Doubloons—and the Girl. Forbes John Maxwell
was something in this that wasn't natural. We want to look into the box, an' it busts open in front of us. We want to read that Spanish lingo, an' you know how to do it. I'll be keelhauled if it don't make me feel a little creepy. That is," he corrected himself quickly, "it would if I believed in them things."
"Well, now that we know you don't believe in them," said Captain Hamilton, with the faintest possible touch of sarcasm, "and since our young friend here is able to read this paper, suppose we go to it."
"You bet we'll go to it!" cried Tyke eagerly. "You jest take a pencil an' write it down in English as Allen reels it off."
"There won't be any 'reeling off'," warned Drew, as with knitted brow he pored over the document. "In the first place, the Spanish used here is very old, and some of the words that were common then aren't in use any more. I can see that. Then, too, the ink has faded so much that some of the words can't be made out at all. And where the paper has been folded the lines have entirely crumbled away."
"Sort o' Chinese puzzle, is it?" queried Tyke dismally.
"A Spanish puzzle, anyway," smiled Drew. "I need something to help out my eyes. I wish we had some microscopes in our stock, as well as telescopes."
"We'll get the best there is in the market if necessary," declared Tyke. "But jest for the present, here is something that may fill the bill."
He reached into a drawer and brought out a reading glass that could be placed over the paper as it lay on the desk.
"The very thing!" exclaimed Drew as he applied it. "That helps a lot."
There was a tense air of expectancy over all three as he began to read. Tyke kept nervously polishing his glasses, and Captain Hamilton's hand was the least bit unsteady as it guided the pencil. Drew's voice trembled, though he tried studiously to keep it as calm as though he were reading off the items on a bill of lading in the ordinary course of business.
But if the work was exciting, it was none the less very slow. Once in a while there would be a word that was wholly outside Drew's vocabulary. In such cases the captain put it down in the original Spanish for Drew to study out later by the aid of his dictionary. Then at the points where the story seemed most important, there would be a crease in the paper that would eliminate an entire line. Other words had faded so completely that the magnifying glass failed to help.
But at last, despite all the tantalizing breaks, the final word was reached, and the captain sat back and drew a long breath while the younger man refolded the paper.
"Well now," said Tyke, "lets have it all from the first word to the last. An' Cap'n, read mighty slow."
Amid a breathless silence, Captain Hamilton commenced reading what he had taken down.
"Trinidad, March 18, 17 – .
"In the name of God, amen.
"I Ramon … rez unworthy sin ..... … fit … ... name … ... lips … ... … knowing … ... … ... … mercy … ... … shown none, expecting … ... … ... … ... deepest hell yet … ... … ... … Mary … ... … ... saints … shriving … ... Holy Church … ... … confess … ... … life.
"… ... … wild … ... … ... … ... … Tortugas … French … Reine Marguerite … ... … ... … ... death.
From there we ran to Port au Spain … ... … plundering … ... … ... city, … many men and boys and … ... … women and … Off one of Baha … Cays … ... … galleon … ... … ... fought stoutly … ... … ... walk … plank. Other ships … ... … ... … forgotten. We took great spoils … ... … ... accursed … ... spent … ... living,
"I … ... … captain. Down in the Caribbean Sea we … ... caravel … ... … ... … ... … ... … one hundred and twenty. Lost ship in tornado … ... … ... got another.
"Many more … ... … ... … ... … weary … ... telling we … ... … God … man.
"At last … ... ten … ... … butchery … frigates … ... ch … Fled to one of the … islands … careened. Tired knowing … ... sooner or later I made up my mind … ... … ... one more rich prize … ... wickedness.
"We captured the … Guadalquiver … Desperate … ... blood … thousand doubloons … pearls … ... price.
"I knew of an island off the beaten track where there was good hiding … ... found, night. Cutter … ... ashore, mutiny … ... killed them both. And there the booty is still … ... … ... … forbid.
"Now standing … ... … ... … hell, I have made … drawing … ... island where … buried. I give it freely … Mother … ... … ... cand … ... … altar and … ... masses … ... unworthy soul.
his
(X) Al … ...
mark
"Attest Pablo Ximenes, notary."
The captain laid the paper on the desk and glanced at the intent faces of his companions.
"Now, what do you make of that?" he asked.
CHAPTER VIII
THE SCOURGES OF THE SEA
Tyke's eyes were staring and his face was so apoplectic that Drew was alarmed.
"Make out of it?" Tyke spluttered, getting up and nearly overturning his chair. "I make out of it that Manuel was right when he said that the old chest held something worth more'n diamonds."
Grimshaw was so shaken out of his usual calm that Captain Hamilton, too, shared Drew's alarm.
"I tell you what we'd better do," he suggested. "We're all too much excited to discuss this thing intelligently now. We've got a whole lot to digest, and it will take time. This thing will keep. Suppose we have our young friend here take this rough draft home with him and piece out the missing parts as well as he can. In the meantime we'll all mull it over in our minds, look at it from every angle, and meet here fresh and rested to-morrow morning to decide on what we'd better do."
"I guess you're right," assented Tyke, mopping his forehead. "This old head of mine is whirling around like a top."
Tyke locked the map carefully in his safe and committed the other paper and the captain's partial transcription to his chief clerk with solemn injunctions to take the utmost care of them.
But the latter stood in no need of the admonition. He would have defended those papers with his life. They meant for him – what did they not mean?
Romance, adventure, wealth! Now at last he would have something to justify his search for Ruth Adams and his suit for her hand. Now he could frame his jewel, when he found it, in a proper setting.
The three men prepared to leave the private office. Captain Hamilton was first at the door, and he unlocked it. The instant he pulled the door open, Drew heard him ejaculate:
"Thunderation! Mr. Ditty! What are you doing here?"
"You told me to follow you here, Captain Hamilton," said a respectful voice. "They told me you were inside, and so I waited for you."
"Humph! quite right, Mr. Ditty," Captain Hamilton said hastily. Then he thrust his, head back into the office. "My mate's come for me, Tyke. We've got an errand on Whitehall Street. See you to-morrow. Good night, Mr. Drew."
Both the captain and the other man had gone when Drew went out into the larger room. The remainder of that afternoon he spent in a dream.
When the day's work was over, Drew dined hastily and then shut himself in his room where he worked busily until midnight, filling in the vacant spaces in the rough draft of the confession. He was critical of his efforts, recasting and revising again and again until he was satisfied that he had caught the full meaning of the old document as far as it was humanly possible. Only then did he lay it aside – to dream of Ruth.
Drew was at the shop before his usual time the next morning, and Tyke and Captain Hamilton came in soon afterward. The three went at once into secret session, leaving the entire conduct