In the shortest possible space of time the entire situation was changed.
Captain Mansfield was accompanied by half-a-dozen men, all fully armed,
and they at once proceeded to help the little party out of the shaft,
Andy being the first who was sent to the surface.
The old darky revived before he was fairly drawn up, and the fact that
he was no longer in any danger caused him to forget his injuries in the
joyful knowledge.
“How did you get here so soon?” Jenkins asked, after the captain had
welcomed the boys.
“We fell in with a trading schooner, and came directly back, for
somehow I had an idea that you might be in trouble. But where are the
rest of the party?”
Gil told in the fewest words possible of what had happened, and showed
the diamonds in proof, Jenkins adding to the story:
“They’re hangin’ ’round here somewhere, an’ all I ask is the chance to
have it out with them before we leave.”
“You shall have the opportunity, if we fall in with them; but I don’t
propose to stay here any longer than is absolutely necessary. After you
have had something to eat we’ll go on board the schooner, and read the
remainder of the story.”
Gil insisted on releasing the prisoners before starting for the beach,
and the poor wretches manifested the greatest surprise at being allowed
to go free when they had fully expected to be killed. They stopped not
on the order of their going; but rushed through the tunnel regardless
of the smoke, and a few seconds later their outcries told that they had
fallen into the underground chamber for the second time.
“Let them alone,” Jenkins said, with a laugh. “I’ll guarantee they
manage to get out after we leave, an’ it won’t do ’em any harm to
flounder ’round a little while.”
Captain Mansfield was in too much of a hurry to allow the rescued party
to linger very long near the scene of their misadventures; but hurried
them away after the broken casket had been brought from the shaft, much
to the delight of Andy, who said, gleefully, as he clutched firmly the
mysterious “something” beneath his shirt:
“De cham hab done gone worked hissef out at las’ jes’ as I knowed it
would; but dem debbils don’ ketch dis yere nigger ergin, kase I’se
gwine ter stick mighty clus to de vessel arter dis.”
What a relief it was to find themselves in a stanch boat, manned by a
full crew, and heading for a trim-looking schooner. It seemed to the
boys as if the sky had never been so blue, the water so sparkling, nor
the air so balmy as on this day while they were being rowed to the
vessel Captain Mansfield had chartered.
Then how good the water tasted. At another time they might have found
fault with the flavor; but now it seemed simply delicious, and the
boys devoured the hard ship’s biscuit as if they were the lightest and
sweetest of Andy’s productions.
When the little party had refreshed themselves, and were able to
realize that they had really been saved from a horrible death, Captain
Mansfield said, as he took the manuscript from the shattered casket:
“I will see if there is anything here which should be attended to
before we leave, and if not, the schooner shall be gotten under way at
once.”
“You promised to give me a chance at them thieves,” Jenkins said,
quickly.
“You shall have it, never fear, providing the business can be settled
before dark.”
Then the captain turned his attention to the manuscript, and read, in a
low tone, after glancing over that portion which has already been given:
“The stones, together with as much money as I have been able to
secrete, will remain in this subterranean chamber in case anything
should happen to me, and I have no fear the blacks will betray the
whereabouts of the hiding-place, since they are only too eager to
invest every portion of the island with mystery.
“Whether this story will ever be read I know not; but, in case it is
found, I implore whoever peruses it to cause search to be made for my
family. The gold and plate will be sufficient to pay all necessary
expenses, and I pray the diamonds may be given to my wife, together
with the accompanying memoranda of the property I own in or near the
capital.”
That completed the story. There was no name signed to it, neither were
there any hints as to how the members of his family might be found; but
Captain Mansfield said, as he assured himself there was nothing more
connected with the unfortunate man’s history in the casket:
“If his wife or children are yet alive, we should be able to trace them
by giving the outlines of this story to the different newspapers.”
“And we shall have no treasure after finding one,” Gil added,
mournfully.
“It should be sufficient to pay you for all the labor and pain, that
you will be able to relieve the wants of those who own the jewels,
providing they are in distress. It is now quite important those sailors
should be overhauled, for they must have carried away a reasonably
large amount of gold, which must be recovered.”
“Shall I go ashore, sir?” Jenkins asked.
“Yes; but come back as soon as possible, for we want to sail while this
wind holds.”
Neither the boys nor Andy cared to accompany the mate; but he had quite
a large following in the crew of the schooner, all of whom were eager
to join in the search.
It had been expected Jenkins would be absent a long while; but, to
the surprise of all, he returned in less than an hour, bringing two
packages in baskets of grass.
“Did you find the men?” Gil cried, impatient to learn the news, and not
willing to wait until the boat came alongside.
“We found where they had been. The screams you heard last night while
the blacks were coming through the tunnel, were their death cries.”
“Have they been killed?” Nelse asked, in tones of horror.
“We discovered their bodies not a hundred yards from the mouth of the
shaft, and in the thicket near by was the stuff they had stolen.”
By this time the boat was alongside, and Jenkins passed over the rail
the remainder of the treasure, consisting of silver plate and gold coin
of considerable value.
“Did you meet any of the blacks?” Captain Mansfield asked.
“No, sir. I wanted to have one more brush with ’em; but you spoke about
bein’ in a hurry, so I thought it wouldn’t pay.”
“And you did quite right. Swing the boat inboard, boys, and we will be
off.”
Half-an-hour later the island looked to Gil and Nelse like nothing more
than a small cloud on the surface of the water, and the venturesome
cruise was really at an end, for before the sun rose again the schooner
arrived at a Cuban port from which a freight steamer was on the eve of
sailing for New York.
The journey home was decidedly uneventful after the many stirring
adventures through which Gil and Nelse had passed, and it is well to
bid them adieu as they greet the loved ones once more.
To-day, if they are reading this story, imperfectly told though it is,
they will be able to verify all which is here set down, and can add for
the information of those who may be interested, that the _Day Dream_ is
afloat. Not the one which was sunk off Pearl Point; but a new and even
more speedy yacht, and she is commanded, as may be imagined, by Job
Jenkins, while the captain of the galley is the same Andrew Jackson
Washington Storts, who wore the mysterious charm which the boys were so
eager to see, and which he still cherishes as something of the utmost
value and power.
Was the real owner of the treasure ever found?
Indeed she was, and never was money more needed than by the unhappy
man’s wife, who was in deepest distress when she chanced to see the
advertisements Captain Mansfield had caused to be inserted in the daily
papers.
The value of the diamonds was sufficient to place her beyond want, in
a pecuniary sense, and both Gil and Nelse are more proud of the gold
watches presented by the old lady in token of her gratitude, than they
could possibly have been, if the venturesome cruise had ended with the
discovery of the buccaneers’ treasure.
* * * * *
THE BOYS’ OWN LIBRARY
Handsomely Bound in Cloth. Price, 75 cents per Volume
This series contains the best boys’ books written by the best authors
for boys. It is pre-eminently a library for young people. The stories
are of the bright and sparkling kind, full of adventure and not
overburdened with lengthy descriptions--in fact, just the sort that
must appeal to every healthy boy who is fond of thrilling exploits and
deeds of heroism.
=Adventures of a Telegraph Boy.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Arthur Helmuth.= Edward S. Ellis
=Battle and a Boy.= Blanche Willis Howard
=Boy Boomers.= Gilbert Patten
=Boy Cattle King.= Gilbert Patten
=Boy From the West.= Gilbert Patten
=Boys in the Forecastle.= George H. Coomer
=Butcher of Cawnpore.= Wm. Murray Graydon
=Cadet Kit Carey.= Lieut. Lounsberry
=Captain Carey.= Lieut. Lounsberry
=Centreboard Jim.= Henry Harrison Lewis
=Chased Through Norway.= James Otis
=Check Number 2134.= Edward S. Ellis
=Commodore Junk.= George Manville Fenn
=Cruise of the Snowbird.= Gordon Stables
=Cryptogram.= William Murray Graydon
=Catmur’s Cave.= Richard Dowling
=Dean Dunham.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Dick Chiverly.= W. H. G. Kingston
=Dingo Boys.= George Manville Fenn
=Don Kirk’s Mine.= Gilbert Patten
=Ensign Merrill.= Henry Harrison Lewis
=Eric Dane.= Matthew White, Jr.
=Erie Train Boy.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Five Hundred Dollar Check.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=From Canal Boy to President.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=From Farm Boy to Senator.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=From Lake to Wilderness.= William Murray Graydon
=From Powder Monkey to Admiral.= W. H. G. Kingston
=From Tent to White House.= Edward S. Ellis
=Gay Dashleigh’s Academy Days.= Arthur Sewell
=Giant Islanders.= Brooks McCormick
=Gold of Flat Top Mountain.= Frank H. Converse
=Golden Magnet.= George Manville Fenn
=Golden Rock.= Edward S. Ellis
=Grand Chaco.= George Manville Fenn
=Guy Hammersley.= Matthew White, Jr.
=Happy-Go-Lucky Jack.= Frank H. Converse
=Heir to a Million.= Frank H. Converse
=How He Won.= Brooks McCormick
=In Barracks and Wigwam.= William Murray Graydon
=Inland Waterways.= James Otis
=In Search of an Unknown Race.= Frank H. Converse
=In Southern Seas.= Frank H. Converse
=In the Sunk Lands.= Walter F. Bruns
=James Braithwaite.= W. H. G. Kingston
=Joe Nichols.= Alfred Oldfellow
=Jud and Joe.= Gilbert Patten
=Kit Carey’s Protege.= Lieut. Lounsberry
=Land of Mystery.= Edward S. Ellis
=Lieut. Carey’s Luck.= Lieut. Lounsberry
=Mark Stanton.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Midshipman Merrill.= Henry Harrison Lewis
=My Mysterious Fortune.= Matthew White, Jr.
=Mystery of a Diamond.= Frank H. Converse
=Nature’s Young Noblemen.= Brooks McCormick
=Ned Newton.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=New York Boy.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Old Man of the Mountain.= Geo. H. Coomer
=On the Trail of Geronimo.= Edward S. Ellis
=Perils of the Jungle.= Edward S. Ellis
=Peter the Whaler.= W. H. G. Kingston
=Pirate Island.= Harry Collingwood
=Rajah’s Fortress.= William Murray Graydon
=Rival Battalions.= Brooks McCormick
=Silver Ship.= Leon Lewis
=Spectre Gold.= Headon Hill
=That Treasure.= Frank H. Converse
=Tiger Prince.= William Dalton
=Tom Tracy.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Tour of a Private Car.= Matthew White, Jr.
=Uncle Nat.= Alfred Oldfellow
=Unprovoked Mutiny.= James Otis
=Voyage to the Gold Coast.= Frank H. Converse
=Walter Griffith.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=War Tiger.= William Dalton
=Way to Success.= Alfred Oldfellow
=Weathercock.= George Manville Fenn
=Wheeling for Fortune.= James Otis
=White Elephant.= William Dalton
=White King of Africa.= William Murray Graydon
=White Mustang.= Edward S. Ellis
=With Boer and Britisher.= William Murray Graydon
=Won at West Point.= Lieut. Lounsberry
=Young Acrobat.= Horatio Alger, Jr.
=Young Editor.= Matthew White, Jr.
=Young Vagabond.= Z. R. Bennett
Any volume sent, postpaid, upon receipt of price
STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
* * * * *
CAMP AND CANOE SERIES
By ST. GEORGE RATHBORNE
“Canoe and Camp-Fire”
In this, the first book in the series, the splendid setting of the
story is in the woods of Maine. A grasping uncle waylays his nephew
in the pine wilderness and endeavors to force him to part with his
birthright. A sturdy chum comes to the rescue just in time, and joins
hands in routing the thieving relative.
“Paddling Under Palmettos”
The boys who play their parts in the second volume in this absorbing
series, are manly, whole-hearted boys, knowing no fear, whether set
upon at midnight while bivouacked around the camp-fire, or plying their
paddles in treacherous currents and menaced by unseen foes on shore.
“The Rival Canoe Boys”
Is the title of the third book in the “Camp and Canoe Series.” It is a
story of mystery, ill-fortune, and perseverance. Two manly boys, of the
lake region, are face to face with an unscrupulous specimen of the dude
type and a villainous guide, who is open for any crime, provided there
are enough dollars back of it.
In Cloth: $1.00 per Volume
_STREET & SMITH_ _238 William Street NEW YORK_
* * * * *
The Rockspur Athletic Series
_THE SIX BOOKS IN THIS SERIES ARE THE SORT THAT MUST APPEAL TO EVERY
BOY WHO IS FOND OF OUTDOOR EXERCISE OF WHATEVER KIND_
The Rockspur Nine
Is a base-ball tale of absorbing interest, which must be read not alone
for its story--which is admirable--but also for its many hints on
pitching, catching and batting, that will be found invaluable to the
boy who wishes to shine in the base-ball world.
The Rockspur Eleven
Is, appropriately enough, a story of foot-ball; and it is impossible to
conceive a yarn more fascinating to the healthy boy who feels at his
best in his foot-ball rig.
The Rockspur Rivals
The scenes are those of winter, and most of the action takes place on
the ice. Here, too, there is much useful information in a readable
shape--this time about ice-boats, fancy skating, sleds and skis, and
ice hockey.
Three other books will be added to the Series later on. Their titles
are: “The Rockspur Athletes,” “The Rockspur Crew,” and “The Rockspur
Champions.”
_ELEGANTLY BOUND IN CLOTH $1.00 PER VOLUME_
Street & Smith, 238 William St., N. Y.
* * * * *
Ranch and Range Series
_By St. GEORGE RATHBORNE_
There are no more delightful characters in fiction than Karl, the
young cowboy, and Cuthbert Lee, his tenderfoot “pard,” whose strange
adventures are chronicled in the three volumes which comprise this
series.
In “=Sunset Ranch=,” which is the first volume in the “RANCH AND RANGE
SERIES,” Karl succeeds in saving from the clutches of a villainous
gang, Cuthbert’s long-lost cousin, a laughing-eyed maid who has spent
most of her life on the prairie. Fascinating in the extreme are the
descriptions of Cowboy life as it was in its most famous days; of the
grand round-up, range-riding, night “wrangling,” and Indian horse
racing.
The scene changes to a lone dug-out in the pine woods in the second
book of the Series, which is called, “=Chums of the Prairie=.” There is
trouble for the two boys right along from the first chapter, whether it
be facing death in a bear’s den, or brought to bay by the gray terror
of the pine.
Third in the “RANCH AND RANGE SERIES” comes “=The Young Range Riders=,”
in which Karl and Cuthbert invade the land of the Montezumas, and find
fresh adventure on a Mexican ranch.
=In Cloth=, at all booksellers, =$1.00= per volume
Street & Smith, 238 William St., N. Y.
* * * * *
THE FRANK MERRIWELL SERIES
School Stories of Absorbing Interest
It is not necessary to introduce the now famous Frank Merriwell to the
American boy. His name, associated as it is with the most marvelous
exploits and heroic deeds, has been known and loved for years by
countless youths on the western continent. This is the first time that
the Frank Merriwell stories have appeared in cloth. The demand for them
in this form grew so clamorous that it was no longer possible to delay
publication. The edition is a handsome one, well illustrated, type good
and large, and the covers are exceptionally fine.
Frank Merriwell’s School Days
This is the title of the first book in the series, and surely never
were schooldays so crowded with fun and incident as those of Frank
Merriwell. Right in the beginning he risks his own life to save a girl
in a battle royal with a mad dog. But, as well as heroism, there is
true sport, as any boy will say who reads about the great baseball game
in which Frank figures.
Frank Merriwell’s Chums
In addition to the good fellows who make life pleasant for Frank
Merriwell in the period covered by No. 1 of the series, we are here
introduced to several others, who keep the ball rolling and distinguish
themselves alongside their hero.
Frank Merriwell’s Foes
Even the best of fellows cannot help making enemies while jealousy
continues to play its part in school life. Frank is all that is manly
and candid, but there are enemies in camp, and he is frequently called
upon to prove his mettle in this the third volume in the series.
_Bound in Cloth. One Dollar._
STREET & SMITH, 238 WILLIAM ST., NEW YORK
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
Lt. James K. Orton was a pen name for James Otis Kaler.
Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are
mentioned.
Punctuation has been made consistent.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in
the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have
been corrected.