THE EXPLOSION
Twenty-four hours later found the Rover boys once more on board the
_Firefly_. Extra water and provisions had been procured and Captain
Corning was accompanied by Fred Barker, the new diver, a middle-aged
and rather silent man but one who was said to understand his business
thoroughly.
Before leaving Progreso the boys had received another message from
home congratulating them on what had been accomplished by them. Sam
Rover sent word that he would at once communicate with the Mexican
authorities and send two first-class men down to Yucatan to see what
could be done toward locating such of the securities as were still
missing.
“They’ll probably get Ditini and Ronombo to talk when they put the
screws on those rascals,” said Jack, after this message came in. “Maybe
the bandits placed the other stuff in hiding, thinking to let it remain
there until this whole affair blew over.”
So far the boys had talked of little else but the capture of the
bandits and what this might lead to. But now, when they once more trod
the deck of the _Firefly_, their thoughts again reverted to the hunt
for the lost _Margarita_.
“We’ll steam at once for the spot where that demijohn was found and
where Olesen and Amend threw overboard the floating yellow flags,” said
Captain Corning.
It took the best part of the day to reach the vicinity the master of
the _Firefly_ had in mind. Then over an hour was lost before one of the
tiny flags was located. It was pulled on board with care and they found
the flag set in a piece of flat cork under which was a long fishline,
at the end of which a small weight was attached, this intended to
anchor it at the bottom of the Gulf.
Several drags were put overboard and they worked until nightfall in
that vicinity trying to bring up something else of value.
But their efforts proved useless. Nothing was brought up but some
seaweed and other marine plants, which the diver stated were quite
numerous in that vicinity.
“Didn’t even find another demijohn!” exclaimed Andy ruefully. “Tough
luck!”
“What did you expect, Andy?” demanded Fred. “Did you think we were
going to hit the _Margarita_ first clap?”
The next day the search was renewed with vigor, and Barker made two
trips under the waters of the Gulf. He took with him the most powerful
searchlight of which the _Firefly_ boasted.
“Nothing doing here,” he announced. “There isn’t a bit of wreckage in
sight.”
It must be confessed that the boys, as well as the captain, were rather
disheartened by the diver’s announcement and it was with heavy hearts
that the search was continued the next day and the morning following.
Then the mate announced that another storm was coming.
The blow reached them less than an hour later and the Rover boys
noticed that Captain Corning was more than ordinarily interested as the
storm increased in violence.
“It’s just the kind of a storm that Henry Swall told me they had when
the _Margarita_ was wrecked and abandoned,” said the master of the
_Firefly_ to the others. “I’m going to let the boat drift for a while
and see where the storm takes us. That may give us some idea of what
actually did happen to the _Margarita_.”
A little while later the blow was on them in earnest, and with engines
stopped the steam yacht drifted rapidly southeastward, heading for a
part of the coast containing many indentations where there were rocks
and sandbars, all backed up by a heavy tropical growth of trees,
bushes and vines.
“We’re getting toward shallow water now,” announced Mr. Brooks a little
later. “We’ll have to be careful that we don’t get on a sandbar or on
the rocks.”
The bottom at this point shelved gradually and now they were in water
not over ten or twelve feet deep. The spot was noted with care by the
captain, and then the _Firefly’s_ engines were started once more and
they headed out into the Gulf in the teeth of the storm.
“Do you think that was the spot to which the _Margarita_ drifted after
she was abandoned?” questioned Jack eagerly.
“Well, doesn’t it look plausible?” was the captain’s counter question.
“I’ll say so――that is, if the wind was blowing then as it’s blowing
now.”
The storm lasted until after midnight, but when day broke the sun came
out as clear as ever and the Gulf was once more, comparatively calm.
They ran southward with care, taking many soundings so that they might
not hit the rocks or run up on a sandbar. Thus they managed to reach a
point not over a hundred yards from the shore and here anchored.
“We’ll have to take to the gasoline launch,” announced the captain, and
this was done. Mr. Brooks was left in charge of the _Firefly_, much to
his disgust, and the captain and the four boys, along with the diver
and Jake Patnak, set off.
The remainder of the day was spent in moving in and out of innumerable
coves. As they did this, all of the party kept their eyes open for
some sign of the abandoned vessel. Once or twice they sighted some old
wreckage, but this stuff proved of no value.
“Looks as if there was nothing to it, after all,” sighed Fred, as they
went back to the _Firefly_ to spend the night. “Gee, I sure will be
disappointed if we don’t find something!”
The next morning they went out again, taking their lunch with them.
The tank was filled with gasoline, and they told Mr. Brooks they would
probably not be back before night.
The whole morning was spent in a search as useless as that of the day
before. Then, tired out and more than warm, they sat down in the shade
of some trees on the shore and there ate their midday meal, washing it
down with the water they had brought along.
The land formation at this point was exceedingly irregular, and, having
eaten and rested, Jack and Randy strolled off around the shore of a
cove which, they presently discovered, opened into another cove.
The boys had moved along the shore of the second cove for a short
distance when both of them set up a shout.
“There is something!”
“It’s the wreck of a vessel!”
The shouts attracted the attention of the others and all came hurrying
forward to learn what the cries meant. For answer, Jack and Randy
pointed across the cove. Here there was a small sandbar and numerous
trees and bushes, and half hidden by the latter rested a dismantled
yacht almost ready to fall to pieces.
“It must be the _Margarita_!” exclaimed Fred joyfully.
“Come on, let’s get over there as fast as we can!” came from Andy.
On account of the rocks and the thick jungle it would have been almost
impossible to walk around the shore of the inner cove; so all rushed
back to where the launch had been left and in a minute more they were
on their way to the abandoned vessel.
“It’s the _Margarita_, all right enough!” shouted Fred, as they
approached. “There’s the name as plain as can be!”
“Yes, it’s the _Margarita_,” answered Captain Corning, and the tone of
his voice was full of hope, yet his face showed keen anxiety.
“Looks as if somebody had been here ahead of us,” was Jack’s comment.
“She looks as if she’d been stripped of everything of value.”
“Oh, Jack, don’t say that!” cried Fred, in dismay.
“Well, look for yourself. There isn’t a bit of brasswork or an anchor
or a chain left anywhere.”
Telling the diver and Jake Patnak to remain on board the launch,
Captain Corning led the way on board the abandoned yacht followed by
the four Rovers. The yacht lay partly on her side so that walking on
the deck was difficult.
“Be careful or you may break a leg or your neck,” cautioned the
captain. “There’s a lot of rotten wood here, and you don’t want to fall
through into the hold.”
As the boys advanced they grew more and more heavy hearted. They could
easily see that the wreck of the _Margarita_ had been visited many
times and that almost everything of value had been carried off. The
deck was practically bare and so were the cabin and the forecastle.
Here and there lay bits of broken glasses and dishes, as well as
water-soaked and moldy pieces of clothing and sailcloth. Down in the
engine room the lighter parts of the machinery had been carted away.
“Well, I guess this is the end of the treasure hunt,” remarked Captain
Corning in a hopeless tone of voice.
“It certainly looks like it,” returned Randy dolefully.
“You don’t suppose Olesen was here?” questioned Andy.
“Oh, no,” answered the captain. “Whatever has been taken away was taken
long ago. I don’t believe anybody has been around here for months.”
“Let’s take another look around,” said Jack.
This was done, the new search lasting the best part of two hours. In
the dirt they found a few small trinkets, the value of which would
probably amount to several dollars.
“I’ve been thinking,” said Jack, as they stood on the deck of the
wreck, not knowing what to do next. “Wouldn’t it be just like that
fellow, Miguel Torra, to secrete the treasure so that the others on
board couldn’t get at it?”
“Well, we’ve looked into every place where the treasure might be put,”
answered Captain Corning. “I even smashed in a part of that bulkhead in
the bow and smashed down that pantry in the back of the cabin.”
“I’m not in favor of leaving this wreck until we’ve made positive that
there’s nothing on board of value,” declared Jack. “You told me you
had a box of dynamite aboard the _Firefly_, didn’t you?”
“Yes, lad, I did. I brought it along thinking we might have to blow the
wreck up if the divers had trouble in getting into it.”
“Well, why not blow this wreck up? Then we’ll be sure that we haven’t
missed anything,” went on the oldest Rover boy.
All agreed to this, and lost no time in getting back to the _Firefly_.
Then the dynamite was transferred to the launch, along with the
batteries and wires necessary for exploding the same.
Running with care, they presently returned to the _Margarita_ and then,
with the aid of the diver, who had handled dynamite charges before, the
sticks of explosive were placed in various parts of the wreck and the
batteries and wires were placed in position.
“Now then, we’ll get behind the largest of these trees,” cautioned the
captain, “for there’s no telling what that dynamite will do.”
The launch was run to a safe spot and all took positions where they
thought they would be well protected from the blast. A minute later
Captain Corning pressed the button to set off the explosion.
There was a rumble and a roar and for the next fifteen seconds the air
was filled with sticks of wood flying in all directions. The wreck was
blown completely apart and even the rocks and trees in that immediate
vicinity were split and crushed.
“Gee, talk about the Fourth of July!” cried Andy. “That was the biggest
noise I ever heard!”
“If there are any folks living around here they’ll think it’s an
earthquake or something like that,” added his twin.
Waiting to make certain that there would not be a second explosion,
they moved forward with caution and soon stood close to the spot where
the _Margarita_ had lain. Split timbers and bits of woodwork lay in all
directions and many of the pieces floated on the surface of the cove.
But neither the boys nor the captain were interested in these pieces of
woodwork. With eager eyes they scanned one section of wreckage after
another. Then Randy set up a shout.
“Look here! What’s this?”
“An iron box!” came simultaneously from the others, and they rushed
toward the object as speedily as their uncertain footing permitted.
“And here’s another box!” came from Jack.
“Look yonder!” yelled Captain Corning, in intense excitement. “Gold and
silver dishes, as sure as you’re born!”
The master of the _Firefly_ was right. There, amid the shattered
wreckage, lay fully a score of elaborately engraved dishes and vases, a
few of them silver and the others gold.
“That shows Torra hid his loot when he was aboard the yacht!” cried
Jack. “And he hid it so well that up to the present time no one who has
visited the wreck was able to locate it!”
They looked around further and in the end brought to light six iron
boxes, as well as several other articles of gold and silver.
“Now to see what the boxes contain!” cried Jack.
The iron receptacles were much rusted. Each had two heavy padlocks,
both of them locked.
“We’ll have to take them aboard the _Firefly_ before we can open them,”
said Captain Corning. Then without delay the transfer of the boxes and
the silver- and goldware was begun.