“Then there’s all the more reason why we should go back, mark out a
course, and follow it by a compass.”
“But I counted on finding what we wanted straight across from the end
of the cove,” Gil said, disconsolately.
“It isn’t yet certain that it can’t be discovered,” the mate replied,
laughingly. “We are not woodsmen enough to travel a beeline without
anything to guide us.”
“It’s positive we’re wasting time roaming around in this manner, so
let’s go back.”
“Hold on a little while. I am so nearly roasted that there will be
nothing left of me but perspiration if I am forced to take any exercise
right away,” Nelse cried, in affected distress.
Each member of the party was more than willing to indulge in a _siesta_
just at this time, and, following the example set by the mate the boys
stretched themselves out at full length, regardless alike of snakes or
the worshipers of voudoo.
Everything was conducive to slumber, save the winged pests which were
particularly active, and, despite even these, all three were soon
sleeping soundly; so much so, in fact, that two half-naked negroes
passed within three feet of where they were lying without arousing them.
This was possible owing to the fact that the strangers walked with
exceeding caution, finding an open way through the foliage where
seemingly none existed, and circling around the sleepers without so
much as a rustling of the leaves.
These men must certainly have been aware that the schooner had come to
an anchor off the island during the night, for they evinced no surprise
at seeing the whites, but scrutinized them carefully, as if trying to
judge of their character.
For fully five minutes the fellows continued the silent examination,
and then they glided through the thicket toward the direction where the
yacht was lying.
A quarter of an hour later Mr. Jenkins awakened, and called cheerily to
the boys:
“Come, it’s time to turn out if we want to get back without running the
risk of losing our way. When the sun gets behind the trees we shall be
all at sea so far as direction goes.”
The short nap had refreshed the boys wonderfully, and they were on
their feet at once, ready for the tramp.
“Father will laugh when we tell him that, after being on shore so
long, we haven’t seen the kind of a tree we were searching for.”
“You may have better luck to-morrow,” the mate said, cheerily, as
he led the return march, and the little party traveled so rapidly
that in a trifle more than an hour they were pulling toward the _Day
Dream_ from the cove, all unconscious of the half-a-dozen black forms
concealed in the thicket near the water’s edge watching their every
movement.