The Old Tobacco Shop Part 19

The party walked along the edge of the water, and came to the end wall of the chamber, opposite the fall. There lay the wreck of the raft, with the tail of the great fish sticking out from beneath.

"I fear," said the Sly Old Codger, "that the faithful creature has departed this life."

"He's dead as a doornail," said Toby.

"Poor thing," said Aunt Amanda. "Anyway, my orders is to explore this cavern, and see what we can find."

At this end of the cavern the water was slipping away under the wall, and this outlet explained why the water inside remained so shallow. The party commented on it, and then walked along the side wall towards the other end where the fall was. When they were midway along this wall, a cry from Toby, who had left Aunt Amanda to the care of Mr. Punch, startled the others.

"What's this?" he cried. "Look here!"

He was stooping over something, and as the others gathered round, they saw that he was stooping over a pile of small square boxes, standing in several long rows along the wall.

Mr. Hanlon lifted one of the boxes, with a great effort, and shook it. A jingling sound came from within.

"Aha!" said the Sly Old Fox. "That beautiful music! It is the sound, dear friends, the sound of--of Money!"

"Bless my soul!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Is it?"

"My opinion is," said the Churchwarden, "that there is gold in that box."

"Then open it!" said Aunt Amanda.

Mr. Hanlon shook his head. The box was locked tight, and it was bound with iron bands. All the boxes were locked, and they were all bound with iron bands.

"Come along this way," said Toby. "There's something more here."

Further along the wall, leaning against it, was a row of large coffee-sacks, each bound around the mouth by strong twine. One of these sacks Mr. Hanlon quickly opened. He tilted it over and poured out its contents on the ground. The party of onlookers gasped with astonishment.

From the mouth of the bag fell pearl necklaces; diamond rings; ruby rings; emerald rings; all kinds of rings; gold bracelets and chains; silver forks and spoons; gold toothpicks; gold cups; silver vases; and a great variety of other things of the same sort.

It was a moment or two before anyone spoke. Then the Churchwarden said, "It's my opinion that this is pirates' treasure."

"Mercy on us!" said Aunt Amanda. "And they may be in here on us any minute!"

Mr. Hanlon opened others of the bags. Each was filled with rare and costly articles of gold, silver, and precious stones.

"Do you think it's really pirates?" said Freddie, in an awed whisper.

"Not a doubt of it!" said Toby, in a voice much lower than before. "Look at this!"

He pointed to a placard on the wall above the sacks. The light was almost too dim for reading, but the writing on the placard was very large, and Toby, by standing on one of the bags, was able to make it out. He read it aloud.

"Beware! Hands Off! Whoever Shall Touch it He Shall Die by the Hand of Lingo!

With a Knife in the Throat! Long Live King James and the Jolly Roger!"

"There a skull and cross-bones under it," said Toby. "Pirates, as sure as you're born."

"We'd better be getting away from here," said Aunt Amanda.

"Better not speak so loud," said Toby. "How are we to----?"

"S-sh!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, in a frightened whisper. "Excuse me--look--I saw something under the water-fall. What's that?"

"Stand close back against the wall," whispered Toby, "and don't speak a word."

They crowded back against the wall, alongside of the treasure, and looked towards the water-fall.

A dark object was rising from the shallow water at the foot of the fall.

As they watched, another dark object appeared to come through from under the fall and apparently from behind it; and this object rose also from the shallow water near the foot of the fall, and took its place beside the other. One after another, five more of these dark objects came from under the fall and apparently from behind it, and stood upright in the shallow water.

There were now seven in all. They moved in a group towards the sh.o.r.e.

Each of them had two legs, and each was m.u.f.fled from top to toe in a single loose garment with baggy legs; they walked somewhat like a company of bears. They stood on the dry ground, and one of them proceeded to take off the loose garment with which he was m.u.f.fled, while the others a.s.sisted him with evident deference.

First came off a close hood which covered his head, cheeks, and neck. As the watchers by the wall saw his head, they held their breath in terror, and Aunt Amanda clutched Freddie's arm. Around the head was a tight-fitting kerchief, knotted behind; in his ears were great round ear-rings; and gripped between his teeth was a long pointed knife.

Aunt Amanda gave a sign as if she was about to scream, but Toby quickly put his hand over her mouth.

As the man with the ear-rings got himself out of the legs of his loose garment, the party by the wall saw that he was a short and burly man, of a ferocious aspect. In a sash which he wore was stuck on one side a cutla.s.s, and on the other a long pistol. He wore no coat, and his shirt was open at the throat. His arms showed from the elbows down, and they were thick with muscles. His trousers were knee breeches, buckled just below the knee, and he was very bow-legged; his calves were big and knotted.

When his outer covering had been removed, it was plain that he was perfectly dry from head to foot, except for water on his face and hands; and while the others were taking off their coverings, he withdrew with one hand the knife from between his teeth, and with the other hand wiped the water from his eyes and face. He then stuck the knife in his sash, waved his hands somewhat daintily in the air as if to dry them, took from his breeches pocket a large white handkerchief, completed with this handkerchief the drying of his face and hands, examined his finger-nails carefully, blew on them, and proceeded to polish them delicately with his pocket-handkerchief, at the same time swearing two dreadful oaths, in a low tone of voice, at the six men who were struggling with their coverings. When these had been removed, the six appeared in much the same style of dress as the first, and each bore a cutla.s.s and a pistol; but their clothing was much ruder than his, and they had no ear-rings; instead of sashes they wore leather belts.

"Kerchoo!" rang out a sneeze as sharp as a pistol-shot, from the party by the wall.

"Dear me," said the Sly Old Codger, out loud, "I do believe I'm catching cold."

At the sudden discharge of the sneeze, the seven men jumped as if they had in fact been shot. Each one s.n.a.t.c.hed out his cutla.s.s with his right hand and his pistol with his left, and faced in the direction of the sneeze.

"Confound your cold," whispered Toby fiercely to the Sly Old Codger, "now we're done for."

The seven men with their cutla.s.ses and pistols, with the ear-ringed man in the lead, tiptoed stealthily in the direction of the sneeze.

As they came closer to the party who were crouched against the wall, Aunt Amanda slipped down quietly to the ground at Toby's feet. The captain of the expedition had fainted.

CHAPTER XVI

CAPTAIN LINGO AND A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK

The man with the ear-rings muttered something in a fierce undertone to his six followers. They spread out behind him in a wide line. With a stealthy step they came forward noiselessly. The party by the wall held their breath in terror. Nearer and nearer came the seven men, still in perfect silence. They reached the cowering company by the wall, leveled their pistols at their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, held up their cutla.s.ses ready to strike, and looked at their leader for the command to kill.

At this moment the man with the ear-rings observed the form of Aunt Amanda on the ground. He stooped down and examined her, and stood up again. Then he eyed the company of travellers with a hard cold eye, and spoke deliberately and in a low voice. His manner of speech was somewhat stilted and precise, and scarcely what might have been expected of a pirate.

"The ceremony," said he, "will be deferred for the moment. I commend you meanwhile to perfect quietness; one movement, and the consequences may be fatal. A hint is sufficient. I perceive here a lady in distress. 'Tis a monstrous pity, indeed. I regret that we were unaware of the presence of a lady; had we known, we should certainly have taken our measures more fittingly. I crave your pardon. No one has yet accused Captain Lingo of rudeness to a lady. Ketch, put up thy cutla.s.s and go straightway to the pool and wet this pocket-handkerchief. Be brisk, thou muddle-pated son of a sea-cook! Haste!"

The man called Ketch jumped as though he had been stung, and took from Captain Lingo's hand a fine white cambric handkerchief which the captain had produced from his breeches pocket, and running to the water moistened it and returned in great haste.