The Rushton Boys at Treasure Cove Part 25

"Well," suggested Fred, "we hadn't heard before of that phrase Mr.

Montgomery used over and over. 'It's where the water's coming in.'"

"That's nothing at all," affirmed Bill decidedly.

"I have a hunch it does mean something," replied Fred, "and I'm going to keep mulling it over in my mind until I find out what the meaning is.

"By the way, Ross," he went on, turning to their new-found friend where he sat brooding a little way apart from the rest, "we've learned something since we saw you first that may interest you. We'd have told you earlier this afternoon, but we've been traveling in different boats, and then when we got on sh.o.r.e we were so busy with cutting up the shark that we didn't get a chance till now."

Ross looked up eagerly.

"What is it?" he cried, getting up and joining the group.

He listened breathlessly while Fred told him what they had learned during their talk with Mr. Lee--the fight with the smugglers, their flight to the south Pacific, the partial confession of d.i.c.k and the going down of the s.h.i.+p with all on board.

When Fred had finished, Ross rose and paced the beach excitedly.

"You fellows found out in a few minutes what I've spent years trying to learn," he cried. "All the time I've been hunting, I've been haunted by the fear that even if I found where the gold had been hidden, the money would long ago have been taken and spent by the robbers. I've felt like all kinds of an idiot in keeping up the search on such a slender chance, and again and again I've been tempted to give it up. But this puts new life and hope in me. There's still a chance to find the gold and pay my father's debts."

"It's practically certain that the money is still there," affirmed Fred.

"The fellows who took it are all drowned--unless they're living somewhere on a desert island, and that's so unlikely after all this time that it isn't worth giving it a second thought. The only living man, outside of ourselves, who knows about the gold is Tom Bixby. He's just a rough sailor knocking about all over the world, and he too may be dead by this time. The whole secret lies with us, and if the gold's ever found, we'll be the ones who will find it."

"You boys have been perfect bricks," declared Ross warmly, "and you make me ashamed for having kept anything back from you from the start."

"You needn't feel that way at all," a.s.serted Teddy. "For my part, I think you've been very generous and outspoken in telling us as much as you have. You'd never met us before that day of the storm and didn't know anything about us."

"Well, I know all about you now," declared Ross, "and from now on, everything I find out will be known to you as fast as I can get it to you."

The boys said nothing but waited expectantly.

"There's one thing I didn't tell you that first night," Ross continued.

"I don't know how important it may prove to be, but at least it's a clue that may lead to something.

"As you know, the _Ranger_ was taken to Halifax and abandoned there by the smugglers. Ramsay, the captain who died on the trip, had owned it, but he had no family and the authorities took charge of the boat and sold it after a while, holding the money they got for it for the benefit of the heirs, if any should ever turn up. The new owner used the boat for a voyage or two, but he found it hard to get a crew. You know how superst.i.tious sailors are. The mysterious way it was found abandoned gave sailor men the impression that there was a hoodoo of some kind connected with it, and they wouldn't s.h.i.+p aboard her. So the new owner sold it and the name was changed.

"One day in Canada I ran across a sailor who had made a trip in the s.h.i.+p before the name was changed, and he told me a queer thing. He said he had found a rough map cut out on the wood of the forecastle with a jackknife. There were wavy lines to represent the water and a shaded part that might stand for a beach. Then there was a clump of three trees standing together, and a little way off were two more. One big rock rose out of the water on the right-hand side.

"Of course I jumped to the conclusion that it might have something to do with the place where the gold was hidden. I thought perhaps some of the sailors had wanted to impress on their memory just how the place looked, so that they could find it more easily when the time came. I pumped the man for more details, but that was all he could remember. I've tried in every way I knew to trace the old _Ranger_ but she has slipped out of sight like a ghost. If I could only have one look at that old forecastle, I think that the map might put me on the right trail."

"I'll bet it would," declared Fred with conviction, and his opinion was eagerly echoed by the others.

For a long time they debated the matter from this new angle, and it was very late when Lester urged that they should settle down for the night.

"We'll get an early start in the morning and get back to the Shoals before noon," he suggested. "I want to get busy on the government maps and plot out every mile of the coast so that we can start out in earnest."

But Lester's plan miscarried in part. They got the early start after a cordial good-bye to Mark. But the wind was baffling and they had to make long tacks, so that dusk was drawing on when they at last reached Bartanet Shoals.

CHAPTER XXII

ANGRY WATERS

As the five boys entered the lighthouse, Teddy happened to glance at the barometer that was fastened to the wall near the door.

"Say, fellows!" he exclaimed, "the gla.s.s is certainly mighty low this evening. Looks as though there might be some weather coming."

"Let's take a peep," responded Lester carelessly. "We're not due for any bad weather yet awhile, and I don't think--Whew! but it is low, isn't it?" he exclaimed as he examined the dial of the instrument. "There's something on the way, that's sure. I don't remember the barometer often getting quite as low as that."

"Oh, well, let it come!" exclaimed Fred. "What do we care? We won't be out in the _Ariel_ this time, and I guess it would take some storm to wash this old lighthouse away."

"Yes," a.s.sented Lester. "I guess no storm that ever blew or ever will blow can do us much damage. It is built on a ledge of solid bed rock, and it would take an earthquake to shake it loose. We'll be snug and safe enough, no matter how hard it blows."

"In that case, bring on your show," grinned Teddy. "I've always wanted to see a first-cla.s.s, bang-up storm, so you can't pile on the scenic effects too strong. Let's have plenty of wind and waves and all the rest of the fixings. Do a good job, while you're about it, Lester."

"Judging from the looks of that barometer, I won't have to do a blessed thing," replied Lester in the same tone of banter. "My stage manager, old Father Neptune, is going to be right on the job, and when he gets going I don't feel called on to interfere. I've seen a few of his performances and I must confess that I haven't seen much room for improvement.

"Except," he went on in a graver tone, "that if I had my way, I'd leave some of the s.h.i.+ps out of the production. After you've once seen some big craft go to pieces on the shoals, you rather lose your liking for the entertainment."

"Yes, I suppose that's so," acquiesced Teddy, his usually high spirits sobered for a moment by having this view of the case presented to him.

"I hadn't thought of that part of it."

"Well," observed Fred, "if there's going to be a storm, as seems pretty likely now, we'll hope that nothing of the kind occurs. After that stormy time we had on the _Ariel_, I can imagine pretty well what it must feel like to be s.h.i.+pwrecked. When we were headed for those rocks, I expected to be swimming for dear life in about two minutes."

"It must have been rather bad, I suppose," said Lester with a smile. "It wasn't so bad for me, because I had done the stunt before and was sure I could do it again.

"But this is no time for talking," he added. "Either I've got to get something to eat pretty soon or else quietly give up the ghost. I'm as hungry as a bear in spring time, and I'm willing to bet something that you fellows feel the same way."

"You win," admitted Fred. "But luckily for us it's near dinner time so we still have a chance to live awhile."

"Let's hurry and clean up then before dad calls us to the table."

As Lester stopped speaking, a gust of wind tore past the lighthouse with a mournful wail. The sound died down for a few seconds and then rose again in a dismal, long-drawn-out note that caused the boys to give an involuntary shudder.

"That's the beginning," declared Lester. "It will keep getting worse and worse, and after a while we'll hardly be able to hear each other speak.

We're in for a real blow this time I think."

"Let's go up into the light room and see what it looks like outside,"

suggested Fred. "It's getting dark fast and we'll not be able to see anything before long."

"All right, come ahead," agreed Lester.

He headed the group up the spiral stairs that led to the lamp room.

An early dusk had fallen over the heaving ocean, yet it was not so dark but that they could see that the seas were rising rapidly. Here and there the big waves were capped with white crests as they raced away before the spur of the merciless wind. Already they were breaking against the rocks on which the lighthouse stood with a heavy roar and a force that caused the building, stout as it was, to tremble.

"It sure is working up fast, isn't it?" asked Teddy in a subdued voice.

"I'd hate to be out in it even now. And I suppose it hasn't really begun to get bad yet."