CHAPTER XXI

FROM THE OCEAN BED

Three boxes they retrieved from the sunken vessel that day, and since it was getting dark when the last of these was hauled to the surface, they decided to postpone any further operations till the next day.

The boys were curiously silent as they tugged and hauled the chests to the cave where they might examine their contents. Suppose the mysterious boxes did not contain treasure after all? They were almost afraid to open them.

Phil it was who began to pry off the lid of the first box. His body ached with fatigue from his adventures under the sea but he never even thought of it. His whole mind was concentrated on the business of getting that lid off.

The boys stood around him holding their breath, their eyes fairly burning with excited expectation of what they hoped to see.

Then with a grinding noise the ancient lock gave way and the cover slipped off. The boys gave a wild cry and sank to their knees beside the open chest. They couldn’t speak. They could hardly think. They knelt there, bathing their hands in a wealth of golden coins and sparkling gems, a treasure that had defied the years under the sea, the old pirate’s treasure come to life and glittering as brightly as it had on that day so long ago when the ship had sunk with the loss of all her crew.

If the boys had seemed crazy when Phil had emptied the little black bag of coins and gems before them, bringing them the first word of the treasure, they were ten times worse now.

They laughed, they danced, they shouted to one another. Steve scandalized Bimbo by seizing the black boy about the waist and whirling him madly about the cave, ending up in a gyrating mass of arms and legs as they slipped and landed on the floor together.

Even Jack Benton acted for a little while as though he had “gone loco.” It was a long time before they could pull themselves together enough to open the other two chests.

When they finally came around to it, Dick grabbed the chisel—with which they had pried off the cover of the first chest—from Phil’s hand, going to work on the second chest himself.

“You’re getting stingy,” he said, in reply to Phil’s look of surprise. “You opened the first chest. Now it’s my turn.”

“Why care who opens it,” retorted Phil, “as long as it gets opened. Only, hurry up, you old snail, or I may be tempted to give you some help, anyway.”

As a matter of fact it did take some time to get the cover off for Dick was so excited his hands trembled and he seemed to lack his usual amount of strength.

However, although the impatient boys offered insistently to help him, he kept them off, offering to “lay them out” with the chisel if they got too “fresh.”

At last the cover gave and they found themselves staring fascinated into a chest whose contents seemed at first glance to fully equal in value the contents of the first one.

Without stopping for a closer look, they opened the third box, Steve officiating this time and Tom grumbling because there wasn’t a fourth chest—to which Phil replied that if Tom would wait till the next day he would try to oblige him—and this one also, was heaped to the brim with shining gold pieces, interspersed with jewels of rare beauty and value.

The boys, feeling as though they were living through an amazing dream, took out handful after handful of the gold pieces and here and there a precious jewel, examining them closely beneath the light of their electric torches.

Like the samples which Phil had first brought to them, they found that the coins were of English and French and Spanish origin, all very old and bearing dates that thrilled the boys with the romance of those old days.

“Say, what would you give to have been able to live in those times,” said Tom softly, his eyes gleaming as he turned a gold piece over and over in his fingers.

“I’d just as soon be living now,” retorted Steve with a grin. “I bet the old pirates never had a more adventurous day than we have just lived through.”

“You bet,” murmured Dick. “Just wait till we tell the folks. They didn’t want us to come on this trip but I reckon when we show them a few of these little goldpieces, they’ll be sort of glad we came.”

“We ought to be able to rescue the rest of the treasure to-morrow,” said Phil. “And then—”

“Home to God’s country,” finished Jack Benton.

Bimbo, over in his corner, shook his head and was heard to mutter something like, “Ah says Amen to dat, boss, Ah sho’ does.”

“Bimbo, you old gloom hound,” Phil called out with a laugh, “You don’t mean to say you still think this island is unlucky—after to-day’s run of luck?”

“Well,” returned Bimbo, placing his head on one side reflectively. “Ah don’ know as Ah’d go as far as dat, Marse Phil, but Ah sure will think hit’s luckier when we don’ got d’ocean between hit an’ us. Yassir, Marse Phil, Ah could jes’ love dis here islan’—at a distance.”

They laughed and Steve poked the black boy in the ribs but just the same, his persistent dislike of the island made them uneasy even in this moment of triumph.

In the excitement of the day they had forgotten the ominous cloud of smoke hanging low above the mountain and Bimbo’s words recalled it to them.

Perhaps, after all, an eruption from that volcanic giant might defeat them just when victory seemed most certain. If only they had not lost their ship on their ill-fated approach to the island. In that, they might escape at a moment’s notice but now, even with the aid of radio their escape might be delayed just too long——.

With an effort they put aside the unwelcome thought, abandoning themselves once more to joy in the finding of the treasure. There was some talk of what they should do with the wealth now that they had it.

Phil wanted to bury it but the boys laughed at the idea.

Were they not the only inhabitants of the island? What need then for such extreme caution?

Phil, remembering the shot he thought he had heard, recalling the figure that had slunk like a shadow from the cave, could not help feeling that there might be need of caution but he said nothing. Only half convinced himself that what he had seen had not been a shadow and that what he had heard had been a shot, how could he hope to convince his comrades that danger lurked upon the island? He was more than half inclined to laugh at the idea himself.

At last they were able to tear themselves away from the treasure long enough to snatch a few hours of sleep. They must be up and doing bright and early if they hoped to recover the rest of the treasure that day. Then they would radio some passing ship, stow themselves and the treasure aboard and sail for home. Was it any wonder their dreams were pleasant?

Phil woke suddenly from a dream in which he was displaying his part of the treasure to his excited and admiring parents, woke suddenly and completely, with every sense on the alert.

As on that other night, he had a distinct sensation that some one was near him, had passed stealthily close to him. Holding his breath he lay motionless, straining his eyes to pierce the gloom of the place.

No sound save the regular breathing of his companions, the pounding of the sea on the sand—hark! What was that? He was not dreaming now. Someone, at the other end of the cave was moving cautiously, feeling his way. Once he stumbled and an involuntary oath escaped his lips to be immediately stifled.

The blood tingling in his veins, as quiet as a panther who is waiting to leap upon his prey, Phil lay upon his bed, every muscle tensed for the spring.

The figure of a man, crouching outlined itself against the gap that formed the door of the cave. Silently as a ghost Phil slipped from the bed, stood erect, his hands outstretched hungrily for the fellow’s throat.