Chapter XV: The Black Box

Past the ghostly figures the three girls made their way, nervous shivers running up and down their spines in spite of the fact that they knew these figures would not harm them.

As they threw the rays from their lights on the rear wall of the room, Jo Ann suddenly halted. “This wall’s different from the others,” she announced. “It looks as if it’s made of stone panels.”

“It certainly does,” agreed Florence.

Eagerly Jo Ann began examining one of the panels, testing it to see if it would move. Following her example, Peggy and Florence began trying to move the ones nearest them. Each panel, they discovered, had a slight depression carved in the top, which served as a fingerhold.

After they had worked for several minutes without success, Peggy said disgustedly, “Let’s stop this foolishness and get out of this awful room. These panels look like vaults or tombs—like the ones we saw in that old St. Roch’s Cemetery in New Orleans. I’ve seen enough spooks and family skeletons to do me for ages.” She tugged at Jo Ann’s arm impatiently.

Almost simultaneously Jo Ann exclaimed, “Oh, I’ve found a panel that moves! Shine your light this way, Peg, while Florence helps me to shove it up.”

Together Jo Ann and Florence pushed vigorously on the panel.

“Fine! It’s moving!” ejaculated Jo Ann finally. “Once more, Florence—hard, now!”

Peggy threw the rays from her flashlight directly into the narrow crack now appearing below the stone. “Oh, I see something—something white! Push the stone up a little higher, can’t you?” Turning suddenly to Florence, she ordered, “You hold the light and let me push. I’m stronger than you.”

In a few more moments there was a loud grating sound as the stone moved, and the crack below widened several inches.

“There’s something in there, all right,” agreed Florence. “If you promise not to let that stone drop on my hand, I’ll reach in and get it. Can you hold it?”

“Let’s get a better hold first!” cried Jo Ann. “My hand’s slipping. Now, are you ready, Peg?”

“Okay.”

Quickly Florence reached through the crack. “Feels like a box!” she exclaimed excitedly. “But I can’t get it out. There’s a roll of paper or something, too.”

“We’ll push a little harder,” said Jo Ann. “Push, Peg—with all your might. Now—can you—get hold—of them?”

“I’ve got them!” Florence’s voice was triumphant. “Hold it just another second so I can see if there’s anything else.” She flashed the light into the opening again.

“Hurry!” cut in Peggy. “We can’t—hold this thing—much longer. It weighs a ton.”

“I can’t see anything else,” Florence said a moment later. “Let it go.”

With sighs of relief Jo Ann and Peggy let the slab drop into place.

“Whew—that stone was heavy!” gasped Peggy. She glanced disappointedly at the small black box and roll of paper which Florence held in her hand. “And all that hard work for nothing but a little insignificant-looking box and a piece of paper! I told you these were nothing but grave vaults. Let’s get out of this cemetery.”

After one last glance around the room Jo Ann followed Peggy and Florence to the door.

“I’m glad the door’s not stuck this time,” she remarked as she pulled it shut.

As she turned to join the girls Florence called, “Look right down this passage, Jo. There’s another cave-in.”

Flashing her light in that direction, Jo Ann exclaimed, “You’re right—that is a cave-in. There’ve been steps there, too. This must’ve been the passage leading up into the church. It looks as if the whole side of the building has fallen down.”

“I know where we are, then,” Florence put in. “We’re right under that section of the church that’s partly in ruins. That’s the reason no one’s been down here in years and years.”

Now that her curiosity was satisfied about the passage to the church, Jo Ann turned to Florence. “You still have the box and the paper you took out of that vault, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but they don’t look at all interesting or valuable.”

With one glance at the dull black box Jo Ann reached out and took the roll of papers from Florence.

“Oh dear,” she sighed a moment later, “they’re all in Spanish, of course. This is the queerest writing—all fancy flourishes and curly-cues. I can’t make anything out of it, can you, Florence?”

Florence looked down at the papers a moment, then shook her head. “All that I can make out of it is that it’s some kind of old record.”

“Let me have a look at the box, then. Maybe it’ll explain something.”

As Florence handed it to Jo Ann she remarked, “If you can find out anything from this old black box, you’re a good one.”

“I thoroughly agree with you. It doesn’t look at all interesting.” Jo Ann turned the box from side to side. “It’s unusually heavy, though, for such a small box.” She shook it vigorously. “Listen! There’s something inside that makes a little rattling noise.”

“It can’t be anything much—not in that small box,” commented Peggy.

“I wish we could open it,” said Jo Ann, studying the box while Florence held the light. “It must have a secret spring—there’s no sign of a keyhole.”

“A secret spring!” Peggy’s interest was instantly aroused. “Let me see it, will you?”

When Peggy reached out to take the box, its weight took her by surprise, and she let it slip out of her hands and fall crashing to the floor.

Dropping down on their knees, Jo Ann and Peggy reached for the box at the same time.

“O—oh!” gasped Jo Ann, her voice quivering with excitement.

“O—oh!” echoed Peggy.

“What is it?” Florence asked quickly as she leaned over their shoulders.

Spellbound the three girls gazed before them. The insignificant black box lay on its side, wide open, part of its contents spilled out on the floor. There was the gleam of old gold and the brilliant sparkle and flash of fire. All the colors of the rainbow seemed reflected in that circle of light.

“How perfectly magnificent!” ejaculated Peggy in an awed voice.

“Wonderful! An old jewel case!” exclaimed Jo Ann, entranced by the beauty before her.

“Gorgeous!” added Florence.

One by one, as though afraid of touching them, the girls picked up the jewels from the floor. Rings set with precious stones—diamonds, rubies, sapphires, opals gorgeous as the sunset—necklaces, earrings, and chains of gold. Queer, antique-looking, all of them.

“Isn’t this the loveliest thing you ever laid your eyes on!” cried Peggy, holding up a filigree necklace of such delicate workmanship that it resembled a piece of fine old lace.

“It’s exquisite,” agreed Florence.

“And look at this ring—isn’t it the most beautiful one you ever saw?” Jo Ann held up a ring that had one large exquisite opal circled by tiny diamonds. “I love opals. The opal’s my birthstone. When my ship comes in—if it ever does—I’ll try to buy me a ring just like this.”

“It is lovely. They all are—the diamonds, rubies, all of them,” added Florence. “They must be very valuable. I wonder why they were hidden here. Oh!” she cried suddenly, an expression of horror passing over her face. “These belong to the church. We can’t take them—that’d be stealing. We must put them right back where we found them this minute.”

“Not I,” said Peggy emphatically.

“What would be the sense of leaving these things hidden for another century or more?” put in Jo Ann quickly.

“I don’t know, but I still feel that we’ll be stealing if we take them,” insisted Florence.

“I know what we’d better do!” exclaimed Jo Ann as a sudden solution of the problem occurred to her. “We can take them to Señor Rodriguez and let him dispose of them in the proper legal manner. Don’t you think that would be best?”

“Yes—perhaps so,” slowly agreed Florence. “He ought to know what would be right.”

While Florence and Jo Ann had been arguing about what to do with the pieces of jewelry, Peggy was putting them back in the black box.

“I can’t get all these things back in this box,” she sighed finally. “How in the world did they ever get so much in such a small box?”

“Wait! Don’t close it. We might not be able to get it open again.” Jo Ann reached over and took the box. “Let me tie this string around it so nothing’ll spill out.”

In a few minutes the box was securely tied. Holding it tightly, Jo Ann hastened back to the entrance to the tunnel, the other girls following closely.