Chapter XXXII: The Departure

In the shortest possible space of time the entire situation was changed.

Captain Mansfield was accompanied by half-a-dozen men, all fully armed, and they at once proceeded to help the little party out of the shaft, Andy being the first who was sent to the surface.

The old darky revived before he was fairly drawn up, and the fact that he was no longer in any danger caused him to forget his injuries in the joyful knowledge.

“How did you get here so soon?” Jenkins asked, after the captain had welcomed the boys.

“We fell in with a trading schooner, and came directly back, for somehow I had an idea that you might be in trouble. But where are the rest of the party?”

Gil told in the fewest words possible of what had happened, and showed the diamonds in proof, Jenkins adding to the story:

“They’re hangin’ ’round here somewhere, an’ all I ask is the chance to have it out with them before we leave.”

“You shall have the opportunity, if we fall in with them; but I don’t propose to stay here any longer than is absolutely necessary. After you have had something to eat we’ll go on board the schooner, and read the remainder of the story.”

Gil insisted on releasing the prisoners before starting for the beach, and the poor wretches manifested the greatest surprise at being allowed to go free when they had fully expected to be killed. They stopped not on the order of their going; but rushed through the tunnel regardless of the smoke, and a few seconds later their outcries told that they had fallen into the underground chamber for the second time.

“Let them alone,” Jenkins said, with a laugh. “I’ll guarantee they manage to get out after we leave, an’ it won’t do ’em any harm to flounder ’round a little while.”

Captain Mansfield was in too much of a hurry to allow the rescued party to linger very long near the scene of their misadventures; but hurried them away after the broken casket had been brought from the shaft, much to the delight of Andy, who said, gleefully, as he clutched firmly the mysterious “something” beneath his shirt:

“De cham hab done gone worked hissef out at las’ jes’ as I knowed it would; but dem debbils don’ ketch dis yere nigger ergin, kase I’se gwine ter stick mighty clus to de vessel arter dis.”

What a relief it was to find themselves in a stanch boat, manned by a full crew, and heading for a trim-looking schooner. It seemed to the boys as if the sky had never been so blue, the water so sparkling, nor the air so balmy as on this day while they were being rowed to the vessel Captain Mansfield had chartered.

Then how good the water tasted. At another time they might have found fault with the flavor; but now it seemed simply delicious, and the boys devoured the hard ship’s biscuit as if they were the lightest and sweetest of Andy’s productions.

When the little party had refreshed themselves, and were able to realize that they had really been saved from a horrible death, Captain Mansfield said, as he took the manuscript from the shattered casket:

“I will see if there is anything here which should be attended to before we leave, and if not, the schooner shall be gotten under way at once.”

“You promised to give me a chance at them thieves,” Jenkins said, quickly.

“You shall have it, never fear, providing the business can be settled before dark.”

Then the captain turned his attention to the manuscript, and read, in a low tone, after glancing over that portion which has already been given:

“The stones, together with as much money as I have been able to
secrete, will remain in this subterranean chamber in case anything
should happen to me, and I have no fear the blacks will betray the
whereabouts of the hiding-place, since they are only too eager to
invest every portion of the island with mystery.

“Whether this story will ever be read I know not; but, in case it is
found, I implore whoever peruses it to cause search to be made for my
family. The gold and plate will be sufficient to pay all necessary
expenses, and I pray the diamonds may be given to my wife, together
with the accompanying memoranda of the property I own in or near the
capital.”

That completed the story. There was no name signed to it, neither were there any hints as to how the members of his family might be found; but Captain Mansfield said, as he assured himself there was nothing more connected with the unfortunate man’s history in the casket:

“If his wife or children are yet alive, we should be able to trace them by giving the outlines of this story to the different newspapers.”

“And we shall have no treasure after finding one,” Gil added, mournfully.

“It should be sufficient to pay you for all the labor and pain, that you will be able to relieve the wants of those who own the jewels, providing they are in distress. It is now quite important those sailors should be overhauled, for they must have carried away a reasonably large amount of gold, which must be recovered.”

“Shall I go ashore, sir?” Jenkins asked.

“Yes; but come back as soon as possible, for we want to sail while this wind holds.”

Neither the boys nor Andy cared to accompany the mate; but he had quite a large following in the crew of the schooner, all of whom were eager to join in the search.

It had been expected Jenkins would be absent a long while; but, to the surprise of all, he returned in less than an hour, bringing two packages in baskets of grass.

“Did you find the men?” Gil cried, impatient to learn the news, and not willing to wait until the boat came alongside.

“We found where they had been. The screams you heard last night while the blacks were coming through the tunnel, were their death cries.”

“Have they been killed?” Nelse asked, in tones of horror.

“We discovered their bodies not a hundred yards from the mouth of the shaft, and in the thicket near by was the stuff they had stolen.”

By this time the boat was alongside, and Jenkins passed over the rail the remainder of the treasure, consisting of silver plate and gold coin of considerable value.

“Did you meet any of the blacks?” Captain Mansfield asked.

“No, sir. I wanted to have one more brush with ’em; but you spoke about bein’ in a hurry, so I thought it wouldn’t pay.”

“And you did quite right. Swing the boat inboard, boys, and we will be off.”

Half-an-hour later the island looked to Gil and Nelse like nothing more than a small cloud on the surface of the water, and the venturesome cruise was really at an end, for before the sun rose again the schooner arrived at a Cuban port from which a freight steamer was on the eve of sailing for New York.

The journey home was decidedly uneventful after the many stirring adventures through which Gil and Nelse had passed, and it is well to bid them adieu as they greet the loved ones once more.

To-day, if they are reading this story, imperfectly told though it is, they will be able to verify all which is here set down, and can add for the information of those who may be interested, that the _Day Dream_ is afloat. Not the one which was sunk off Pearl Point; but a new and even more speedy yacht, and she is commanded, as may be imagined, by Job Jenkins, while the captain of the galley is the same Andrew Jackson Washington Storts, who wore the mysterious charm which the boys were so eager to see, and which he still cherishes as something of the utmost value and power.

Was the real owner of the treasure ever found?

Indeed she was, and never was money more needed than by the unhappy man’s wife, who was in deepest distress when she chanced to see the advertisements Captain Mansfield had caused to be inserted in the daily papers.

The value of the diamonds was sufficient to place her beyond want, in a pecuniary sense, and both Gil and Nelse are more proud of the gold watches presented by the old lady in token of her gratitude, than they could possibly have been, if the venturesome cruise had ended with the discovery of the buccaneers’ treasure.

* * * * *

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Lt. James K. Orton was a pen name for James Otis Kaler.

Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are mentioned.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.