The Go Ahead Boys and the Treasure Cave Part 38

"I am serious and I'm just as anxious to solve this as you are. You don't mind if I get a little fun out of it though, do you?"

"Got the letters, Grant?" demanded Fred of the owner of the secret, who was busily engaged in more calculations. His eyes were half shut and he did a great deal of counting on his fingers.

"Ssh," hissed George softly, but no one noticed him.

"All right," said Grant suddenly. "Put _r_ in place of eighteen and _t_ in place of twenty."

"I've got your system," exclaimed John all at once. "I had an idea before and now I'm quite sure of it."

"What is it, String?" inquired George eagerly.

"I won't tell you. Wait and see if I'm right."

"I thought you said you were."

"I think I am."

"Don't tell him, String, if you know," urged Grant.

"I won't; don't worry about that. Isn't it simple?"

"Just like you," muttered George, but no one heeded him.

"Go ahead, Fred," said Grant. "Write it out again."

When Fred had complied the code had the following appearance,--

t-1-11-e-1-3-15-21-r-19-e-4-21-e-n-15-4-t-h-15-n-e-h-21-n-4-r-e-4-6- e-e-t-6-r-15-13-t-h-e-19-15-21-t-h-e-r-n-e-24-t-r-e-13-9-t-25-15-6- 19-h-1-r-11-r-15-3-11-t-h-e-n-e-1-19-t-6-9-6-t-25-6-e-e-t-1-n-4-n- 15-r-t-h-2-25-e-1-19-t-t-h-9-r-t-25-t-h-r-e-e-4-9-7.

"Well, you've got more letters in it than you had anyway," exclaimed George, "and right down at the end there it spells the word _three_. Grant, I believe you may be on the right track after all."

"Yes, sir, we'll all be rich soon," exclaimed John. "Just think of us going home with great bags of gold and jewels slung over each shoulder."

"Say!" cried Sam, his eyes sparkling and his ivory teeth showing in a dazzling smile. "Wouldn't dat be great?"

"See any ships coming to rescue us?" said John. "Who wants to be rescued anyway? We're going to find the gold; we're going to find the gold!" and he danced joyously around, waving his arms about his head while he chanted over and over again the same refrain, "We're going to find the gold; we're going to find the gold!"

"I'm afraid you're a little previous, String," laughed Grant, looking up from the code which he had been studying intently. "We haven't got it yet, you know."

"But we shall," insisted John joyously. "We'll find it all right."

"Let's keep at it," exclaimed Fred. "That's the best way I know to accomplish anything. Talking about it doesn't do much good."

"Give him a couple more letters then, Grant," exclaimed George.

"Let me give him one," said John. "See if I can guess right."

"All right," said Grant, "you try it this time and see if you know the trick."

"Give me two," said Fred. "We worked two at a time before and we ought to be able to do it again."

"What numbers do you want letters for?" inquired John.

"Let me see," mused Fred. "How about eleven and fifteen?"

"Just a second now," and John began to calculate and count on his fingers just as Grant had done.

"Another fakir," whispered George, but as usual no one paid the slightest attention to him. Every one was intent upon the code and too much interested in it to be diverted by anything else.

"Put _k_ in place of eleven, and _o_ in place of fifteen,"

said John after he had apparently satisfied himself as to the correctness of his calculations. "Is that correct, Grant?"

"Absolutely," said Grant. "You know the system all right."

"You might tell us," exclaimed George enviously.

"Keep quiet, Pop, and watch me," ordered Fred, and once more he rewrote the code while his companions watched him eagerly. This is what he wrote:

t-1-k-e-1-3-o-21-r-19-e-4-21-e-n-o-r-t-h-o-n-e-h-21-n-4-r-e-4-6-e-e-t- 6-r-o-13-t-h-e-19-o-31-t-h-e-r-n-e-24-t-r-e-13-t-25-o-6-19-h-1-r-k-r- o-e-k-t-h-e-n-e-1-19-t-6-9-6-t-25-6-e-e-t-1-n-4-n-o-r-t-h-2-25-e-1-19- t-t-h-9-r-t-25-t-h-r-e-e-4-9-7.

"You're getting rid of the numbers fast enough anyway," exclaimed George. "It looks like Greek to me though."

"Maybe it's written in some foreign language," suggested Fred. "Wouldn't that be awful?"

"Perhaps it's Finnish," said George. "We got it from a Finn."

"Dey's always ha'd luck," exclaimed Sam soberly. "Ef some Finn done wrote dat we don't stan' no chance ob eber findin' de treasah."

"You mean it will be our finish, is that it?" laughed George.

"Ah wouldn't be at all s'prised," said Sam solemnly.

"What makes you think it's not written in English?" demanded Grant.

"Well, just look along there in the middle," said George. "It says r-k-r-o, and then k-t-h-e-n-e. Did you ever hear of any words that sounded like that?"

"No, but towards the end it spells two words distinctly," protested Grant, "Just see there, n-o-r-t-h, and t-h-r-e-e. Certainly they spell _north_ and _three_, don't they?"

"They do," admitted George. "That's what puzzles me. Part of it seems to be all right and part wrong. Are you sure your system is right?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting surer all the time. How about you, String?"

"I agree with you, Grant. We'll have it all in a minute."

"Maybe it's written in two languages," said Fred. "Sometimes they do a thing like that, you know, to make it all the harder."

"You're a cheerful soul," exclaimed Grant grimly. "If it's written in two languages we'll be about as badly off as we were before."