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diff --git a/46582-8.txt b/46582-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ec271de..0000000 --- a/46582-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8348 +0,0 @@ - CLUTTERBUCK'S TREASURE - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Clutterbuck's Treasure -Author: Fred Whishaw -Release Date: August 13, 2014 [EBook #46582] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLUTTERBUCK'S TREASURE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - - -[Illustration: "INSTANTLY A THIRD SHOT WHIZZED PAST OUR SANCTUARY." -(See page 42.)] - - - - - [Illustration: Title page] - - - - CLUTTERBUCK'S - TREASURE - - - BY - - FRED WHISHAW - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - 1910 - - - - - *CONTENTS* - -Chap. - - I. A Cowardly Attack - II. The Old Miser - III. The Great Prize is offered - IV. I enter for the Race - V. Treachery! - VI. Rats in a Trap - VII. Ghosts - VIII. Neck and Neck for the First Lap - IX. More Treachery - X. A Serious Check - XI. Stalking a Man - XII. Scotching a Snake - XIII. An Unexpected Tragedy - XIV. A Glimpse of the Winning-Post - XV. Eureka! - XVI. "All that glitters is not Gold!" - XVII. Lost! - XVIII. How we buried ourselves alive for the Love of Science - XIX. A Night with a Lion - XX. Our Trusty Nigger to the Rescue - XXI. The Bad Elephant - XXII. I am mourned for Dead - XXIII. A Rude Awakening - XXIV. Strong sprints and gains a Lap - XXV. Lapped, but still in the Race - XXVI. How we prospected for Coal - XXVII. Eldorado or--Hogland - XXVIII. What the Elder did with Strong - XXIX. Much Digging - XXX. I take a Strong Lead in the Race - XXXI. The Elder makes a good Bargain, and Michail a poor one - XXXII. We receive a Terrible Shock - XXXIII. How Strong escaped from Prison - XXXIV. Exit Strong - XXXV. More Checks - XXXVI. We find an Old Friend - XXXVII. Mr. Strong makes an Effective Reappearance -XXXVIII. Arrested - XXXIX. Digging again - XL. Jack proves Himself a Genius - XLI. The Excitement becomes intense - XLII. All over but-- - XLIII. --the Shouting - - - - - *CLUTTERBUCK'S TREASURE* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *A COWARDLY ATTACK* - - -When my father died and left me unexpectedly penniless, all those kind -friends whom I consulted upon my obvious failure to find anything to do -were quite agreed as to this fact: that when a young man is desirous of -finding employment in this world, and of making his way and keeping his -head up among his fellows, his failure to do so, if he does fail, must -certainly be his own fault. He lacks, they said, either energy or -perseverance or pluck, or all three; in a word, he wants "grit." - -Therefore the reader will kindly understand this about me as a -standpoint: that since I failed miserably to find employment befitting a -young person of my position, at a time when it was necessary to find -employment or go to the wall, I must--by all the rules of the -probabilities--not only have gone to the wall, but also be deficient in -all those qualities which are most dear to the British intelligence, -namely--pluck, perseverance, and so forth. - -And yet I did not go to the wall. On the contrary, I am, though still a -young man, in an exceedingly comfortable position; while as for the -British virtues which I am supposed to lack, I do not think--though I -will not boast--that the reader will hesitate to acquit me of the charge -of wanting every quality that goes to make an average Englishman, when -he shall have read the curious tale I have to unfold. - -My father's death, followed by the unexpected revelation of his -insolvency, was a terrible blow to me. I had been educated without -regard to expense. At Winchester I had plenty of pocket-money, and was, -for this reason--and because I was a good athlete and but a moderate -scholar--a popular character. At New College, Oxford, during the one -year I spent there, I was in a set whose ideas centred rather upon the -pleasures of life than upon its duties and responsibilities. - -I still had plenty of money, and undoubtedly the last thing in the world -that would have been likely to trouble my head at this time was any -reflection as to where the funds came from. My father, as I believed, -was a rich man, a member of the Stock Exchange, and having the disposal, -as I had always understood, of practically unlimited supplies of money. - -Then came the telegram from home announcing disaster, and at a moment's -notice I found myself fatherless, penniless, and as good as hopeless -too; for at my age, and with my inexperience, I was utterly at a loss to -know what to do or how to set about to find some means of supporting -myself. - -My father's business, it appeared, had suddenly and completely -collapsed. He had "got himself cornered," as I was informed, though I -did not understand the term, and had lost every farthing that he -possessed and more. The shock of it all had proved fatal to my poor -parent, and he had succumbed suddenly--a broken heart, as I heard -someone say; but I fancy my father's heart had always been a weak point -in his economy, and the collapse in his fortunes doubtless gave to it -the finishing touch. - -So then, at the age of nineteen, I found myself master of my own -fortunes, which certainly looked very like _mis_fortunes; and in that -stress of circumstances it was that I applied to my friends for advice, -and received from each the assurance that if I possessed those British -qualities to which reference has been made I should certainly find -something to do; and that if I failed to "get on" I might rest assured -that I had no one to thank but myself. Nevertheless, I found nothing to -do. There could be no talk of any of the learned professions; I was too -old for Sandhurst, even if I could have passed the examination; the navy -was, of course, out of the question. - -My ideas wildly wandered from professional football or cricket to -enlistment in the line, and from that to life in the bush, or digging -for hidden wealth in the soil of Rhodesia or of Klondyke, but the -expense of the outfit and journey rendered this latter project -impossible. There remained ultimately two resources from which to -choose: enlistment or desk-work at a London office, which I believed I -could obtain without difficulty if I should be reduced to so unpalatable -an alternative. - -But office life, I felt, would be worse than purgatory to me. The very -idea of confinement and the lack of plenty of fresh air and exercise was -intolerable, and I ultimately resolved that I would take the Queen's -shilling, and submit to barrack discipline and all the indignities of -existence among my social inferiors rather than bind myself for ever to -the misery of the city. Indeed, I had quite made up my mind to journey -to Trafalgar Square, in order to interview one of the recruiting -sergeants generally to be found at the north-eastern corner of that -favourite rendezvous, when something happened to set my ideas flowing in -a new channel. - -My father's house, in our days of prosperity, had been one of those fine -mansions overlooking Streatham Common; and though I had left the -dismally stripped and dismantled place as soon as the miserable -formalities of funeral and sale were over, I had taken a cheap lodging -in Lower Streatham, because in the chaos of my ideas and plans it -appeared to me that I might as well stay in the neighbourhood of my old -home as anywhere else, until the fifty pounds still remaining to my -credit at my Oxford bankers had gone the way of all cash, or until I -should have made up my bewildered mind as to where, in all this wide and -pitiless world, I should go for a living. - -I had practically determined, as I say, to enlist, and was walking one -warm summer evening along the green lane which runs from Thornton Heath -to Lower Streatham, deep in somewhat melancholy reflection upon the step -I was about to take, when a noise of scuffling and bad language -distracted my thoughts from the contemplation of to-morrow's -barrack-yard trials, and brought them up with a run to the consideration -of the present instant. I suppose the noise that they were themselves -making prevented the four persons taking part in the scrimmage, which I -now suddenly saw, from observing my approach, for they continued to -tussle and to wrangle on their side of the hedge, while I watched them -for a moment from mine, desiring, if possible, to discover what the -quarrel was about and on which side the right lay, if either. - -Then I soon perceived that the fight was an iniquitous and unequal one, -for three younger men had set upon one elderly person and were obviously -engaged in attempting to relieve him of his money and valuables, an -attempt which the old gentleman made gallant but naturally futile -efforts to frustrate, hitting out right valiantly with his umbrella, but -doing far more violence to the Queen's English than to the heads and -persons of his assailants, upon whom the blows of his feeble weapon -produced little effect. - -I need scarcely say that, having ascertained what was passing, I did not -waste time in making up my mind as to which side should receive the -favour of my support, and in far less time than it takes to write the -words, I had burst through the hedge and rushed to the assistance of the -swearing and furious old gentleman. - -At my appearance one of the fellows bolted like a hare across the field -towards Norbury, and I saw no more of him. Now, I had paid some little -attention to the study of self-defence while at Oxford, and though the -remaining two rascals stood up to me for a moment, I soon placed my -right fist in so convincing a manner upon the tip of the nose of one -that he went down like a nine-pin and lay where he fell, while the -other, after feinting and dodging and ducking for a few seconds as I -squared up to him with the intention, if necessary, of treating him like -his fellow, suddenly turned, darted through the hedge, and was away down -the lane towards Thornton Heath in the twinkling of an eye, I following. - -Away we went at hundred-yards' speed, he leading by about ten paces, and -for about fifty yards it was anybody's race. Then I began to gain, and, -seeing this, the fellow threw something down and ran on; he careered for -another half hundred paces and then ridded himself of something else; -and I, fearing, if I continued the pursuit, to lose my chance of -recovering the old man's property--which, I rightly conjectured, was -what the fellow had relieved himself of--stopped to pick it up while I -could. I thus allowed my friend to escape, which was, of course, what -he most desired at the moment, even more than the possession of the -pocket-book and the gold watch which I soon found in the road and -recovered. - -Then I returned to the spot where I had left my fallen foe and the old -gentleman whose property had been the original cause of disagreement -between the contending parties. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *THE OLD MISER* - - -I found my ally beating the prostrate enemy with his umbrella, and still -using language which would have been unseemly in any person, and sounded -doubly shocking in the mouth of an old man. - -"Come," I said, "you needn't swear, sir; and I wouldn't continue to -whack a man who is down, if I were you." - -"Kill him! kill him--the cowardly rascal! Kick him on the head and kill -him!" shrieked the infuriated old gentleman; "they have robbed me -between them, and I'll have his life for it! I'm a poor man, and -they've taken my all; kick him in the head, if you're a man, and kill -him!" - -I could not help laughing. "It's because I'm a man that I shall do -nothing of the kind," I said. "Stop dabbing at him with your umbrella -and attend to business; here's your property--take it." I presented him -with his pocket-book and watch as I spoke, and never did I behold so -complete a metamorphosis in the expression of a man's face as now passed -over his. He seized his property with both hands and hugged it to his -breast. He beamed and chuckled over it, mumbling inarticulate words of -delight as he fondly drew forth a bundle of notes and counted them. - -It struck me that here was a considerable sum of money for a poor man to -carry about with him; for though he jealously hid from me the figures -that would have revealed the value of the notes, I was able to observe -that there were at least fifteen or twenty of these, which, even -supposing them to have been mere "rivers," would represent a decidedly -respectable sum. The old fellow observed me watching him. - -"Private papers, private papers!" he muttered; "letters from my dead -wife that I would not lose for their weight in diamonds!" - -"You old humbug!" I thought; "if ever you had a wife you starved her, -I'll bet." - -But the condition of our prostrate enemy began to give me some anxiety, -and I was obliged to transfer my attention from the old miser to him. He -lay groaning and snoring, his eyes shut, and his nose still bleeding a -little. Suddenly he opened his eyes slightly and looked at the old man -and at me. He scowled as he saw me, but his lips muttered "Water!" - -"Go and fetch the man some water--you, sir," I said; "you can finish -counting your notes afterwards. I would go, but I dare not leave him -with you." - -"Water for the rogue that robbed me? Not I," said the old fellow; "let -him lie and rot first!" - -"Then I will go," I said, for positively the rogue looked like expiring, -and I was really anxious for him. If he were actually as bad as he -looked there was not much danger in leaving him. I knew of a duck-pond -near a farmhouse close by, and towards this I proceeded at my best -speed, for the fellow must not be allowed to die--rascal though he -undoubtedly was. - -The rascal, it appeared, had no intention of dying, however, just at -present; for when I returned with water from the duck-pond, he had -departed, and departed--as I gathered--in company with the old -gentleman's pocket-book, for its owner sat on the grass evidently dazed, -nursing a portion of the _porte-monnaie_, for which, I suppose, he had -made a good fight, if the jagged and torn appearance of the remnant was -any indication of a struggle. - -I could see our friend careering down the lane, some distance away, -towards Thornton Heath, well out of reach of pursuit, and I was -straining my eyes after him in hopes of marking him down somewhere, when -the old miser behind me suddenly interrupted my reflections by bursting -anew into a paroxysm of abuse and bad language, which threw even his -previous excursions into the shade. - -Whether I or the thief, or both of us, were the objects of his frenzy -was not very apparent, for his vituperations were incoherent and -inarticulate; but I gathered presently that I was at least in part -responsible for the disaster, for he inquired, with many added flowers -of speech, why I had been so foolish as to go for water and leave him -with a cold-blooded ruffian who had robbed a poor old man of his entire -fortune. - -I was sorry for the unfortunate victim to my ill-judged humanity, and -did my best to soothe him. - -"You must stop the notes at once," I said; "and as for the fellow -himself, why, we'll describe him to the police and identify him in no -time; we shall get your money back, never fear." - -"It's a lie!" he shrieked; "I am ruined! I shall never see a penny of -it; you and your accomplices will fatten upon the old man's savings. -Curse you all! I wish you were dead!" - -"Thank you," I said; "if that's the case I shall wish you good afternoon -and depart, or my accomplices will levant with my share of the spoil." -I started to go in the direction of Streatham. The old fellow came to -his senses at once. - -"Stop a minute!" he cried; "I don't mean that. Stop and help me to -recover my money." - -"What, from my own accomplices?" said I. He took no notice. - -"Help me to recover my money," he continued, "and to bring that rogue to -the gallows, and--and you won't be sorry for it!" - -"It isn't a hanging matter," I said; "but I am ready to help you if you -talk like a sensible man. How much has the fellow taken?" - -This was an unfortunate remark, for it instantly plunged the old man -into renewed paroxysms of rage and woe. I therefore did not pursue my -inquiries, but led my friend slowly towards Streatham, he spluttering -and muttering his maledictions, I patiently awaiting the dawn of reason. -I inquired, however, presently, whether he knew the numbers of his -stolen notes, and as my companion inquired, in response, whether I took -him for a fool, I concluded that he did possess this information. - -The old man grew calmer after a while, and I accompanied him first to -the police station, and afterwards to the telegraph office, where he -wrote and despatched a wire to the manager of the Bank of England. The -clerk read out his message as we stood at the counter, and I was -astonished and rather shocked to learn that my new friend's loss, -according to his list of notes, amounted to something very near three -hundred pounds. - -During the next few days my acquaintance with the strange old man -ripened considerably; for together we were called upon by the police -authorities to attend, at least once _per diem_, at the Streatham police -station, in order to identify the culprit among a large assortment of -suspicious characters brought up daily for our inspection. I think it -was on the fifth or sixth day after the robbery that our pilgrimages to -the police station were at last crowned with success, and we had the -pleasure of seeing once again the unmistakable features of the rogue we -were in search of, and afterwards of getting him condemned by a -magistrate to a period of enforced virtue and innocence. We were, -moreover, successful in recovering a portion of the stolen property, -though not all of it--a circumstance which greatly pleased me, for I -honestly believed that the lost three hundred pounds represented the -whole of my old friend's worldly possessions, as he had led me to -understand, and I had been grieved to think of the poor old fellow's -sudden misfortune and ruin through the guile of a fellow-creature. - -Mr. Clutterbuck, which was the old miser's name, lived in a small villa -in Lower Streatham--a dingy, dull-looking house situated in the midst of -a moderate garden surrounded by a high brick wall. So far as could be -seen, there was no way of entering the abode excepting by a small door -in the wall leading up through the square garden to the house; and -though I several times, during that week of attendance at the police -station and the police court, accompanied the old man home, he never -once invited me within doors; neither did he ever express to me one word -of thanks for the services I had rendered him in connection with the -loss he had sustained and the recovery of a good portion of his -property. - -Meanwhile, however, this affair had delayed my enlistment for more than -a week, and during that period I received an invitation from a college -friend in the country to pay him a visit at his house in -Gloucestershire; an invitation which I gladly accepted, thanking my -lucky stars that some good, at least, had thus come of my strange -encounter with the eccentric old miser, Clutterbuck. - -Assuredly, when I parted from him for the last time, after the -completion of the business which had brought us daily together for a -week or near it, I never supposed that any other good could possibly -proceed from the acquaintance, or from the delay in my "career" which -the affair had occasioned. After my visit to Gloucestershire I should -return to London and enlist without further delay; and as for old -Clutterbuck, I had neither expectation nor desire ever to behold his -face or hear his name again. For how could I know that-- - -As a matter of fact I never did see the old man again. I went to -Gloucestershire and forgot him, or at all events forgot to think of him, -until--nearly a month after--I received a letter which brought him -suddenly and very forcibly to remembrance--a letter which was destined -to lead to a complete "general post" of all my ideas and plans in life, -driving from my mind all thoughts of enlistment and office drudgery and -everything else of the kind; a letter which told of the miser's end and -gave me hope of a new beginning, and which proved, after I had learned -its full significance, that even misers may remember benefits conferred, -and show a sense of gratitude for which they do not, as a rule, obtain -much credit. - -I read the letter, first, with my heart all a-flutter with excitement; -but presently my agitation cooled down, for, I reflected, even though I -should have been chosen as the old man's heir, or part-heir, what could -the old fellow have to leave? - -"Don't be a sanguine fool, man!" I said to myself. "There isn't much in -the business." - -Which showed that, though good at games, I was no better prophet than I -was scholar! - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *THE GREAT PRIZE IS OFFERED* - - -The letter, so far as I can remember the wording of it, read something -like this-- - - -"DEAR SIR,"--(it ran)--"By desire of the late Mr. William Clutterbuck I -have to invite you to be present at his burial, on Friday next, in the -churchyard of St. Mary's, Norbury, and also at the subsequent reading of -my late client's will on the same afternoon at Aston Villa, Lower -Streatham." - - -The signature was that of some lawyer. - -"By George! Peter, old chap," said my college chum, to whom I handed -the letter after reading it, "you're in for a legacy, you lucky old -rascal! Who is it?--an uncle? You won't have to enlist after all!" - -"Uncle?" I repeated; "no! I haven't such a thing in the world; and as -for legacy--there may be a fiver or so in it, but nothing more. It's an -old fellow who carried all his fortune in a pocket-book and got it -stolen;" and I told Henderson the whole story of my futile attempt to -defend old Clutterbuck's property in Green Lane a month ago. - -Henderson was immensely interested. - -"Don't you make any mistake; that pocket-book never contained his entire -fortune," he said. "The old boy was a miser on the face of him, any fool -could see that; he may have got a hundred thousand hidden in a cellar, -half eaten by the rats, and all left to you. Why, man, I have heard of -huge fortunes left to fellows for far less." - -And Henderson proceeded to tell me of how a man he had read or heard of -was left fifty thousand for letting an old lady look over his hymnbook -in church; and how another fellow got as much again for paying an old -gentleman's omnibus fare when the conductor refused to give him change -and threatened to be disagreeable; and many other choice examples of a -similar character. - -But I was firmly convinced that there was nothing romantic forthcoming -as the result of my acquaintance with old Clutterbuck, at least nothing -more romantic than a five- or ten-pound note, and I took the train to -Paddington with the sense that the journey was an unmitigated nuisance, -since it was unlikely to lead to anything seriously interesting, while -it cut short an extremely pleasant visit in a circle of society from -which I should perforce be excluded before long in my capacity of plain -Tommy Atkins, the recipient of the Queen's shilling and wearer of the -uniform of the humblest of her servants militant. - -Steggins, the lawyer, was, however, decorously polite when I made my -appearance at Aston Villa. There were three or four other persons -present, expectant legatees like myself, I concluded; so that the -contents of dead Mr. Clutterbuck's pocket-book were to be divided among -five, at least, of us. There was nothing in the business--I was certain -of it; I had been a fool to leave my comfortable quarters in the country -upon such an errand; would that I had stayed! - -Mr. Clutterbuck had died, I was told, of heart disease. He had never -quite recovered the shock of the assault in Green Lane, and it was -believed that he had encountered one of his assailants on the day of his -death and recognised him, and that the excitement of the _rencontre_ had -proved fatal. My fellow-legatees were, it appeared, relatives of the -deceased, and one and all of these looked askance at me as an -interloper, several of them inquiring of Steggins, in my hearing, what I -had had to do with the testator, and what claim I possessed upon the -property. - -Mr. Steggins replied that he believed I had performed some service to -the deceased for which the testator was grateful. - -"What's the figure, Steggins, old man?" asked one. "How does the old -boy cut up?" - -"That's what we are about to learn," said the man of law. - -We did learn it a few minutes later; and a very remarkable lesson it -was! - -I suppose that Mr. Clutterbuck's testamentary dispositions were just -about as surprising and unexpected as such dispositions can well be, -unless indeed they had emanated from an absolute lunatic, and this Mr. -Clutterbuck certainly was not. We who were present as expectant -legatees were taken aback, one and all, and when I use this expression -about my own feelings I am choosing an exceedingly mild one. - -As a matter of fact, I was, to use a more serviceable word, -"flabbergasted." For me alone of those present the large amount of -money which the testator had to dispose of was an absolute surprise. I -learned afterwards that all the rest were well aware that their relative -had been possessed of considerable wealth, though perhaps none of them -may have realised the real extent of his hoarded riches. At all events -no one could possibly have guessed how the eccentric old man intended to -dispose of his money. So that in this matter the surprise of the rest -was as great as my own. - -"The will, gentlemen," said Mr. Steggins, preparing to read that -document, "is very short, very clear as to its dispositions, though not -worded in the customary legal phraseology" (I could not help laughing at -the _non sequitur_ involved in this explanation), "and exceedingly -eccentric. It begins with the words, 'The Prize to the Swift,' which -sentence heads the document as a kind of text, and it continues as -follows:-- - -"'I wish to preface my testamentary dispositions with the remark that my -personal estate amounts, at the time of writing, to exactly ninety-seven -thousand eight hundred and ninety-two pounds three shillings and -sixpence, free of legacy duty. The accumulation of this sum of money has -occasioned me much hard labour, much thought, much disappointment, many -dangers, much travel by land and sea. I have no intention that my heir -should acquire that which has been gained by the sweat of my brow -without corresponding labour and suffering on his own part.' - -"That is the opening paragraph of the will itself," said Mr. Steggins; -"this is how it proceeds:-- - -"'I have therefore decided that, as I have indicated in the initial -sentence of this my will, the prize shall go to the swift. Let me -explain my meaning. Those of my possible heirs who have known me long -are aware that I have devoted considerable time during recent years to -foreign travel. During one of my latest journeys I took the opportunity -to bury a box containing treasure at a place indicated in the map of -Bechuanaland which I have sketched. - -"'I now bequeath to him who first succeeds in reaching that spot, and in -finding the treasure, the entire fortune which I possess, and which I -estimate to be the equivalent of the sum quoted above. Those whom I -have authorised by name to compete in this race for wealth are advised -that many qualities of mind and body will be called into requisition by -the winner: such as energy, perseverance, pluck, judgment, acuteness. -Without the determination to employ each and all of these qualities, it -would be useless to undertake the search which must be the toilsome -preliminary to enjoyment of my wealth. - -"'The competitors who shall alone be legally competent to inherit from -me are the following:-- - -"'William John Clutterbuck, nephew. - -"'James Strong, nephew. - -"'Charles Strong, nephew. - -"'John Ellis, cousin. - -"'Godfrey Bernard Hewetson, of 13 Enderby Terrace, Streatham, to whom I -am indebted for a service rendered.'" - -(This last name is my own.) - -"'If none of these five persons shall have succeeded within three years -of my death in finding the buried treasure, my lawyer, Mr. Steggins, -shall have power to seek new instructions within the sealed letter which -has been entrusted to him for that purpose. - -"'Each competitor, as above enumerated, shall receive, immediately after -the reading of this my will, one-fifth share of any money found upon my -person or within my house at the time of my decease. To save trouble, I -may add that any such money will be found within my pocket-book; there -is none anywhere besides the notes and change therein contained. The -house and garden will, of course, remain the property of the successful -discoverer of the rest of my estate.' - -"The will ends there," said Steggins; "but there is a postscript which I -may read out, though it has no actual bearing upon the matter in hand:-- - -"'I should like to add' (writes the testator) 'that, since none of my -relatives have ever shown me the slightest affection, or paid me any -attention which was not obviously interested, I should be glad if the -last-named among the competitors--Mr. Godfrey Bernard Hewetson, who has, -at least on one occasion, done me a very signal service--should prove -himself, as I fancy he is as likely as any to do, the successful -competitor. My relatives are, so far as I know them, but poor specimens -of humanity, and little likely to carry away the prize in a competition -requiring such qualities as energy and courage. I have authorised them -to compete, however, as a matter of family duty. Possibly the desire -for gain may transform one or all of them into animated human beings.'" - -The faces of those surrounding the table at which Steggins had sat and -read this remarkable document were black enough when he had finished. -One or two men swore audibly. Every one of them scowled at me, as -though I were in some way to blame for the eccentric dispositions, which -had evidently disappointed them. - -As for me, I was so dumbfounded by the stupefying thoughts and -considerations to which the recital of Mr. Clutterbuck's dispositions -had given rise, that I think I must have made a poor show as I sat and -blushed and helplessly blinked my eyes, while the others burst into a -torrent of angry conversation. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *I ENTER FOR THE RACE* - - -"Do you consider, Mr. Steggins," said one, "that any British jury would -regard the precious document you have just read as the work of a sane -man?" - -"Certainly," replied Steggins; "I don't see how any British jury could -help themselves. It is surely proper that you gentlemen, his only -relatives, should have been accorded equal chances of becoming his heirs -with this other gentleman, in whose favour his sympathies had been -gained." - -"That is not the point," said another--one of the Strongs, I think; "the -question is, What right has this Mr. Hewetson to benefit, and whether -undue influence can be proved?" - -"Very doubtful indeed, I should say," said Steggins. "I happen to know -that, beyond the fact that Mr. Hewetson saved the life of Mr. -Clutterbuck, as the deceased firmly believed, and afterwards assisted -him in the recovery of certain bank-notes of which he had been robbed, -the testator had no acquaintance whatever with this gentleman; his act -is one of disinterested gratitude." - -"How do we know that this person is not in possession of private -information which will enable him to discover the treasure while we are -helplessly searching for it all over Africa?" asked another of the -amiable nephews. The question aroused me from my stupor, and from this -moment I was myself again. - -"To suggest such a thing is an insult to the deceased," said Steggins -gravely; "and as for searching all Africa, the little map which you hold -in your hand, together with the footnotes explaining it, affords a -precise guide to the spot, within an acre or so, in which the treasure -is declared to lie buried." - -"As to that," I broke in hotly, "allow me to add my assurance that I -know no more about this matter than has been read aloud by Mr. Steggins. -I have no information whatever beyond that which the map and -explanations convey. If any gentleman present still feels doubt as to -my _bonā fides_, I shall be grateful if he will kindly mention it." No -one spoke. "As a matter of fact," I continued, "I shall probably take -no part in the search for this problematical treasure. I shall consider -the question, but I shall perhaps decide to remain at home." - -I did not say this because the idea of a journey to South Africa was in -any way distasteful to me. On the contrary, nothing, I felt, could -possibly be more congenial than such a trip, especially when combined -with the delightful excitement of a search for hidden treasure. - -The fact was that I did not see my way to undertaking the journey, for -the best of reasons. My last fifty pounds were all but spent already; my -one-fifth share of the old gentleman's petty cash could not well amount -to more than thirty pounds (it was actually twenty-eight pounds four -shillings and twopence). How should I equip myself for the enterprise, -or pay my passage to the Cape and the expenses of the trip up-country -afterwards? - -My fellow-heirs did not, however, set much faith in my assertion, so I -gathered from their looks, though none of them replied in any way to my -remark. This galled me again, and I added that I intended to consider -the question thoroughly before finally deciding. I should not, I said, -surrender my rights if I could help it! - -Before leaving the room, I took the precaution to interrogate Mr. -Steggins as to certain matters: whether, firstly, Mr. Clutterbuck had -actually been in possession of the large sums of money he claimed to -dispose of; and whether, secondly, my own legal position, supposing that -I should be fortunate enough to find the treasure, would be -unassailable; whether, in two words, there was any treasure to find, and -whether the "finder" would be recognised by the law as the "keeper." - -Steggins assured me that he knew for a positive fact that a very few -years ago Mr. Clutterbuck had undoubtedly possessed at least as large a -fortune as that named in the will, and that it was extremely unlikely -that he should have spent all or any large portion of it in the interim. -My position would certainly be unassailable. It might be argued that -the journey to South Africa for the purpose of burying his fortune in -order that his heirs might not succeed to it without personal trouble -was the act of an eccentric; but the desire to test the perseverance and -energy of his heirs was sane enough, and the device--if clumsy--was not -an insane one. Mr. Clutterbuck had disliked his nephews, Steggins -explained, and had often declared that he would "make the lazy young -rogues sweat a bit before they touched his money." The will had been -made out before the event which introduced myself to his notice, and my -name had been added. - -"Mr. Clutterbuck often expressed the wish," concluded Steggins, "during -the last week or two of his life, that you should be the successful one, -and disappoint these nephews of his, upon whom, as I say, he did not -waste much affection." - -And no wonder, thought I, for a more disagreeable-looking set of fellows -than the three nephews I do not think I ever saw. The cousin was an -elderly man, and was a person of a different stamp from the rest, two at -least of whom obviously belonged to that class of society of whom it is -often remarked that one would not care to meet them alone in a dark -lane. - -Steggins's remarks were rather encouraging, and I began seriously to -regret that my funds--or, rather, my lack of them--was likely to prove a -stumbling-block to success, or even to any attempt on my part to take a -hand in the extremely "sporting" game which dead Mr. Clutterbuck -proposed to us. The more I thought over it the more I deplored the -poverty which not only stood in the way of my winning this tantalising -race, but which actually made it impossible for me to find the -preliminary entrance fee! And such a prize at stake--oh, why had I not -a few hundred pounds! Truly my luck was abominable! - - -I returned the same night to Henderson's place in Gloucestershire, and -talked the matter over with my college chum. - -To my surprise and great pleasure Henderson, who was a year senior to me -at Oxford and had just taken his degree, received my news with -extraordinary excitement and delight. Not only did he instantly insist -upon my "entering for the race," as he called it, but he insisted also -upon constituting himself my "backer" and trainer, and announced his -intention of coming with me to see fair play. - -Henderson had no reason whatever to mind the expense of journey and -equipment. I should pay him back my share, he laughingly declared, out -of the treasure when we found it! He had nothing in the world to detain -him in England at present. On the contrary, he longed for a big travel -before settling down to country life as a Gloucestershire squire. This -business was simply a godsend for both of us! - -Needless to say, I was easily persuaded that it was even as Jack -Henderson declared, and that he really desired to accompany me and to -take the risk of my being able to repay him some day for his outlay on -my behalf. As a matter of fact, I am quite as certain that Jack really -wished to go (he was always a sporting character, was Jack Henderson) as -I am that he cared no more whether I ever repaid him my expenses than he -reflected whether these should amount to one hundred pounds or two -thousand. - -Actually they came to a good deal, because Jack Henderson insisted upon -doing everything in the best style. We should enjoy a bit of sporting, -he said, after I had found the cash; and therefore we provided ourselves -with heavy rifles for big game, small ones for antelope, shot guns, -revolvers, knives, ammunition enough of every kind to stock a fortress, -and every luxury and convenience that the up-country sportsman in Africa -can possibly expect to require. - -What is more, in spite of all the purchases and preparations we made, we -were on board ship within forty-eight hours of my return to -Gloucestershire, fortified with the knowledge that none of my -fellow-competitors could, at all events, have stolen a march upon me in -this, the first move of the campaign; for the _Chepstow Castle_, the -fine steamer in which we had secured berths, was the first vessel that -had left any London dock for the Cape since the day on which Steggins -read out the will and metaphorically fired the pistol which started us -five competitors upon our race. - -I had secured a flying start at anyrate. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *TREACHERY!* - - -For several days I was under the impression that, for some reason or -other, the rest of Mr. Clutterbuck's potential heirs had left me to -"walk over." Probably, I thought, they intended to allow me to find the -treasure unchallenged, and would contest the will and my right to -inherit after I should have saved them the trouble of unearthing the -money. This, I felt, was foolish of them, because my position, -according to Steggins, was unassailable. It could easily be proved that -I had not, and could not possibly have, exerted any undue influence upon -the old man. They might contest as much as they pleased, but no British -jury would listen to their nonsense, and I should remain in blessed -possession! I should, moreover, have all the fun of this "big travel," -as Henderson called it, and the excitement of the treasure hunt thrown -in! Poor-spirited creatures these nephews of old Clutterbuck; the old -man had not been a bit too hard upon them in the postscript to his will! - -But about the fifth day out I was almost sure that I caught sight of one -of my rivals--the man called James Strong, who had made certain -unpleasant innuendoes as to my good faith after the reading of the will. -The fellow stood, half hidden, behind a donkey-engine on the deck used -by second-class passengers, well wrapped to the chin in a waterproof or -some kind of long cloak. I suppose I must have betrayed the fact that I -had recognised, or half recognised, him, though I did my best to conceal -it; for the next time that I came in sight of the spot which he had -occupied he had disappeared, and I did not see him again. - -Anxious to discover whether the fellow really had been James Strong, or -merely some second-class passenger whose appearance bore an accidental -resemblance to that individual, I made friends with the steward of the -second-class mess, and begged from him a sight of the list of passengers -under his charge; but in his list there was no person bearing the name I -sought, neither was there a Clutterbuck nor an Ellis. - -"They may be on board under assumed names!" suggested Jack Henderson, -but I scouted the idea. - -"Why should they?" I said. "They would gain nothing by that sort of -game, for we should be sure to see them at landing, if not before; and, -besides, what if we didn't see them?" - -"Why, then we should conclude that we had the hunt to ourselves, don't -you understand," explained Jack, "and that would suit them very well." - -"Why so?" continued dense I. - -"Because in that case we would not hurry up-country, but allow them to -get a start of us and have first dig for the treasure." - -"That's true, by George!" I assented reflectively; "you are a sharper -customer than I thought, Jack!" and from this moment until we reached -the Canaries, where we were delayed a couple of days on account of -something going wrong with our screw, I kept a very sharp lookout for my -co-heirs among both second-class and steerage passengers. - -Once I was almost certain that I saw both James Strong and his brother; -and once, too, I thought I recognised the other nephew, Clutterbuck; but -in each case I was unable to determine the matter with certainty, -because the suspected individual disappeared as soon as observed. - -Under the circumstances, both Henderson and I thought that it would be -wise to waste no time at all at Cape Town. We would buy horses and -spades, and be off without delay, taking the train as far as it would -carry us in the required direction, and acting generally as though my -suspicions as to the identity of the second-class passengers were -actually verified. - -But all our good intentions to frustrate the guile of those who thought -to get the better of us by superior cunning were nipped in the bud by an -unforeseen and very unfortunate occurrence. - -Our propeller went wrong, and it was found necessary to put into port at -the Canary Islands in order to repair the damage, which the captain -hoped would be effected in a day, but which actually occupied two days. -A strong south-east wind happened to be blowing, and this rendered the -harbour at Las Palmas unsafe; we were therefore obliged to lie in the -protected waterway between the islands Graciosa and Lanzarote, a very -fine anchorage of one mile in width, the former of these islands being -uninhabited (excepting by seagulls and other fowl), while Lanzarote can -boast of a small population. - -Jack Henderson and I, together with many of the other passengers, landed -on the second day to stretch our legs, some visiting Lanzarote, while we -and a few others chose Graciosa. Captain Eversley impressed upon all -who went ashore that it was absolutely necessary to be on board by seven -in the evening, as at that hour the _Chepstow Castle_ must sail, whether -all were aboard or not. Since we had not the slightest intention of -remaining ashore so long as this, however, we allowed the captain's -warning to be adopted and digested by those to whose intended -proceedings it might be applicable. As for ourselves, we started with -our shot guns for a walk along the rocky beach. - -It was a fine day, and the walk was pleasant enough after the protracted -confinement aboard ship, and Jack and I felt buoyant and happy as we -trudged along the sand and shingle at the foot of some fine cliffs that -frowned down upon us from the shore side, banging our guns off at every -winged creature that would give us a chance at anything like shooting -distance, and laughing and singing after the fashion of schoolboys let -loose. The head steward had provided us with sandwiches, and these we -consumed as we lay sprawling in the sunshine on the sand, having walked -and scrambled a mile or two over very rough "going," and intending after -lunch and a rest to turn and go back to our ship. - -We had heard a few shots now and again from the top of the cliff, and -had agreed that the same idea must have occurred to others of the -passengers besides ourselves--namely, to employ some of their spare time -and work off some of their energy in banging at the sea-birds that -circled and flitted about the rocks in hundreds; but beyond -congratulating ourselves upon the fact that we were well below the line -of fire, and not likely to be hit by a stray shot, we had not paid much -attention to the cannonading of our neighbours. I believe I had fallen -asleep. It was warm, sleepy weather, and the sand couch we lay upon, -with our backs to a rock, was very comfortable. Suddenly Jack seized my -arm and shook me. - -"Good Heavens, Godfrey!" he said, "look out, old man; did you hear that -last shot? It was ball, I'm certain, and the bullet struck this -rock--there's the mark, see! Somebody had a shot at us. Slip behind, -quick!" - -Wide awake now, I slipped behind the rock in a moment, Jack doing the -same; and we were only just in time, it appeared, for at the same -instant a second shot was fired and a splinter flew from the rock close -to the spot which we had occupied. - -"Shout out at them that there are people here!" I said. "They must be -firing at a mark!" - -"Firing at a grandmother!" laughed Jack; "_we_ were the mark, man. Wait -a bit, look here, I'll show you!" - -Jack adopted an old device: he took his cap, and placing it at the end -of the muzzle of his gun, held it up over the top of the rock behind -which we cowered, as though someone had popped out his head to look -abroad. Instantly a third shot whizzed past our sanctuary. - -"There," said Henderson; "that's James Strong, or his brother, or the -other rascal!" - -"Oh, impossible!" I said. "No fellow could be so base as to attempt to -murder us in cold blood. Besides, we are not even certain whether they -were on board." - -"Well, you may take it from this moment that they _were_!" said Jack, -laughing; "they have sent in their cards. Now let's think what's best -to be done. We can't go back along the sands because we shall be within -shot pretty nearly all the way. We must make a bolt for the cliff, get -under its shelter, and either storm their position or hide there until -they are gone." - -"What! and miss the steamer?" I said, "we can't afford to do that, -Jack!" - -"Can we better afford to get ourselves knocked down like cocoanuts at a -fair?" asked Henderson pertinently. "We shall have to make a bolt for -the cliffs; when there we'll try to climb the rocks so stealthily that -we surprise the enemy and fall upon him unawares." - -This seemed the only feasible course, under the circumstances, and we -decided to take it. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *RATS IN A TRAP* - - -It is not the pleasantest thing in the world to be obliged to bolt like -a rabbit across the open, even for twenty yards or so, under a hot fire. - -"We must hope they are poor shots!" said Jack, smiling grimly. "If they -couldn't hit us lying quietly on the sand they are not likely to bowl us -over running." - -"Count the shots they fire," I said; "then we shall know how many of -them are in it." - -"Now," whispered Jack, "we'll draw their fire with the cap once more; -and the instant you hear the shot run for all you're worth to the base -of the cliff. Do you understand?" - -I nodded my head. I was horribly frightened, I confess. I do not think -I am a coward when I can hit back if assailed, but I always lose heart -when helpless. To cut and run for other fellows to shoot at you is, to -a reflective mind, one of the most unpleasant things a man can be called -upon to do. - -However, there was nothing else to be done. Jack held up the cap; two -shots were fired at it, and away we ran. - -Three more reports rang out as we raced across the open, and, to my -horror and despair, Jack fell. All my terror vanished at the sight, and -only rage remained. I seized Jack's feet with an exclamation--it may -have been an oath and it may have been a prayer--and dragged him along -on his back in a manner which must have been dreadfully trying to a -wounded man. One more shot was fired, but it flew over our heads; I -heard the whistle of it distinctly. I deposited my burden at the foot -of the cliffs,--the whole affair did not last four seconds,--and to my -astonishment and intense relief the victim rose to his feet and laughed -consumedly, though not noisily. - -"I'm awfully sorry I frightened you, old man," he said, "but it was part -of the game; I only invented it on the spot, or I would have warned -you." - -"Aren't you wounded?" I gasped. - -"Not a bit of it!" said Jack. "I shammed on purpose. I'm hoping -they'll come down now they imagine there's only one to deal with. If -they do, there'll be 'ructions'!" - -I cordially agreed with Jack on this point. I would not mind all three -nephews, and would gladly throw in the cousin as well, at close quarters -and in equal fight. Any fool can frighten me if he shoots at me from an -ambush. - -But though we waited in silence for some little while the enemy made no -sign, and we came to the conclusion that the risk of being seen and -recognised weighed more with them than the desire to wipe me off the -face of the earth at any hazard. - -"They've got to deny all knowledge of this little affair when we meet on -board ship, you see," explained Jack. - -"But they are sure to have another shot at us before they leave us," I -rejoined. "Even if we creep along under the lee of the cliffs they'll -find some place where they can sight us, confound them!" I looked up -and around uncomfortably. I hated the position. - -"We won't let them 'draw a bead' on us if we can help it," said Jack. -"What say you to creeping quietly along for half a mile, and then trying -to scale the cliffs? I'd give something to surprise the rogues, and -have a shy at them at close quarters as they come along!" - -This very distinctly met my views, and we started at once, creeping over -rocks, springing quickly over level stretches of sand, wading here and -there,--getting rapidly over the ground one way or another,--and all so -close to the steep cliffs that unless a man lay on his waistcoat at the -top and looked over the edge he could not have seen us. But we came to -no place where the rocks looked climbable or anything like it; and we -reached, instead, a spot where the sea had advanced to the foot of the -rocks, and was breaking against them at a depth of a few inches. - -"By George! how the tide has come up!" said Jack, looking serious; "we -must dash through this, and hope that it will be all right beyond." - -But though we plunged and waded for a couple of hundred yards beyond the -corner, we found that the water became deeper rather than shallower, and -that unless we returned at once we should have to swim back to the dry -beach. There was no disguising the fact--we were cut off by the tide! - -I am afraid we both used strong language when, after wading back to the -beach, we realised what this misfortune meant for us. It meant, of -course, that in all probability we should be left behind by the -_Chepstow Castle_, for it was now past five o'clock, and likely enough -the tide was still coming in. It was too excruciatingly cruel for -anything excepting naughty words, and we must be forgiven if one or two -of these slipped out in a moment of bitter disappointment. - -There was, however, no actual danger in our position. As we could see -by the mark of high water on the cliffs, we should not, in any case, get -much more than a foot-bath if we remained where we now stood. That was -a comfort, so far as it went, and something to be thankful for. But to -think that those rascals--the Strongs, and the rest of them--would gain -a week's start in the race for Bechuanaland! It was too bitter to speak -of, and for the first hour or two we dared not trust ourselves to -mention the grievance, lest the fires that smouldered within should -burst forth and consume us. - -We employed our time in making frantic efforts to scale the cliffs, and -we succeeded in getting ourselves, each in turn, into positions of -unique and unparalleled peril, out of which each had to be rescued by -the other; but as for climbing the cliff, we never reached anywhere -within hail of the top, and if we had persevered from that day to this -we should never have succeeded in attaining thereunto. - -Sorrowfully we came to the conclusion, at last, that there was nothing -for it but to wait for the fall of the tide with all the patience and -philosophic calm we could command; and these, I fear, were qualities -which no known instrument could measure, for there was scarcely a -microscopical trace of either in the pair of us. - -At seven o'clock by my watch, punctually, we heard the booming signal of -the _Chepstow Castle_, and we knew what that meant only too well. It -meant that the steamer was leaving the anchorage, having on board my -rival competitors, as well as our rifles and ammunition and revolvers, -and everything we possessed, and that for a week or so after reaching -Cape Town these men would be adding every hour and every minute to the -odds against me in the race for old Clutterbuck's treasure. - -"We shall meet them coming home with the money-box," said I presently, -following the train of my own thoughts, "about half-way to Vryburg; and -we can't well scrag them at sight, for we have no absolute evidence that -it was they who shot at us." - -"If we had," Jack assented, "we could relieve them of the money-box, and -all would be well. However, they may not have found it by the time we -reach the spot. We don't stand to win, I confess, but we won't quit the -field till we are beaten hopelessly out of it." - -"We shall have to keep our eyes open in the veldt as we go," I said, -"for evidently the fellows are not particular." - -"They wouldn't dare murder us there," rejoined Jack. "There was not -much risk here, you see. Oh, what wouldn't I give to have the rascals -just exactly here now, where my fist reaches!" - -I agreed that this would be sweetly consoling. One might spend a quarter -of an hour, I said, very happily in pummelling Messrs. Strong and -Clutterbuck; but obviously there were few things less likely than that -we should see either or any of them again this side of Vryburg, so that -there was not much use in hoping for it. - -It was nine in the evening before we found ourselves able to return to -the spot at which we had landed, and when we reached it we learned from -an Englishman who was about to return in his boat to Las Palmas, whence -he had come during the day on sport intent, that we were too late. - -The _Chepstow Castle_ had sailed, as Captain Eversley had declared he -would, at seven o'clock. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *GHOSTS* - - -Our new friend professed the utmost sympathy when we somewhat -shamefacedly explained that we had been caught by the tide, and -concealed a smile; but he proved a good fellow by offering to put us up -for a few nights until the arrival of the next steamer going Capewards, -an offer which we gladly and gratefully accepted. This good fellow -informed us that he had seen the last boatful of passengers taken on -board at about six o'clock or half-past, and in reply to my inquiry -added that the last to arrive had been a party of three with guns; they -had a few seagulls with them, he said, and had declared that no one else -remained on shore so far as they were aware. - -"And when are we likely to get on from here?" asked Jack; to which our -host replied that it might be a fortnight and might be a week, and -possibly a steamer might arrive this very night. There was a cargo -steamer overdue now that was to touch here on her way south. - -In the morning there was a joyful surprise awaiting us; for when we -awoke and looked out upon the bright waters of the Las Palmas harbour, -there--black and ugly in the morning sunshine, but of all sights the -most beautiful in our eyes to-day--floated a big English cargo-steamer, -already busily engaged in discharging that portion of her cargo which -had been consigned to Las Palmas. Needless to say, we lost no time in -going on board, and as little in settling with the captain to take us on -to Cape Town, for a consideration. We would have paid ten times the -price with pleasure if he had asked it. - -The _Panther_, our new vessel, was to sail by sunset that very evening, -so that--by a happy turn of Fortune's wheel--we should, after all, have -waited but twenty-four hours in this place. The _Panther_ would travel -considerably slower than the _Chepstow Castle_, however, so that we must -still lose another day or two in time before Cape Town should be -reached; but, under the circumstances, things might have been so very -much worse that we were inclined to be perfectly contented for the -moment, though we suffered many an hour of mental torture before -arriving at the great southern city. - -For the trusty ship _Panther_ bore us at a uniform rate of about twelve -knots per hour, and we realised as we neared Cape Town that the -_Chepstow Castle_ must be several days ahead of us: we had hoped and -expected to travel faster than this. Nevertheless the unforeseen -occasionally happens, and a pleasant surprise was in store for us on our -arrival; for when Jack and I sought out the local offices of the company -to which the last-named steamer belonged, in order to claim our goods -and be off northwards as quickly as possible, we were informed, to our -huge delight, that the _Chepstow Castle_ had not yet arrived. She had -had trouble with her propeller, the clerk informed us, and had been -delayed, first at Las Palmas and afterwards at Walfisch Bay. - -Then that clerk nearly had a fit, because Jack and I manifested the -wildest delight and roared with laughter; I am not sure that we did not -execute a step or two of an improvised skirt dance. The clerk smilingly -observed presently that if we were in hopes that somebody we expected in -the _Chepstow Castle_ was going down to the bottom, or anything of that -sort, it was his duty to disappoint us, because the steamer was all -right and perfectly safe, and would arrive this evening. - -"Oh no," said Jack very heartlessly; "our rich uncles and aunts are not -on board!" - -"I thought they must be," said the clerk, "as you seemed so pleased to -hear of the ship's accident." He eyed us as though doubts as to our -sanity had begun to dawn in his mind. - -"Why, man," said Jack, "we are passengers ourselves--that's the joke of -it!" - -"Passengers on board what ship?" asked the clerk. - -"The _Chepstow Castle_" exclaimed Jack. - -Then the doubts as to our sanity which had dawned in that clerk's mind -ripened into certainty, and he began to look about for a safe place; he -also grasped his ruler in case of emergency, resolved, no doubt, to sell -his life dearly. - -"We got out at Las Palmas," I explained. I made the remark in -sympathetic sorrow for that clerk's agony of mind. But my explanation -did not reassure him much. - -"You can't be in two places at once," he said. "If you got out at Las -Palmas, you are there still. Besides, if you got out you surely knew -enough to get in again?" - -"We'd have got in again if we could," I said, "but we missed the boat -and had to come on by the _Panther_, which arrived this morning. Here -are our tickets--they will prove that we started by the _Chepstow -Castle_." - -The clerk examined our tickets and wiped his forehead; then he looked us -over, laughed almost as loud as we did, and said it was rather funny -that we should have turned up first after all. If he had known what a -poor joke it was for some others on board the _Chepstow Castle_, I -daresay he would have laughed still more. As it was, he entered so -heartily into the spirit of the thing that he obtained permission for us -to board the steamer in the company's tug so soon as the ship should -arrive in sight, a permission which we were right glad to have, because -we were somewhat anxious as to our property on board, in case certain -persons should have found means during our absence to possess themselves -of that which was not theirs. - -There was also another reason for our desire to go on board in the -darkness and unexpected. We desired to do a little spiritualism in real -life, and to appear before our friends the Strongs in the morning as -though we had never left the ship. - -"Nothing like playing the ghost for getting at the truth of things," -said Jack, as we left the office. "We shall see by the rascals' faces, -when they catch sight of us, whether it was really they who fired the -shots at us!" - -That shipping clerk was of the greatest service to us in another way, -for he gave us much excellent advice as to how best to proceed in our -journey up-country, what natives to engage, how many oxen to purchase, -and the best kind of waggon, together with a quantity of other useful -information as to roads and the chances of sport to be obtained. It was -dusk by the time the _Chepstow Castle_ arrived in the offing, and we -boarded her during the dinner-hour, when of passengers there were none -on deck. Captain Eversley was on duty, however, and our ghostly -reappearance began propitiously with that cordial officer, who first -stared at us in a bewildered manner and afterwards burst into laughter. - -"Well, you are nice sort of young fellows," he said; "you ought to be -still vegetating at the Grand Canary if you had your deserts! What -became of you?--lose yourselves?" - -"Caught by tide," Jack explained, "and brought on by a freighter." - -"Come for your things, I suppose?" said the captain. "All right; I had -them removed from your cabin because two second-class passengers asked -to be allowed to pay the difference and come in when there was room. -The steward has your property. They're all at dinner below; you'd -better join them--they'll take you for ghosts." - -"Who are the fellows in our cabin?" I inquired. - -"Brothers, I believe, called Smith," said Eversley. "They have a friend -among the second-classers; they have not been popular among the -state-room people. We have wished you back more than once." - -We thanked the captain and retired, as he had suggested, below. Here -our sudden appearance caused first a dead silence of amazement, followed -by the uproar of a dozen or two tongues speaking at once; and then, to -add to the dramatic interest of the situation, one of the passengers -rose from his seat at the lower end of the table as though to leave the -room, uttered a kind of groan, and fainted. I saw him and recognised -him in a moment--it was Charles Strong. His brother, seated beside him, -quickly dragged his unconscious relative away. - -A word or two of explanation soon convinced our late fellow-travellers -that we were not ghosts, and in order to reassure them more fully as to -our substantiality we both sat down and made a remarkably good dinner. -I am sorry to say that it was the unanimous opinion of all present that, -had we been still looking out for a sail at Las Palmas instead of -comfortably dining almost within the harbour of Cape Town, we should -have had nothing but our own foolishness to thank for it. - -As for the Strongs, or Smiths, no one had a good word to say for them. -They never spoke, we were told, at meals, and they spent all their time -conspiring and whispering together over maps and papers on the -second-class deck, where they had a fellow-mystery. They were set down -by universal consent as miners or gold-diggers who had received a "tip" -as to some rich spot, which they intended to find and exploit. -Universal consent had not made such a very bad guess, as it turned out. - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *NECK AND NECK FOR THE FIRST LAP* - - -When we went to claim our property afterwards from the steward's -pantry--which we did in some anxiety, seeing who our successors in the -cabin had been (for we naturally concluded that the Strongs would not -have paid money for the pleasure of occupying our berths unless they had -had designs upon something we might have left there), we missed my small -handbag. - -"Were these new fellows in the cabin before our things were removed?" we -asked of the steward. - -"Oh no, sir," said that functionary; "one of them looked in to see if it -would suit, but he wasn't there five minutes; you wouldn't surely -suspect the gentleman of"-- - -"Oh dear, no!" I said, "certainly not, steward; probably my little bag -escaped your notice and his too. Go and ask for it, like a good man; it -was under the sofa when we were in the cabin, and it's probably there -now." - -The steward went off on his mission somewhat flustered; for it was a -reflection upon his carefulness that the bag had been left behind. When -I said that it might have escaped Strong's notice as well as his own, I -really meant what I said, though the sceptical Jack grinned at my -"innocence," as he called it. The bag contained, as Jack knew, a few -exceedingly important articles--namely, my slender stock of ready money -(about thirty-five pounds), a copy of the all-important map and -instructions for finding Clutterbuck's treasure, my revolver, and a few -other things of less importance. - -Nevertheless, when the steward brought the bag to me a few minutes later -with "Mr. Smith's" apology, and declared that the latter gentleman said -that neither he nor his brother had seen or touched it, I believed him. -I was the more disposed to acquit the Strongs when I opened the bag and -found money, map, revolver, and everything else still within it just as -I had left them; but subsequent events proved that Jack's scepticism was -in the right after all, though we did not discover this until later. - -We saw no more of the Strongs that evening, and when--very early in the -morning--we went on deck to see the ship moored in dock, we found that -our friends had already departed. - -"We can afford to make a good breakfast and give them that much start," -said Jack; "for they will probably have a lot to buy and to arrange -before they can start, while most of our preliminary arrangements were -made yesterday." Therefore we made a good breakfast. - -The train, we found, would take us as far as Vryburg, after which we -should have to purchase horses and push along over the Chartered -Company's road towards Bulawayo. Our destination was several days' -journey short of that town, however, and lay some way to the east of the -pioneer waggon-road used by the company during the first Matabele -campaign. At Vryburg we encountered the Strongs and Clutterbuck at a -horse-dealer's yard. They, like ourselves, had come to buy horseflesh, -and we surprised them in the midst of their bargaining. - -There was no particular reason for pretending that I did not recognise -them, for it was likely enough that we should be near neighbours when it -came to digging, and we were all encamped upon a couple of acres of -land. I therefore addressed them, and bade them good-morning, by name. - -They growled an unwilling greeting in return. - -"We're all here, I see, excepting Mr. Ellis," I continued. "I suppose -he is to follow later?" - -"I know no more about him than you," said James Strong surlily. "Who's -this, may I ask, with you, and what right has he to come digging for our -treasure?" - -"Is he digging for our treasure?" I asked. - -"That's what he's here for, you bet," said Strong; "if he finds it, let -me tell you, your claim won't stand, remember that." - -"My good man," said Henderson exasperatingly, "do wait until you have -caught me at it! As my friend suggests, I am not thinking of digging; I -am here to keep him company, and to act as a kind of bodyguard." - -"Can't the poor fellow take care of himself?" said Strong, laughing -rudely; "what's he afraid of? We are all respectable people here!" - -"You see," said Jack, with exasperating coolness, "in some countries the -bullets fly very promiscuously; people have been known to shoot at -seagulls and to hit men. Now only the other day, at an island called -Graciosa"--at this point the second Strong dragged his brother away to -look at a horse, and as the proprietor of the establishment beckoned us -mysteriously aside at the same moment, we saw no more of our friends at -this time; when we returned to the yard they had taken their departure. -The horse-dealer's object in beckoning us aside was, it appeared, to -inform us that--if we liked to pay for them--he had a horse or two which -would be likely to suit gentlemen like ourselves much better than this -rubbish. - -We were quite ready to pay for a good article--delighted; at least Jack -was, and I was quite glad that he should. After all, if the fellow -mounted us better than the Strongs & Co., the privilege would be well -worth paying for. - -We certainly paid for it, at anyrate; but whether our horses were really -much, or any, better than the "rubbish" that fell to Strong's lot is a -question. Possibly Strong squared the horse-dealer before we came; if -so, he was no fool, and perfectly within his rights. - -We had bought our waggon and oxen, seasoned or "salted" animals chosen -without regard to expense, and had engaged a Kaffir driver and a native -of Bechuana or Somali land to act as huntsman, in case we should find -the treasure and have time upon our hands for some big-game hunting -afterwards. - -All these matters had been arranged before we left Cape Town, and our -party were even now trekking slowly northwards towards the appointed -rendezvous on the Bulawayo road, at the point, in fact, where--as per -map--our side route branched off from the main road. - -We had left the heavy rifles and most of our ammunition to be brought on -after us by the waggon, and we hoped that by the time the question of -the treasure had been decided we should find our property waiting for us -at the rendezvous. Jack said we should "do a bit of sporting" whether we -dug up the treasure or no. - -So that we had not much in the way of impedimenta actually with us. -Each carried a light spade, a blanket, a waterproof coat, a light rifle, -a revolver, cartridge-belt and case, saddle-bags with tinned food and -biscuits, a bottle of brandy as medicine, and little else besides. Thus -equipped, however, we both felt that we could easily and comfortably -spend a week or two without any more of the comforts of civilisation -than we carried about us, and we set out upon our hundred-mile ride in -the highest possible spirits, even though we were well aware that "the -enemy" were on the road before us. - -"I don't want to kill anybody if I can help it, you know, Peter," Jack -had said (he always called me Peter, though my name is Godfrey; I was -called Peter at school, for some inscrutable schoolboy reason!), "but -I'm hanged if I am going to let these fellows have any more shots at me -gratis. If any fellow lets fly at me again and misses, he's a dead man -if I can make him one!" - -I quite agreed with Jack that we would not again play at being targets -without taking our turns at the shooting afterwards. I do not relish -the idea of shedding human blood any more than Jack, but one must draw -the line somewhere, and we were going to draw it at those who took shots -at us from an ambush; for such we would have no pity. - -On the evening of the first day we came up with our friends the Strongs. -They were encamping on the banks of a river over which there was a ford. - -Our horses were not tired, we had not ridden very hard, and we agreed -that this would be a good opportunity to push on and obtain a good start -of the Strongs. The complacency with which these men had settled down -in this place and were, apparently, prepared to see us pass them in the -race, perplexed and puzzled us not a little. We were suspiciously -inclined towards them, and it appeared to us that they would not allow -us to get ahead so easily without a good reason. However, it was -unlikely that we should learn their reason by asking for it, and we did -not desire more of their society than was absolutely necessary; we -therefore agreed to push on--to play our game and allow them to play -theirs. We could take care of ourselves, though they were three to two. - -So we proceeded to ford the river, the Strongs watching us intently, -though they pretended to be taking little notice of us. Jack's horse -led the way, and was wading in the water considerably over his knees, -when something floating in mid-stream caught my eye, and I invited Jack -to stop a moment and look at the object. Jack pulled up at once and -stared with me at the dark-looking thing floating slowly with the -current. - -"I should say it was a log of wood if I did not happen to know that -crocodiles abound here," he said. - -"If it's a log of wood it's a nimble one," I rejoined; "for see, Jack, -it is coming this way, partly against current." - -For reply, Jack wheeled his horse round and plunged madly for the land. - -"Back to the shore, Peter, quick!" he shouted, "for your life!" - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *MORE TREACHERY* - - -When we reached the bank and looked round, the dark object had -disappeared, but almost immediately it reappeared within five yards of -us. We could see it plainly now--a huge, scaly head, half out of the -water, and a wicked little eye looking straight at us as though gloating -over the feast it had just lost by a hair's-breadth. It was horrible. - -"Oh, the cruel-looking, bloodthirsty, gaol-bird brute!" muttered Jack, -raising his rifle. "Thank Heaven we were not a quarter of a minute -later, Peter! Now watch--this is for his eye-socket." - -As the little rifle sent out its message with a light, ping-like report, -there was a strange upward lift of the great head, a vast commotion for -a moment of the water, then the tail went up and the head went down; -there was a little reddening of the mudded stream, the crocodile -disappeared, and the tragedy was over. - -To my surprise, Jack immediately turned and made for the group of -men--the two Strongs and Clutterbuck--sitting by their camp fire and -watching us; he still held his rifle in his hand--his little -double-barrelled sporting weapon. I took my revolver and followed him, -for I did not know what he meant to do. Henderson strode right up to -the group and addressed them without any kind of preface. - -"If I were certain you fellows were aware that the crocodile held the -ford," he said, "I'm hanged if I wouldn't chuck you in after him, one by -one." - -"Words don't cost much," said James Strong; "we are three to your two. -It is foolish to boast of what you would do if you were strong enough." - -"You are right; words are cheap," said Jack; "but for want of something -trustier I must ask you to give yours that you knew nothing of that -crocodile. If you cannot give me an assurance on this point I shall do -as I threaten. I know you are three to two, but we need not fear a set -of cowards who shoot at helpless persons from an ambush." - -James Strong flushed and glanced at his companions, who reddened also. -Nevertheless, he maintained a bold front, and replied readily enough-- - -"We have not come into the interior of Africa to guess riddles. I know -nothing about any crocodiles; but if one had eaten your friend there as -he crossed the ford we should not have gone into mourning. It might -have had you too, without many tears from us. As to shooting from an -ambush, you may explain what you mean if you please, or do the other -thing if you prefer it. There's no law against riddles and lunatics that -I know of, in these parts." - -"Very well, then; so be it," said Jack. "At the same time let me tell -you this: Prevaricate as you will, we know well enough what we know; you -shot at us from the cliffs at Graciosa--good. Luckily you are very bad -shots, all of you. Now I am a dead shot. I have twice been in the -Queen's Hundred at Wimbledon and Bisley, and my friend here is not far -behind me at a mark. What you are to understand is this--that if any of -you fellows at any time fire at us, either of us, and miss, we shall -shoot back, and we shall not miss; if we can't get a shot at you at once -(for you are likely to be behind an ambush), we shall let fly at our -next meeting. Bear this in mind for your good." - -"Come, chuck the sermon," said James Strong, who was the spokesman of -the party, and a very rude one at that. - -"Very well," said Jack, "words are thrown away upon fools; next time I -shall shoot." - -And with this crude repartee we left these worthies and crossed the -ford, and gained a good ten miles upon them by nightfall. - -Now that my tale is taking us rapidly towards the spot in which, -according to our maps, old Clutterbuck's treasure lay buried, it would -be as well to present for the reader's assistance a copy of the map and -instructions as we each received them from Steggins the lawyer on the -day of the reading of the will. - -Here is the copy, which I present to the reader with apologies for its -shortcomings as an artistic production. I could have made it more -presentable and accurate, but it is better to reproduce it as I received -it. - - -[Illustration: Explanation of Map.] - -"Take the road to Bulawayo from Vryburg. - -"Ride about one hundred miles to a village called Ngami; there turn -aside eastward into the veldt. Head straight for a conical hill fifteen -miles distant from the road and visible from Ngami. At the foot of the -mountain is a sandy plain covered with rocks and occasional thorn -bushes. Between the highest thorn bush and the slope of the hill is an -open space of sandy soil about two acres in extent, and covered with -scrubby grass. Within this area I have planted four posts. The -treasure is buried at a spot within the space defined by these four -posts." - - -Jack Henderson and I rejoiced greatly when we off-saddled that night ten -miles ahead of the others. This would give us a good start of them, -and, unless we had our own lack of energy to blame, we should never -allow them to make up the difference. We were to have first dig, after -all! We drank a little hot brandy and water in memory of our crocodile; -for to him, we agreed, we owed the advantage we had now gained. But for -his good offices our friends would certainly have pushed on farther. - -"Perhaps," I suggested, "it was all a trick--their camping there, I -mean--and they are even now at our heels and coming up hand over hand!" - -"By Jove! you may be right, Peter," said Jack. "I had not thought of -it. I'll tell you what, man; it won't do for both of us to sleep at the -same time. We must take watches--at all events just now, while we are -in the neighbourhood of these bad characters!" - -We were to discover before very long that we could not afford to camp -out in these African forests without setting a watch, even when far away -from bad characters of the biped persuasion! There are some very shady -characters in Bechuanaland that walk on four feet, and perform all -manner of wickedness under the cover of night! We had not realised this -fact as yet, but we were to realise it pretty soon. Nevertheless, in -compliment to the poor opinion we held of the Strongs and their ways, we -agreed to divide our night into two parts, and that one of us should -sleep while the other watched, and _vice versā_ at "half time." - -I was not sleepy, and undertook the first watch, and a right creepy -function I found it. Those who have never slept out of their own beds -would scarcely believe in how many unexpected and unrecognisable voices -old Mother Night can speak. In the heart of an African forest she has -tongues innumerable, and, moreover, all of them weird and startling, -while some are absolutely terrifying. - -We had built up a good fire, and had taken the precaution to pile up an -ample supply of fuel almost at hands' reach from the spot at which I lay -with my toes to the blaze. But when it became necessary to rise from my -place and walk two yards to the pile of firewood in order to add fuel, I -must confess with shame that I was so thoroughly cowed and frightened by -a feeling of supernatural awe, brought on by the thousand weird and -startling noises to which I had lain and listened for two hours or more, -that I could scarcely summon sufficient nerve to assume an erect -attitude, but lay trembling on the ground endeavouring to gather the -courage which had left me, a prey to unworthy feelings of horror. - -"However," I reflected, "if I do not keep the fire up, all these awful -beasts that are now prowling about in the darkness and dare not come -near will become bolder, and"-- This thought settled it, and I arose, -sweating with foolish terror, and piled a mass of dry material upon the -languishing flames at my feet. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - *A SERIOUS CHECK* - - -As I did so there was a scuffle and a yelp a few yards away, by a bush, -and in the light that the fire shot suddenly around I distinctly caught -sight of a brute which I believe was a hyena. - -After this I lay with my revolver in my hand, determined that if any -savage brute became bold enough again to venture within sight of me I -would let fly at him, at the risk of frightening poor slumbering Jack -out of his wits. Better that than to have a loathsome hyena or jackal -come nibbling at one's leg while one lay asleep. A single shot would -probably ensure quiet for the rest of the night. - -Before my watch was over I did catch sight of another beast, or rather, -I suppose, of the same one. I raised my revolver and pulled the trigger. -The weapon misfired. - -The "click" of the hammer was sufficient to scare my friend away for the -time being; but it was not pleasant to think that our ammunition was not -to be relied upon, and I determined to overhaul the stock in the -morning. Meanwhile, I changed the cartridges in my revolver, for the -little weapon had been loaded ever since leaving England, and it was -possible that these were damp. - -What if some brute had really attacked us, or--which was at least as -likely--if the Strongs had crept up and fallen upon us, and our safety -had depended upon this cartridge which had misfired? Ugh! I lay a while -and reviled, in thought, revolver, gunner who made it, cartridge filler, -and everyone remotely connected with the matter, including myself for -neglecting to change the charge. Then I had a better thought, and -offered up thanks for being saved twice this night from disaster: from -the crocodile first, and afterwards from all kinds of unknown horrors -lurking around us in the darkness. - -After all, I reflected, whether we are at home in bed or in the midst of -an African forest, we are in God's hands, to save or to kill. How -pitifully helpless is every human being that lies and sleeps -unconscious, and how entirely at the mercy of a Providence which one has -probably angered times unreckoned! Misfortune might as easily assail us -at home in bed as here in the veldt, if it were so willed! Disaster, -after all, can no more befall me here than there unless the Almighty -decrees it. - -This reflection was of much comfort to me subsequently, throughout many -a weird and creepy night--in hours of real danger, compared with which -the mostly imagined perils of that first night out were as the merest -child's play. - -Jack was made of sterner stuff than I, and even the unseen perils of the -darkness and of the ambush scarcely affected his nerves. - -His watch passed off, it may be assumed, without much trial of his -courage, and when I awoke at high daylight one of the first things my -eyes beheld was the carcass of our friend the hyena, which Jack had shot -with his revolver. The report had not disturbed me, which may be taken -as evidence that it must have been fairly "bedtime" when the end of my -watch opened for me the door of slumberland. - -We covered thirty good miles that day, and though we continually looked -out for them, we saw nothing of "our friends the enemy." The night -passed without adventure, and--though I cannot honestly say that I was -absolutely free from those feelings of dread which had so unmanned me on -the previous night--I am justified in declaring that I was not nearly so -frightened at this second experience. - -On the third day, towards evening, we came to a village, and here I was -for turning aside into the veldt eastwards. - -"Westwards," corrected Jack. - -"No," I said, "eastwards, surely!" - -"I bet you sixpence your map says westwards!" said Jack. "I was looking -at it yesterday, and noticed it particularly!" - -Now I could have taken the most solemn oath that I had read "eastwards" -in the instructions at the foot of the map, and the route shown, as I -remember, was to the right of the road, which would be eastwards. - -Yet now, when I looked at our plan, the route was undoubtedly shown as -lying to the left of the road--westwards--just as Jack said. - -So to the left we went, and rode for an hour towards a hill whose -outline we could just make out in the dim distance. Then the darkness -came on, and we off-saddled for the night, full of spirits; for -to-morrow, we thought, we should be on the very spot, and at work within -a few yards of the treasure itself, and with a good start of our rivals -into the bargain. - - -We were up and away with the first rays of light in the morning, and -rode fast and joyously forward, merry as two schoolboys out for a -jollification. - -"It's a longish fifteen miles to _that_ hill, I know," said Jack when we -had ridden ten miles. "The map says fifteen miles; but we rode an hour -last night and have ridden another to-day, and I'm hanged if we are any -nearer than we were before." - -This seemed true enough. - -"It doesn't look what I should call 'conical,' either," I added. "I -should call it a flat-topped thing if I were asked." - -"So should I," said Jack; and we rode on. - -"I wonder if there can be any mistake," I said, when we had ridden -another ten miles and had stopped for a long rest. - -"What kind of a mistake?" asked Jack. - -"Why, about the map. That hill positively looks as far off as ever." - -"It really does," Jack assented. "It must be a good fifty from the -road." - -"Perhaps the old boy wrote fifty and not fifteen, as we both seem to -remember it," I said, fishing in my saddle-bag for the case which -contained my map. - -"I'm sure it's fifteen there," said Jack, "for I took the precaution of -making a copy of both plan and instructions at Cape Town, in case those -rascally friends of yours should get hold of our map and leave us to dig -up all Africa for our treasure. I remember the wording quite well--it -was 'westwards,' and fifteen miles to a conical hill, over a sandy -plain." - -These words of Jack's made me think--not those which referred to his -taking of a copy of the map; I had done the same myself while on board -the _Chepstow Castle_, and had my copy in my pocket at this moment. The -words which struck me were those which referred to my "rascally -friends," and suggested the possibility of the stealing of our map by -them. The idea reminded me that my black bag with the map in it had -been at their mercy in the cabin of the _Chepstow Castle_ for a week or -more; though, it must be remembered, my money was apparently left -untouched, as well as my revolver and the other things. Could they have -tricked us by altering the map? - -Flushed and excited at the very idea of such a thing, I communicated my -idea to Jack. - -"Good Heavens, man!" said he. "I never thought of it; yet it's the most -likely thing in the world. Let's have a look at the map!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - *STALKING A MAN* - - -We scanned that map over and over, but could find no trace of -alterations. Jack suggested that it might be altogether new--a bogus -copy, in fact; almost exactly like the real one, in case we should -remember the original, but incorrect enough to lead us astray at the -critical moment. - -"What a pity my copy was done _after_ these rascals had had their chance -of doctoring it," said Jack; "otherwise we should soon see whether this -one has been got at." - -"But I have a copy done _before_ we were left at Las Palmas!" I cried. -"We can compare it with that, which _must_ be right!" - -"Peter, you are a trump!" said Jack, banging me on the back. "You're a -glorious fellow! Produce it at once! Ha! ha! When in doubt, play -Peter!" - -I produced my copy, a rough thing, but accurately copied in the most -essential portion, which was that which supplied instructions as to this -very place. We compared my copy with the original, as we had supposed -it to be, and found that it was as we suspected. We had been duped. The -rascals had substituted for my original map a production of their own, -made so like the former in the matter of handwriting and style, and even -paper, that it would easily pass, if unsuspected, as the real article. - -Furious with rage, we turned and retraced our way towards the road. We -had come nearly thirty miles westward instead of turning, as we ought to -have done, to the east, and had wasted a day and a half--it was -intolerable! If we had met the Strongs at this time there would have -been a battle; we were blood-hot, and should not have spared them. They -had tricked us, and had, in all probability, unearthed the treasure by -this time, and departed with it. I could not trust myself to speak as -we rode swiftly back, in grim silence, upon our own tracks. Jack said -nothing either. - -That night, as we lay by our fire, it suddenly occurred to me to look at -my revolver. It, after all, had been in my small black bag as well as -the map. Probably they had tampered with it; for, otherwise, why should -my weapon have missed fire and Jack's not? They had soused my -cartridges--that much was pretty certain; but perhaps they had done the -revolver some injury besides. - -I examined it carefully. The lock worked all right; the drum revolved -perfectly. I looked down the barrel; looked straight down it at the -firelight, and saw nothing. - -"Well?" said Jack. - -I handed him the revolver. Jack looked down the barrel as I had; then -he took a thin stick and poked at it. - -"The demons!" he said; "they've choked it with lead or something. Curse -them! it would have burst in your hand if you had fired it! We'll pay -them out for this, Peter, if we have to chase them half round the world -for it!" - -Thirty miles back to the waggon road, twenty miles farther northwards, -and then at last we were at the spot where, according to the original -map, we should have turned off at the village called Ngami. Our bogus -map gave no name to the village, which showed, as Jack said, the -fiendish cunning of the Strongs; for if they had called it Ngami, we -should have gone on until we had reached a village of that name, and -from it we should have plainly seen, as we now saw, the conical hill on -our right. As it was, we had gone sixty miles out of our way, and might -have gone six hundred, or, indeed, never have struck the right road at -all, but for my happy idea on board ship to take a copy of the map in -case of accidents. - -It was dusk when we arrived, riding with exceeding caution, within a -mile or so of the conical hill. Here we dismounted by Jack's orders; -for he, by the most natural process in the world--namely, the simple -slipping into his proper place, as nature intends that people like Jack -should do--had assumed the leadership of our party of two. It was quite -right and proper that he should lead, for Jack had twice the resource -and the readiness that I had been furnished withal; his wits were -quicker workers than mine, and his judgment far more acute and correct. -Jack decreed, then, that we should dismount and wait, and listen. If -they had not yet found the treasure, he said, they would, of course, -still be upon the ground; and if there, they would certainly light a -fire when darkness fell. - -"Then will come our chance!" added Jack. - -"Of doing what?" I asked. "You don't think of shooting them asleep, -Jack, surely!" - -Jack laughed gently. "That's what they deserve, the blackguards!" he -said. "Why do you suppose they spiked your revolver? I'll tell you. -So that when they attacked you, as they fully intended to do, and would -do now if we gave them the chance, you should be harmless and unable to -hit them back." - -It certainly did seem pretty mean, viewed in this light--a cold-blooded, -premeditated, murderous kind of thing to do. The idea made me very -angry. It gave me that almost intolerable longing one sometimes -feels--which, at anyrate, I feel--to punch some offender's head; it is a -feeling which generally assails one at helpless moments, as, for -instance, when a schoolmaster (whose head cannot be punched with -propriety) takes advantage of his position to bombard some wretched -victim, who can utter no protest, with scathing remarks. - -"What are we going to do, then?" I continued. "Of course we are not -going to murder them in cold blood; but can't we punch their heads?" - -Jack laughed. "Oh, it may come to that, likely enough," he said; "but -what we must go for first is to disarm them. It is perfectly impossible -to live near these men in any sort of comfort or security unless we -first deprive them of their rifles and revolvers. That's what I want to -do to-night. One or two of them will be asleep, the other watching. We -must stalk them at about midnight, cover them with our revolvers, and -make them 'hands up!'" - -"No good covering them with my revolver," I said. "I'd better cover a -pair with my rifle, and you the other fellow with your pistol. They -know mine won't go off, well enough!" - -"That's true," said Jack. "All right, your rifle then. We must shiver -here till about midnight; you won't mind that for once." - -And shiver we did for several hours, as much with excitement as with the -cold of the night; for at about nine o'clock we saw the glow of a fire a -mile or so away, which gave us the welcome assurance that our friends -had not, at anyrate, found the treasure and departed. - -I entreated Jack several times to let us be up and at them; but Jack was -inexorable, and would not budge until our watches told us that midnight -had come. Then Jack arose and stretched himself. - -"Are you ready?" he said. - -"Rather!" said I; "come on!" - -"No hurry," continued my friend exasperatingly. "Change your cartridges -first; so. Now take a drop of brandy neat, to correct the chill of the -night--not too much. We may have to shoot a man; are you up to doing -it?" - -"If necessary," I said; "but I'd rather not." - -"Of course not, nor would I; but if there is any hitch, or if either of -the men show signs of being about to put in a quick shot, yours or mine -must be in first; do you understand? Am I to command, or would you -prefer to? It is better that one should take the lead." - -"You, of course!" I said. - -"Then do just as I tell you when we are among them. Now, are you ready? -Then come along!" - -Cautiously and softly we crept towards the place where the fire twinkled -and glowed in the distance. As we came nearer, we could see that it had -been built up close to a mimosa bush which lay between us and the circle -of light shed by the burning brushwood. This was favourable to our -purpose, for we were enabled to creep along without the danger of being -seen, as we might have been even in the dark, had we been obliged to -cross one of the wide open spaces which checked the plain. - -No thieving jackal or designing lion could have stalked that party more -patiently and noiselessly than we did; foot by foot, and yard by yard, -we drew nearer to our prey, and at last we had reached the mimosa bush -and were watching them as they lay, the rays of their fire all but -shining upon us as we crouched, but falling just short. Jack placed his -hand upon my arm, and whispered-- - -"James Strong watching, very sleepy," he breathed, scarcely audibly; -"the others fast asleep. I take James, and you the other two. Are you -ready? Follow me and stand at my side, but keep your rifle at your -shoulder from now on, and never lower it for an instant. Are you -ready?" - -"Ready!" I managed to whisper, but my lips were so dry that hardly any -sound came from them. Then Jack instantly rose and stepped out into the -firelight--I following him. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - *SCOTCHING A SNAKE* - - -James Strong was lying half waking and half sleeping, his rifle at his -side; he saw us instantly, however, as we stepped into the firelight, -and was on his feet in a moment, dragging his rifle up with him. - -"Drop the gun, James Strong," said Henderson, "and put up your hands. I -am covering you, you see, and this is not the revolver you choked. Drop -it at once, or I fire. I will count three. One--two"--Strong let the -rifle fall. Neither the thud of this nor the sound of Jack's voice -awoke the other two, who still slept, I covering them with my rifle. - -"Pick that thing up, Peter," said Jack. "I'll see to the covering." I -did as my captain bade me. - -"Chuck it on the fire," he continued. "I shall pay you for it, Mr. -Strong, but I am afraid you are scarcely to be trusted with a rifle just -at present." - -I heard Strong grind his teeth as I picked up his gun, took the -cartridges out, and threw the weapon on the fire. - -"Sit down, Mr. Strong, and empty your pockets," continued Jack, and his -victim obeyed, because he could do nothing else. - -"Take those other rifles, Peter, and do the same by them," pursued Jack; -"then wake those fellows, and see if they sport revolvers. Have you -none, Mr. Strong? Come, produce it if you have. Feel his pockets, -Peter, and his saddle-bags. What, has he none? Well, you shall give -him yours, Peter, one day; perhaps he will know how to get the lead out -since he put it in!" - -Strong's face through all this was not a pleasant study. - -I obeyed Jack's decrees to the letter. I collected all the -weapons--three rifles and one revolver--and threw them on the fire; I -awoke the two sleepers, who swore frightful oaths when they realised the -position of affairs, and cleared their pockets and wallets and -saddle-bags of cartridges, all of which I confiscated. - -"Good-night, gentlemen," said Jack, when my work was finished. "I shall -repay you for all that has been taken from you to-night. Your zeal, you -will understand, has been a little too great; you have given yourselves -away. But for your premature attempt to rid yourselves of us on the -island, and for one or two foolish matters since then, we might never -have been aroused to our danger, and you would certainly have enjoyed -many opportunities of shooting us at your leisure--in the back, of -course. Now, you see, we have the whip hand of you." - -"And you will use it, curse you," said James Strong, "to prevent us -taking our legal share in the search for my uncle's property. I know -you!" - -"Nothing of the kind, my good man," said Jack cordially. "Dig away, by -all means; you shall see that neither of us will interfere." - -"Yes, and if we find the treasure, you will shoot us down; I know you, I -say!" replied Strong. We made allowance for his temper, which was -shocking to-day; but then his provocation had really been considerable. - -"If you find the treasure you shall take it away with you in peace, so -far as my friend and myself are concerned," said Jack. "We shall not -shoot you, and you can't very well shoot _us_ without rifles, can you? -Good-night all; come, Peter." - -We could see our good friends frenziedly poking among the embers for -their burning weapons the moment we had departed; but, as Jack remarked, -they were welcome to the barrels, and since he had taken care to keep up -the conversation long enough to allow the woodwork to burn away, that -would be all they would get. - -Returning to our camp, we made up a fire for ourselves and tossed up for -first sleep, for we must keep a stricter watch than ever now, or these -desperate fellows would steal our weapons and turn the tables upon us. -So we slept and watched by turns until morning, and it was on this night -that I heard for the first time in my life the roar of a lion. It was -not very near at hand, but, far away as it was, it sounded terrible -enough to the inexperienced ear, and I thought over all I had read of -the ways of lions in the works of Mr. Selous and other African -sportsmen, and recalled an awkward propensity some of them have of -coolly coming into camp and foraging among the waggons even in the glare -of the firelight. If this brute were to come now and help itself to -Jack Henderson before I could interfere, what a truly terrible thing it -would be! The idea impressed me so deeply that I awoke Henderson and -told him there was a lion roaring somewhere within hearing. - -Jack was very sleepy, and my watch was only half over, which made him -ridiculously angry to have been awaked. - -"Well, what then?" he said. "Let him roar and be hanged! if he didn't -wake me, why should you?" - -"Why, he might come and bag you while you slept," I said; "travellers -say they do that kind of thing." - -"Well, what are you there for, man?" said Jack angrily, settling himself -to sleep again. "You are there to shoot James Strong, or lions, or -she-bears, or anything else that comes and plays the fool around here. -For goodness' sake don't wake a fellow to talk about the habits of -lions--shoot him if he comes, that's all you have to do!" - -I suppose the lion had other engagements for that night, for his roars -receded farther away and were lost, presently, in the distance. - -We were up in the morning at the first glint of light, for we were -naturally anxious to see the ground upon which our labours were to be -lavished until the envious soil should reveal to us or the others the -secret of old Clutterbuck. There it was, the open space of sandy -hummocky soil, and there were the posts, three of them at least; we -could not see the fourth. And there, too, was the upturned earth over a -considerable area, representing the day's work, or the day and a half's -work, of the Strongs, who had evidently toiled for all they were worth -in order to make the most of the start they had gained upon us. The -result of this haste on their part was to be seen in the shallowness of -their digging, which appeared to have nowhere extended to a greater -depth than six to nine inches. As we stood and surveyed the ground, our -three friends came with their spades and set to work at once. They -scowled at us ferociously, but made no reply to Jack's polite -"Good-morning." - -"I daresay they _are_ rather annoyed with us," said Jack. "Now, Peter, -don't be lazy, but begin to dig at once. I'm your bodyguard, remember, -and shall do no work except thinking." - -"Aren't you going to dig?" I said. - -"Certainly not," said Jack; "I'm not one of the authorised. If I dug -and found the treasure, there might be a legal point. Now dig up, man, -and don't argue; you're wasting your time. Think of the nuggets and -diamonds only awaiting the magic touch of your spade! George! if I had -a legal position, wouldn't I dig!" - -I did dig. I dug that morning until the sweat poured from my face and -head like drops of rain. I dug till my arms and back ached so that I -almost cried with the pain, while Jack sat or lay and watched, keeping -an eye on the Strong party and entertaining me with light conversation. -By the evening I was perfectly exhausted, and the greater part of the -space of about two acres had been dug over, though not to any great -depth, by one or other of the four workers, yet nothing had been -discovered. - -When Jack awoke me to take my watch at half-time that night, he said-- - -"Peter, I've been thinking." - -"What about?" I asked sleepily. - -"About that fourth post," he said. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - *AN UNEXPECTED TRAGEDY* - - -"I was wondering what has become of that fourth post," continued Jack. -"It can't have disappeared very well." - -"It doesn't matter much," I rejoined, "for it can only have been in one -spot--the fourth corner of a square; the other three are absolutely -symmetrically placed. We can easily judge of the position of the -missing one." - -"I'm not so sure," said Jack. "I don't think it's a trick of the -Strongs, for they seem to take it for granted, as we have done, that the -area is a square. I shall look about for it to-morrow while you dig." - -"I wish you'd dig while I look about!" said I; "it's the most fatiguing -thing I ever tried in my life." - -"That's because you never did a day's work till yesterday, my son; but -cheer up, you'll find it less fatiguing every day, take my word for it." -Jack yawned and lay down, and in a minute was fast asleep. As for me, I -very nearly fell asleep also--in fact, I believe I was actually -dozing--when my friend the lion suddenly roared from somewhere so close -at hand that my heart went into my boots and I felt my knees tremble -together as I lay. So loud was it that even Jack awoke and started to -his feet. - -"What on earth was that?" he said. "Did someone shoot?" - -"It was a lion's roar, close behind us here in the bush," I said, my -teeth chattering. I don't think I am a coward, but I do hate dangers -that I cannot see. - -"By George!--fancy those wretched chaps over by that fire," said Jack, -"without rifles; what a state of terror they will be in!" - -What a good fellow Jack was! I had never thought, in my selfishness, of -the infinitely more dangerous position of the others. - -At this moment the lion roared again. - -"Listen to that!" continued Jack. "What a voice the brute has! It's -enough to terrify anyone, especially unarmed people. Ought we to go and -stand by those chaps, think you, Peter?" - -I am glad to think that I replied in the affirmative. - -"And yet," said Jack, "I'm not sure that one of us hadn't better stop -here to take care of our horses. Shall we toss up who goes? You see, -it was we who disarmed the poor beggars; we can't very well leave them -unprotected when real danger comes." - -I cordially endorsed the sentiment, and though I would far rather have -let our horses go by the board than separate from Jack in this crisis, I -tossed up with him as to who should go and who stay. - -"Heads stay--tails go," said Jack. "You toss." - -I tossed, and the coin showed tails. - -"Tails; then you go--lucky rascal!" said Jack; "you get all the fun. -Shout for me if anything happens. Cęsar! there he is, roaring again, -and nearer their camp. Be off, Peter, and mind your hide!" - -I have said that I do not consider myself a coward, but assuredly the -greatest coward in the world could not have been more frightened than -was I during that most weird and uncanny walk through the darkness -towards the twinkling glow of the Strongs' camp fire, but a very few -hundreds of yards away. The word darkness hardly expresses the almost -opaque blackness of the night as I stumbled over hummock and thorn bush -in the direction of the fire. - -Beasts were abroad, it appeared, in horrible profusion. Scuttling, -growling, rushing, they seemed to jump up from before and around me at -almost every step, as though an army of them were stalking me, and came -repeatedly within springing distance, only to lose heart as I -approached, and dash away into the darkness. - -I have since come to the conclusion that these were hyenas, for no other -beast would be likely to be about in close proximity to a roaring lion. - -The lion advertised himself freely. Once, at least, he roared within -twenty yards of me, and though I held my rifle to my shoulder ready for -him, I quite gave myself up for lost. But his designs were not, it -appeared, directed against myself, for a moment after he roared again -much nearer to the Strongs' camp fire, and presently from beyond that -point. - -I could hear the Strongs talking excitedly and loudly, and could see -that they were busily engaged in piling brushwood upon their fire, for -at intervals it seemed to blaze up brightly and to smoke more -vigorously. The lion, I could not help thinking, was prospecting both -our party and theirs, and walking round and round both, working himself -up to the necessary pitch of audacity for an attack. - -So, stumbling, groping, creeping upon my uncanny way, I came at last -within fifty yards of the Strongs' camp. The lion had been silent now -for several minutes, a fact which rendered my horror all the more -intense, because I could no longer tell where the brute was, and, for -all I knew, he might be at my heels or a couple of yards away on either -side of me, licking his lips, and, as it were, choosing his joint in -preparation for a spring. - -Of a sudden I was startled by the most piercing shrieks and yells that I -had ever heard. The noise came from the Strongs' camp, and set the seal -of horror upon my soul, so that I fell on my knees then and there and -prayed aloud with the most intense earnestness I had ever put into -prayer. Then I sprang to my feet in a flush of shame. The lion, I -suddenly realised, had made his appearance among these wretched, unarmed -folk, while I, their protector, knelt and prayed like a coward for the -safety of my own skin! - -Aroused and stimulated by this thought, I rushed madly for the camp, -careless now of the darkness and danger and horror of the night, and in -a moment or two had reached, breathless, the circle of light shed by the -Strongs' fire. Here a weird sight presented itself to me. - -Clutterbuck knelt and gabbled prayers aloud, his eyes, almost starting -from his head, fixed upon a spot just on the verge of the firelight, -where James Strong stood, armed with a burning log, cursing as loudly as -the other prayed, and staring into the darkness beyond. - -Both started as I appeared, but both immediately looked away from me -again and resumed their occupations. - -"What is it?" I gasped. "Has anything happened? Where is your brother, -Strong?" - -"It's the most infernal murder, that's what it is!" shouted the fellow, -turning suddenly upon me and stamping his foot; "as clear a case of -murder as ever a criminal committed!" - -"What has happened, man? Was it the lion?" I cried. "Stop your -blithering and tell me; we may save the fellow yet!" - -James Strong growled out some curse. - -"Yes; go out into the dark and save him. You are a likely man to do -that, you coward!" he shrieked; "you who rob men of their defences and -leave them at the mercy of brute beasts. This is as clear a case of -murder as need be, and you shall hang for it yet!" - -Sick at heart, but not any longer with fear, I seized a burning brand, -and, shouting for Jack, rushed away into the bush in the direction which -I supposed the brute had taken. - -But though I wandered alone for a while, and with Jack, who soon joined -me, for another longer while, we found no trace of either victim or -lion, and we were obliged to give up the search in despair. - -And here I may say that his shriek as the lion sprang upon him was the -last that was ever heard of poor Charles Strong. We picked up a piece -of cloth which had been a portion of his coat, but beyond this we never -found sign of the unfortunate fellow, whose fate sat like a midnight -horror upon our souls for many a day. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - - *A GLIMPSE OF THE WINNING-POST* - - -There was no digging done the next morning, for both we and the rival -camp spent all our time wandering about in the forlorn hope of finding -poor Strong--wounded, but perhaps still alive--left by the lion, who, we -hoped but scarcely believed, might have been terrified by our shouts and -by the shots we fired for the purpose of frightening the brute, and have -dropped his victim and departed. - -James Strong, though frequently within speaking distance of us, neither -spoke to us nor looked at us, excepting now and again to scowl fiercely -as his way, in the searching, crossed ours. But Clutterbuck spoke to me -several times and to Jack also, entreating us, for the love of Heaven, -either to provide him with firearms, or to take him at nighttime under -our protection. If he had to pass another night unarmed, he said, after -this, he should certainly go mad. - -We promised, however, to protect the unfortunate fellow, and this -soothed him wonderfully. - -That night both James Strong and Clutterbuck were encamped close to our -fire, between their own and ours, the two fires being built up within -ten yards of one another. Strong was too proud to ask for protection as -Clutterbuck had, but anyone could see that he was glad and greatly -relieved when we came and made our camp near theirs. I was sorry for -the fellow, rogue though he was, and thought that it was certainly the -least we could do to take him under our wing, since we had deprived him -of the means of protecting himself. - -As for his brother's death, I do not take any share of responsibility -for that misfortune. For, as we learned afterwards from Clutterbuck -himself, in all probability no shot would have been fired even if the -three men had still been in possession of their rifles. - -According to Clutterbuck's narrative, the thing happened something like -this: He, Clutterbuck, had been deputed to watch for the first three -hours of the night, the two Strongs sleeping meanwhile. But Clutterbuck -himself fell asleep, and allowed the fire to languish and almost die -out, when of a sudden the roaring of the lion awoke not only him but the -Strongs also. Then all three men rushed about, getting brushwood and -sticks to make a blaze that would keep the lion at a distance; but while -poor Charles Strong was ten yards away in the bush there was a sudden -roar and a scuffle, and a shriek for help from him, and that was all -that either Clutterbuck or James Strong knew of the matter. Neither of -them had seen the lion. - -All this Clutterbuck himself told me as we lay awake together on the -first night after the mishap, during my watch. The poor fellow, -naturally a timid creature, was far too frightened to sleep, and was, I -think, grateful for being allowed to talk. - -The lion did not come near us, neither did he treat us, even at a -distance, to any of those terrible roars which I had found so unmanning. -Clutterbuck was even more communicative to Jack when his watch came -round; he told Jack many interesting things, and among others -this--which I suspect the artful Henderson gradually wormed out of -him--that he found himself a companion and partner of the Strongs, whom -he disliked, by the stress of circumstances rather than of deliberate -choice. - -Our suspicions as to the affair near Las Palmas were well founded, said -Clutterbuck; for it was the simple truth that the Strongs and he himself -set out that day with the deliberate purpose of murdering us. It was -James Strong's idea, he declared, and his brother had accepted it -readily. He, Clutterbuck, had pretended to do so, but in reality had -had no intention of hurting us. - -"No, no, Clutterbuck, that won't do!" said Jack at this point of the -narrative; "for we counted the shots fired, and there was at least one -volley of six shots! You fired with the rest, man; I am not so easily -taken in!" - -"That's true enough," said Clutterbuck; "but did I hit you?" - -"No, that you certainly did not," replied Jack; "but then you are a very -poor shot, my friend!" - -"I fired wide on purpose, I'll swear to it!" said Clutterbuck. - -After this, Jack inquired about the crocodile, and found that here, too, -the Strongs had cherished amiable intentions with regard to us. They -saw the brute right enough, and that was why they left us to ford the -river and themselves stayed behind. - -"You ought to have warned us somehow," said Jack. - -"I dared not," said the other. "James is an awful fellow, and his -brother is nearly as bad--was, I mean--poor chap!" - -As for the spiking of my revolver and the changing of the map, -Clutterbuck knew nothing of either. It was done in the state-room, and -he was not there to see. - -"You would probably have been shot as you forded the river," he -continued, "if you hadn't rather frightened the Strongs by what you said -a moment before--that you were a crack shot, and would have no mercy if -they missed you." - -"So you see, Peter," concluded Jack, telling me all this afterwards, "it -pays to blow your own trumpet sometimes. They wouldn't have hit us, -probably, but then we should have been obliged to make three bull's-eyes -of _them_, and that would have been unpleasant too!" - -But all this while the treasure still lay hid in the bosom of the veldt. -Charles Strong's death was very terrible, but I must dig, dig. Regrets -and sentiment are mere waste of time with one hundred thousand pounds -waiting to be dug out of the earth! - -Whatever measure of grief James Strong may have felt for his unfortunate -brother, his sorrow did not prevent him betaking himself very seriously -to his digging work as soon as day dawned on the second morning after -the mishap. He went about his business in grim silence, vouchsafing us, -as before, neither word nor look. - -Neither were we dilatory. I went back to my digging with back and -shoulders still stiff from the labours of the first day, while Jack -expressed his intention to search about for the fourth post. - -"Either there's some trick about the position of that post," he said, -"or it has got moved away by an accident; some elephant or other big -brute has used it for a scratching-post, or knocked it down and perhaps -rolled it away; in any case, we ought to know where it was." - -I still thought that in all probability the fourth post had simply -completed the square suggested by the other three, and that it had been -in some way removed from its place--perhaps by an elephant, as Jack -said, or more likely by a gust of wind. I did not consider the question -at all important. - -As it proved, Jack was right. He found the fourth post twenty yards at -least out of the square, and planted right in the middle of a -prickly-pear bush. But though I extended my operations to the new -ground introduced by the change of area, and though the two other men -and I together dug it superficially over, so that the entire space -between the four posts had now been dug up--to a certain depth--the -result of the day's work was "nothing to nobody," as Jack facetiously -expressed it. Indeed, I, for one, began to wonder whether we had -embarked upon a wild-goose chase, and whether the hundred thousand -pounds ever existed save in the imagination of old Clutterbuck; and -again, whether, supposing the money to have actually existed, the old -miser had not purposely so hidden his treasure that no other human eye -should ever behold it, since he himself could no longer gloat over it. -But when I communicated these views to Jack Henderson, he said-- - -"Bosh! man; don't be a fool. Dig for all you're worth!" - -If real hard work could have insured success, it would have been a -difficult matter to judge between James Strong and myself as to who -should bear away the prize. Clutterbuck laboured away too, after his -kind; but he was of a different kidney from ours, and I think I turned -up more soil in an hour than he did in half a day. - -For the best part of a week we vied thus with one another, toiling -day-long in the sweat of our brows and meeting with no success. - -On the evening of the sixth day Jack said to me, as we walked together -towards our camp fire-- - -"Do you believe in second sight and that kind of thing, Peter?" - -"No," I said, "I don't. Why?" - -"Because I have a kind of idea that I know where the treasure may be," -said Jack unexpectedly. - -I laughed. - -"I too am beginning to have a pretty firm conviction as to where it is," -I said. - -"Tell me where _you_ think first," continued my friend; "and then I'll -tell you my idea." - -"Nowhere," said I; "at least, nowhere that you or I, or anyone else, -will ever know of." - -"Well, now listen to my idea; you can act upon it or not, as you like. -Have you thought of removing the posts and looking into the holes?" - -"No, I haven't," I said; "but I'll do it." - -"Do it when the others are asleep to-night," Jack rejoined. - -"Why, what's the hurry?" I asked. "Must I grope about in the dark, and -all among the hyenas and lions? Hang it all, let me wait till morning!" - -"The thing is, it's a new idea; and if Strong sees you removing one -post, he'll remove another, and Clutterbuck a third, and you split your -chances. _They_ may look under the right post while you are busy -unearthing the wrong one!" - -"You seem to be very cocksure of your posts, old chap!" I said, -laughing. - -Jack's answer astonished me. - -"Do as I tell you," he said; "and begin with the erratic post in the -thorn bush. I have a very strong idea about that post." - -"Why--have you seen anything?" I gasped. Jack's manner impressed and -excited me. - -"It's like this," he said; "and, of course, my idea may be worth -nothing. The post is not very tightly fixed in the ground, and to-day I -shook it about and up and down. Well, it seems to rest upon something -hard and smooth, that's all. I left it for you to pull up." - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - - *EUREKA!* - - -Jack's communication rendered me frantic with excitement, and I -instantly determined that I would do as he had suggested. The idea of -wandering about the bush at night, alone, was not pleasant; but if the -treasure were really at the foot of Jack's post, why, it would be worth -running the gauntlet of a score of lions to get it. Besides, I could -take a torch. Of course, the hard and smooth surface the post rested -upon might prove to be a stone and no more; still, I would go and see -for myself. - -Jack and I divided the watching every night. We could not, of course, -trust either of the others to undertake the duty. Such a step would -have been suicidal indeed on our part; for James Strong, at anyrate, and -possibly Clutterbuck also, would have taken so good an opportunity to -rid himself of a rival and of a rival's inconvenient friend at a swoop. -Hence both men were allowed to sleep, if they would, all and every -night. - -This evening we supped well upon an antelope shot by Jack in the bush -while we laboured in our treasure-field, and by the time darkness was -well set in, James Strong and Clutterbuck were already in full snore. -Then, moving cautiously, I took rifle, spade, and torch, and sallied -forth, not without some trepidation, upon my enterprise. - -Whether owing to the occasional shots fired by us in this place in the -pursuit of game, or whether by reason of their natural dislike for -abiding in the continued proximity of mankind, we had not been bothered -during the last few days by the presence of many hyenas or other -creatures of the kind about our camp. A few days ago, if I had -undertaken the gruesome night enterprise upon which I had now embarked, -I should have been startled almost at every step by some suddenly -rushing or creeping brute; but to-night I was left to pursue my journey -almost in peace. - -I had no difficulty in groping my way to our treasure-area, which -resembled a ploughed field by this time, with all the digging and -re-digging it had suffered. Nor was I long in discovering the post as -to which Jack had formed so strong and optimistic an opinion. - -After all, it was not unlikely that our old miser should have planted a -post over the grave of his treasures, and I was somewhat surprised that -it had not occurred either to me or to the Strong faction to remove the -posts and look underneath them, since we had dug up the whole of the -area enclosed by them without result. Doubtless it would have occurred -to us to do so after we had dug a little deeper in the space enclosed. - -At all events, here was Jack's post, and I laid hold of it and shook it, -and moved it up and down just as he had described that he had done -himself. Sure enough, the post struck hard and dead on some flat, -unyielding substance beneath. My heart beat in a ridiculous -fashion--was I really on the brink of a discovery that would place me -for ever out of reach of poverty and of the necessity to embark in some -lifelong, uncongenial occupation? I felt so faint in the agitation of -the moment that I was obliged to pause and gather strength before I was -sufficiently master of my energies to lay hold of the post and pull it -up. - -"Now, Godfrey," I said to myself, "don't be a fool. In moments of -difficulty preserve an equal mind; if you can't do that, what was the -use of your learning Horace? Pull yourself together and play the man!" - -I seized the post and tugged at it. It was stiff enough to resist -displacement, though it had wobbled about when shaken to and fro. But -having once mastered my agitation, I was equal to any amount of -exertion; and by dint of working it backwards and forwards and up and -down for five minutes, and twisting it round in my embracing arms, I -succeeded at last in raising and removing it. My torch had gone out -meanwhile, and I could see nothing, of course, in the dark hole which -had formed the socket of the post. - -Kneeling over it, therefore, with palpitating heart, I plunged my hand -down. My arm did not reach the bottom in this way, however, and I lay -down on my side and plunged it in a second time to the very armpit. -This time the ends of my fingers just touched the bottom of the hole, -and distinctly felt what seemed a cold, flat substance lying there, but -could not grasp and raise it. - -I tried to keep cool and think how best to act under the agitating -circumstances. - -Then I lay down again, after scraping away some of the sandy soil at the -edge of the hole, in order to gain a few inches in reach by getting my -shoulder lower; and this time I was able to distinguish, by the touch, a -small tin box, and to get my fingers under it. In the joy of that -moment I could scarcely forbear to shout aloud. Eureka! I had found the -treasure! I was a rich man; the whole world was my own--to the full -extent of about ninety-eight thousand pounds odd. - -Slowly and carefully I raised the little box to the surface; my grip -upon it was as tight as that of a drowning man to the hand that will -save him. Up it came, a small tin thing like a cheap money-box by the -feel; now I had it safely, and was standing shaking it, half dazed, -trying to realise what its discovery meant for me. Oh for a light, that -I might open it and gloat without delay over its thrice-blessed -contents! - -The next moment I was careering at full speed towards the camp fire to -tell Jack of the marvellous success of my night enterprise, and to open -with him the treasure-box that burned my hands as I carried it. But -stay! what if James Strong were awake? Could I postpone the joy of -raising the lid of that box until the morning, and the almost equal -delight of telling Jack all about it? No, I felt I could not. If I -might not open the box, and talk about it too, I should certainly "go -crazy." - -As I approached the fire, however, I saw that both James Strong and -Clutterbuck were fast asleep, Jack watching. He heard me coming, though -I crept softly for fear of awakening the sleepers, and long before he -could possibly have seen me he had his finger to his lip in token that -caution was required. I concealed the box in the "hare-pocket" of my -Norfolk jacket, and stepped into the firelight. I suppose that Jack -thought I was about to speak, for he said very softly, "Ssh!" and made a -warning gesture. - -It was tantalising indeed. Nevertheless, I sat down by the fire close -to Henderson, and for a few minutes neither of us spoke or whispered a -word. The only sign that passed between us was an interrogatory -uplifting of the eyebrows by Jack, which I took to mean, "Any success?" -and to which I responded with the very slyest possible closing of the -left eyelid, which I intended to signify "_Rather!_" - -After about ten minutes of listening to James Strong's measured snoring -and Clutterbuck's groans, grunts, and snortings, Jack leant over and -whispered-- - -"Strong sat up and looked around while you were away. He made as though -he did not notice your absence, but I have an idea that he knew all -about it. We must be very careful indeed. Have you really had any -luck?" - -"The best possible," I whispered back. "Can I show you something?" - -"Wait a bit, old man!" said Jack, pressing my hand; "this is splendid! -I congratulate you; but for Heaven's sake be careful! I don't trust -that fellow Strong's sleeping; he may be wide awake, watching. He's as -cunning as they're made." - -"Let's try him," I suggested. "I'll suddenly cough loudly, and you keep -a careful watch on his eyes; probably he'll wince if he's awake." - -"Go on, then," said Jack. I didn't cough; I said "Hello!" very shortly -and sharply. Strong gave a slight start, but then so did Clutterbuck, -and both went on sleeping. - -"We'll give them another ten minutes," whispered Jack, "and then risk -it." - -At the expiration of that period I looked inquiringly at Jack, and he -nodded affirmatively. - -Slowly and cautiously, and with my eyes fixed upon Strong's face, I drew -the tin box from my deep pocket; I heard Jack's breath come quick and -short as he caught sight of the prize. It was, as I thought, a plain -tin money-box, painted black and gold, such as anyone may buy at any -ironmonger's for a few shillings. It was tied round with a wire, but -unlocked, and with trembling fingers I removed the wire and opened the -lid. - -Within was a second tin box, a small thing like a sandwich-box, and this -too was unlocked. - -I paused to take a look at the sleepers; both were still, apparently, as -fast asleep as ever. - -"Go on!" whispered Jack; "it's all right." - -I put my hand inside the case and produced a leather pocket-book, and -from this I drew an envelope! - -"Ah, a cheque!" whispered Jack; "and a fat one if it's for the lot!" - -There were several papers in the envelope. First a letter, which I put -aside to read later, because the rest were bank-notes, and I was anxious -to learn the amount of my inheritance. - -Then came two terrible shocks, one after the other. - -Shock number one. There were twenty five pound notes. No more, and no -less! - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - - *"ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD!"* - - -One hundred pounds! - -A nice little sum in itself, but not one that would tempt a man to -imperil his life in as many ways as it contained notes! Surely the old -man had not brought me all this distance to give me one hundred pounds -at the end of it? The letter would prove to be an order upon his -bankers for the bulk of his fortune. The hundred was intended to cover -my expenses home to England. - -In so far as concerned the hundred pounds my surmise was correct enough. -But the letter was not a bank order. It was a very original document, -and I purpose giving it _in extenso_. Here it is:-- - - - "THE PRIZE TO THE SWIFT. - - "To my Heir: a message from the tomb. - -"MY DEAR HEIR,--If ever you read these words it must happen after my -death, because I shall take care that no man handles my money until I am -in my grave. That is why I call this a message from the tomb. The dead -can gain nothing by lying; therefore I give you no other assurance that -what I have to say is the absolute truth. - -"You have done well to come so far, whichever of my potential heirs you -may be. My treasure is not here, neither are your journeys at an end. - -"From South Africa to the Finnish Gulf is a considerable stretch, but -one hundred thousand pounds is a large sum; it is a sum that has -occasioned its owner more trouble to acquire than is involved in a -pleasant journey from Africa to Finland. If it is worth your while to -undertake this journey, you will act as I shall presently direct you; if -not, you will leave my money to rest where it is, and where, assuredly, -neither you nor any relative of mine shall ever find it. - -"If my treasure fall into hands for which it was not intended, may my -curse rest upon it for ever; and if none find it from this day until the -day of resurrection, I, William Clutterbuck, shall be just as happy. -Let him who is wise read the following instructions, and obey them to -his profit:-- - -[Illustration: Old Clutterbuck's Second Map] - -"The island is about five miles in length. Steamers from Hull or London -to Cronstadt pass within half a mile of lighthouse. - -"Special arrangements must be made with shipowners to land upon island. - -"An open space will be found in the forest at about the spot indicated -by a cross. Here are four posts, defining the area within which it is -necessary to dig. - -"The Prize to the Swift. - -"W. CLUTTERBUCK." - - -By the time I had read to the end of this precious document, my heart -was in the usual condition of hearts whose cherished "hope" has been -deferred. The disappointment was almost more than I could bear; the -thing was so unexpected, and the pill so bitter. - -If I had followed the impulse of the moment I should have torn that -hateful letter into a thousand pieces and danced upon it, then and -there, to the tune of all the worst names I could think of to revile its -author withal. Yet, when I glanced at Jack to see how he took this -disappointment, I saw that he was shaking with suppressed laughter. - -"I would give worlds to have known that old chap!" he whispered. "It is -the finest notion for giving healthy occupation to a set of lazy nephews -that ever an uncle devised. He was a grand old fellow, this, Peter!" - -"What nonsense you talk!" I whispered. "I believe the whole thing is a -hoax, from beginning to end. The man was mad on all matters concerning -money. He was determined no one should ever touch his treasure, since -he could not carry it away himself, and this is his dodge; he will trot -us backwards and forwards after the infernal stuff until we die or get -our throats cut, and the money will rest unfound in Timbuctoo, or -Jerusalem, or the Grand Canary!" - -"I don't think so," said Jack. "I believe the old man was entirely sane -and entirely serious. Just think; if you had a lot of money to leave and -no one to leave it to (he didn't know _you_, remember, when he wrote -this!), except a set of good-for-nothing scamps like these Strongs, -and"-- - -As Jack referred to Strong by name, I glanced up at the sleeping form of -that individual, whose very existence I had forgotten for the last few -minutes in the excitement of examining the money-box and its contents, -and to my horror I distinctly saw that his eyes were wide open, and that -he was both looking and listening with every faculty at high pressure. -He closed his eyes the instant he saw me look up, and was, apparently, -as fast asleep as ever. - -I whispered my discovery to Jack, but that practical person was not in -the least discouraged. - -"Much good may it do him!" he said. "Take a copy of the map of the -island, though," he added, "and of the instructions." - -And this I did, then and there. - -It was, of course, useless after this to attempt to conceal our -discovery from James Strong and his companion. We therefore determined -to take the bull by the horns--in other words, to inform them we had -found all there was to be found, and that, consequently, we intended to -depart, in order to return presently to England. - -It fell to me to undertake the duty of making this communication to my -fellow-competitors. I did not care for the job, but, desiring to get it -over, I plunged "into the middle of things" at breakfast, in the -morning. - -"James Strong," I said, "I think I ought to inform you that I have found -what we all came to seek, and that it is all up with your chance and -Clutterbuck's. I should recommend you to return quietly to England, and -if you give me no further trouble I shall take no further steps about -the affair at Las Palmas." - -"You're a pretty cool hand, I will say," said Strong, forcing a laugh. -"And you won't take steps about Las Palmas, won't you? You are too -generous to live, hang me if you aren't! And do you suppose I'm going -to keep quiet about my brother's murder?" - -"Take proceedings against the lion by all means," said Jack with a -laugh. "What a fool you are, James Strong! Why can't you talk sense -among grown men? We are not schoolboys, my friend; you can't frighten -us that way. Now, what do you want for your spoilt guns--the three of -them?" - -"Curse you and your money!" said Strong; "we shall see what I want for -my spoilt guns when we get back to England." - -"Very well," said Jack; "then I shall settle with Mr. Clutterbuck." - -We did settle with him, paying him one hundred pounds for the three -burned guns, to which Jack generously added another hundred pounds for -expenses, advising Clutterbuck to return to England at once, and to -have, in future, as little to do with Mr. James Strong as circumstances -permitted; and this advice Clutterbuck promised to take to heart. I -certainly considered Henderson's settlement in the matter of guns and -expenses an extremely generous one. - -Then those two rode away from the field, leaving me the conqueror. My -victory was a barren one, as I feared; but still, I had found all there -was to find, and Jack had quite persuaded me by this time to follow up -my success, and to treat old Clutterbuck and his "message from the tomb" -with perfect seriousness--nay, I was determined that I would have that -hundred thousand pounds if I had to seek it in the ends of the earth, -and to dig up half a continent to find it! - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - - *LOST!* - - -As for Jack and me, since we had in our pockets the map of the spot in -which the treasure lay awaiting our pleasure to come and dig it up, and -since James Strong could not possibly know to what quarter of the world -we had been directed, or, indeed, any part of the purport of the miser's -eccentric letter, we determined to enjoy a week or two of real sport -before returning to civilisation and the digging of treasures in high -latitudes. - -We had given Strong no weapons, since we could not trust him; but to -Clutterbuck, who was nervous of travelling unarmed, we presented my old -revolver, choked as it was with lead, together with a handful of -cartridges, Clutterbuck vowing by all his gods never to give the weapon -to Strong, or even to let that untrustworthy person know that he had it. - -After he had made us this solemn promise, I revealed to Clutterbuck a -plan I had thought of for clearing the barrel. It was simple enough. -All he would have to do would be to heat the jammed portion of the -barrel in the fire, when the lead would quickly melt and come out. - -James Strong's face was a study as he rode away with his companion, and -Jack made the remark that he would not for a good sum be in -Clutterbuck's shoes and have to ride back all the way to Vryburg, if not -to Cape Town, with such a murderous-looking, scowling ruffian as James -Strong in his present temper. - -"Oh, well," I said; "Clutterbuck's the grey mare this time. It's he -that has the pistol, and therefore the last word." - -"Yes, if he can keep it," said Jack sagaciously. "But I should be -surprised to hear that the poor chap reaches Cape Town in company with -his share of the two hundred pounds or the revolver either. However, -that's not our affair. I hope we've seen the last of both of them for -many a long day, or for ever; and the latter for choice." - -After this, for a space, we gave my co-heirs no further attention, but -devoted ourselves entirely to the delights of sport. - -We first rode back to the village of Ngami in order to see whether our -ox-waggon and hunters had arrived, but did not find them waiting for us, -as we had hoped might be the case. We therefore decided to employ the -hours or days of waiting in a little impromptu sport in the -neighbourhood. - -We had no guide, and were without any very large stock of ammunition for -the light rifles which we had brought with us; therefore, we agreed, it -would be foolish to venture too far into the bush. It would be well too, -if possible, to keep our conical hill in sight as a landmark in our -guideless wanderings. - -So away we rode into the jungle, with our rifles slung over our -shoulders, half a hundred cartridges apiece disposed about our persons, -a blanket each, plenty of matches, very little food of any kind,--for we -would shoot our dinner day by day,--and, lastly, with old Clutterbuck's -absurd but invaluable "message from the tomb" buttoned up safely within -the inner pocket of my Norfolk jacket, and a copy thereof in Jack's -secret waistcoat lining in case of accidents. - -It was a somewhat unfortunate circumstance that we went astray at the -very outset. A herd of beautiful elands crossed the open before our -very eyes, and we did the most natural thing for Englishmen of our age: -we tally-ho'd and galloped away in pursuit; and a fine chase those -elands led us, heading straight for the jungle a couple of miles farther -away. - -Up to this point our conduct had been that of fairly sane men; but no -sooner did the big antelopes disappear, at a distance of some two -hundred yards in front of us, into the dense forest, than without a -thought we plunged in after them, gaining rapidly upon the hindermost, -at which we had fired three shots as we rode, and which--with rare bad -luck for the eland, for we were not accustomed to firing at full -gallop--we had wounded. - -We rode madly into the thick cover, straining every nerve to overtake -our prey. We could hear them crashing their way through the trees, very -close at hand, and this excited us to even greater exertion. - -The result was a foregone conclusion. When, a quarter of an hour later, -we succeeded in overtaking the wounded beast and administering the _coup -de grāce_, and had admired to the full the splendid proportions of the -beautiful dead animal at our feet, it struck us that we had perhaps done -a rash thing in venturing into this jungle. - -"I wonder where we are?" one of us remarked laughingly. - -"Do you remember the way out of this place?" asked Jack of me, looking -around him. - -The tangled growths on every side were of such density that it was -impossible to see fifty yards in any direction. - -"We must follow our tracks back, I suppose," I said. "That won't be -difficult, will it, as the elands crashed through the same way?" - -Jack did not think it would be very difficult, neither did I. Yet, -after we had ridden back for a few hundred yards we came to a place -where the right way might be any one of three ways; for either our herd -had dispersed at this spot, or other companies of deer or other wild -animals had passed, making several trampled tracks which our -inexperienced eyes could not distinguish from our own, and any one of -which might, as I say, be the right one. - -"This is the way, I believe," said Jack, showing one trampled path. - -But I was almost sure that the right course was not this, but another. -We argued; we laughed; we grew serious; we argued again; but all that we -said and adduced in support of our respective contentions only tended to -puzzle us both the more. In the end we were no nearer a solution of the -difficulty, but rather, if possible, further away; for I believe it is a -fact that we were both so muddled by the arguments, and by the general -sameness of the look of the place in every direction, that we neither of -us knew at last which trampled path we had selected in the first -instance to swear by. I daresay I changed over to Jack's and he to -mine. - -At all events, we eventually agreed to one thing, and that was that we -were most distinctly and decidedly lost. - -We climbed a tall tree or two in the hope of thus seeing, over the heads -of the rest, our old friend the conical hill; but not a thing could we -detect near or far but the waving tops of other trees in apparently -endless lines of hopelessly innumerable and impenetrable leaf-screens. - -We inspected every apology for a track until it branched off into two or -more other paths. We rode for several hours, absolutely ignorant -whether we went deeper into the forest or towards the open out of which -we had entered it, until at last Jack pulled up, tied his horse to a -tree, and threw himself down on the ground, rolling from side to side in -a paroxysm of laughter, which I found very contagious and in which I -joined immediately. - -Of course, there was nothing to laugh at that I knew of; on the -contrary, our position was somewhat serious. Nevertheless, I laughed -simply because Jack did, until he suddenly looked up and pointed, and -then at last I saw the reason of his mirth. Our dead eland lay about -fifteen paces from us. We had ridden for four or five hours, and had -returned to the spot from which we had started!--at which discovery I -laughed again until I nearly cried. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - - *HOW WE BURIED OURSELVES ALIVE FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE* - - -"Talk of returning to one's mutton!" said Jack; "here's our venison!" - -I confess I was uncommonly glad to see that eland; for since breakfast I -had scarcely tasted food, and the prospect of camping out for the night -upon a little tinned meat and a couple of biscuits had not presented -itself to my imagination in the brightest of colours. - -Under the soothing influence of roast venison, however, and a -comfortable fire, our prospects for the night brightened very -considerably, our only source of anxiety for the present being the want -of a "long drink." We had our brandy-flasks still nearly full, for we -were resolved to keep the spirits for medicinal purposes only; but as -the stuff was unmixed with water, we were unable to satisfy our thirst -by means of a pull from the flask. We were lucky enough, however, to -come across a kei-apple tree which provided us with a kind of dessert; -not particularly luxurious certainly, but palatable enough to thirsty -souls with nothing to drink. - -That night passed without adventure. We heard wild animals in the -distance, but none came very near us, and if they had we were growing -accustomed to them by this time, and my spell of night-watching was -passed without serious attacks of "creeps" and "horrors," such as had -rendered my first night or two in the bush periods of mental torture to -me. - -On the morrow we breakfasted upon more of our eland, and cut and cooked -sundry slices to take away with us. Our Kaffir apples again served as -substitutes for "drinkables," but I think either Jack or I would have -given pretty nearly all we were worth for a cup of tea or a drink of -water. - -"We must get out of this jungle to-day, Peter," said Jack, "and find -some water; kei-apples are not good enough." - -I quite agreed. We must get out of this jungle, if only for the sake of -having a long drink. - -Our horses, which had filled themselves with the cactus-like growths -abounding at our feet--elephant's-foot, or Hottentot bread, and other -delicacies of a like nature--were presumably as anxious to find water as -we were. They carried us in whatsoever direction we urged them, but -went listlessly, as though by no means in love with our enterprise. - -When we had wandered thus for a few hours, and were growing somewhat -depressed by reason of our continued failure to find a way out of the -jungle, I proposed to Jack to allow the horses to go where they liked. - -"They can't make a worse business of it than we have done," I added; -"and they may possibly be guided by instincts which we don't possess." - -"Good idea," said Jack; "we'll try it." - -The result was rather astonishing. - -Those two sagacious creatures, feeling their bridles loose upon their -necks, and recognising that they were to be permitted to go where they -pleased, pricked up their ears and started off at a quick walk. - -"I wonder if they really know where they are going, or whether this is -only a kind of 'swagger'?" said Jack. It certainly seemed as though -they knew all about it. Why should they not, after all, as well as any -other animal that is wild and has a vested interest in the forest? -Horses came originally from a wild stock, and doubtless possess the -inheritance of their species--namely, the instinctive power to find -their way unerringly from point to point as well through pathless jungle -as over the easy open. - -At any rate, our good steeds had scarcely travelled an hour without our -interference when we saw to our delight that the forest grew thinner and -the light stronger, and a few minutes later we were actually in the -open, with the jungle behind us. We could see our conical hill in the -distance, but on the other side of the belt of forest through which we -had so laboriously passed. It was also clear to us that there existed a -way to Ngami, skirting the forest, which would obviate for us the -necessity to plunge again into those dangerous fastnesses; and this -discovery was a great relief to our feelings, for it would have been a -sore test, to my nerves at least, to re-enter those dark shades in order -to get into the road for home. - -Meanwhile our horses walked briskly onwards, as though determined to see -through the matter which had been entrusted to their instinct; and -whether my readers believe it or not, it is nevertheless the fact that -they travelled as straight as the bee flies, never diverging by a yard -from their line, until presently they brought us up on the banks of a -wide stream, into whose cool current they promptly plunged their noses, -and we ours, in very abandonment to the luxurious delight of -thirst-quenching. - -This little adventure, or misadventure, was a lesson to us, and a most -useful one, throughout our wanderings in search of big game during the -next month or more; and as at this time we passed through several -"'scapes" and incidents of an interesting if alarming kind I now purpose -to set down one or two of these for the benefit of those of my readers -who have a taste for adventure and wild beasts. I do not mean to -describe in detail the whole of our month of jungle life, but merely to -pick out an incident or two as samples of the rest, for an average -volume would not contain the narrative of all we saw and did during -those momentous thirty days. - -Jack and I slept that night by the river which the instinct of our -horses (as I suppose) had discovered for us; and, it being a warm -evening, we determined to do without a camp fire for once, and to -conceal ourselves by means of deep holes dug in the ground, in which we -would crouch with our heads and shoulders concealed in the scrub, or by -boughs lopped from tree and bush. We had heard of hunters adopting this -plan at spots by a river's bank to which wild animals were in the habit -of coming down to drink at night, in order to obtain easy shots from -their ambush at the unsuspecting lion, leopard, antelope, elephant, or -what not, that came to slake its thirst at the stream. - -So Jack and I dug holes, being provided with spades brought for quite a -different purpose, and lopped heaps of branches and scrub with our -hunting-knives; and when darkness fell we got into our graves, a yard or -two apart, within whispering distance, and piled branches and greenery -around the mouths of each pit so that we might put our heads and -shoulders out, if need be, and still not be seen; and then we waited for -developments. - -The night was full of a holy calm, warm and still, and instinct with a -kind of sense of waiting for something to happen. One felt that the -silence and peace were very delicious, but that this sort of thing could -not continue long, and must not, for it would grow intolerable after a -while. - -Then, just as one began to weary of the strain of the stillness and -utter noiselessness, a leopard, or some such creature, came to the -rescue, far away, and roared half a dozen times on end. - -I thought, and whispered my conviction to Jack in the next grave, that -this habit of roaring when about to go a-hunting was a very foolish -trait in leopards, tigers, and other beasts of prey. It amounted to -calling out, "Now, then, all you fat deer and juicy antelopes, you'd -better clear out or I'll have you for supper!" - -Jack said it reminded him of a master at school, who used to call out -"_Cave_, gentlemen, _cave_!" before going the round of the studies, and -was, in consequence, the favourite master in the school. - -I was just beginning to propound my opinion as to which was the greater -and which the lesser fool, the master or the leopard, when suddenly a -sound as of a gust of wind broke in upon us, came nearer, disintegrated -itself into the noise of the scurrying of many feet, and in a moment we -were in the midst of a splendid squad of antelopes, plunging, bucking, -kicking, boring, leaping, grunting, squeaking,--all intent upon the -water, and each creature apparently in mortal fear lest its companions -should drain the supply before it had its share. - -One or two of the beautiful little animals actually leaped over my head -as I ducked to avoid being kicked, and I put out my hand and patted -another which stood close by, to its unspeakable surprise and terror, -causing it to dive madly in among its fellows and raise a pandemonium in -the ranks, for which, I am sure, the rest could have discerned no -reason. Probably my friend obtained the character of being a mad -antelope among his companions from that night forward. - -All this--the confusion and the trampling of the mud at the water's edge -and the drinking--lasted about five minutes; then, as though they had -suddenly realised that they were doing an exceedingly rash and foolish -thing, the whole family, as with one accord, turned right about and -galloped away into the darkness. A moment--and they were here; -another--and they were gone thither whence they came, and where that -was, no man knows. - -What had startled them? The plunging of our horses, perhaps; for those -poor picketed beasts were, for some reason or other, very nervous, and -we could hear them stamping their hoofs and shaking their heads as -though anxious to break away. A hyena or two were prowling about in the -neighbourhood, disagreeably noisy as usual, but the horses could -scarcely be nervous on their account. - -Suddenly all is explained: the hasty "skedaddle" of the antelope herd; -the agitation of our horses; the sudden hush of all voices of the -forest. Somebody is arriving--a great and majestic and terrific -personage, at whose coming my coward heart goes with a jump into my -boots. It is a lion--and a hungry one! - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - - *A NIGHT WITH A LION* - - -Without a sound, without a roar, without warning of any kind whatever, -the great creature is suddenly standing before us. He was on his way to -the river, doubtless, and became aware, by means of his acute gift of -scent, that visitors were somewhere in the neighbourhood. - -This is Leo Rex; and he is saying to himself, "Well, I may be mistaken, -but unless I were assured to the contrary I should be inclined to think -that there was a man about! Yes, I am sure of it. And--yes, upon my -life, horse too; is it horse, now, or bullock? Certainly something -civilised--horse it is! Well, now, this is really very surprising and -delightful! You are in luck to-night, your majesty! Let me see, shall -it be man first or horse, or a long drink?" - -Then the king decides that he will first roar. That, he thinks, will -start the game. At present he does not know _exactly_ where the man is; -after a good roar from him there will probably be a rustle and a bolt; -as when a terrier gives tongue at a thorn bush in order to set a-running -the rabbit that lurks therein. - -So the great king set up a terrific roar, and the immediate effect -was--besides nearly deafening Jack and me, and frightening me half out -of my wits--to terrify our poor horses to such an extent that both broke -away at the same moment and fled. We heard the clatter of their hoofs as -they galloped away into the sanctuary of the darkness, and we could make -out also that the great beast standing so close to us raised his head to -listen. - -I daresay he was blaming himself in the worst feline language for being -so foolish as to drive away good food in this way. I do not know for -certain what he thought, for at this moment Jack took his turn at the -game of startling poor me, and, before I had any idea of his intention, -crashed off first one barrel and then the other, the two reports being -almost simultaneous. - -I do not know how it was, but I had not thought of shooting; I do not -think my rifle was out of the pit. It had been understood between us -that we were to observe, this night, not kill; the fact being, of -course, that we had not expected a lion to come down to the water, but -at most a herd or two of antelopes or zebras, or perhaps an eland. I -was not prepared for action when Jack fired, and the succeeding events -somewhat took me aback. - -It all happened in a single moment, however, so that my confusion did -not last more than a second or two at most. It was like this: at Jack's -shot the huge brute first gave forth the most awful roar that ever -assailed human ears, then in an instant it launched itself into the air, -alighting, as I saw to my horror, exactly upon the spot from which Jack -had fired. Probably the smoke hung over the place and attracted it. - -For an instant I gave up Jack for lost, and the sudden horror of the -catastrophe so paralysed me that I had neither thought nor power of -action. The next moment the idea came to me that I might at least -discharge my rifle into the brute's body, and perhaps prevent it from -carrying poor dead Jack into the jungle and eating him there. - -The lion was standing over Jack, roaring loud enough to be heard at the -Cape, and doubtless tearing the flesh from my friend's bones; but it was -too dark to see anything. I could distinguish an opaque mass standing -close at my elbow, and I knew this to be the lion; but it was impossible -to discern what he was doing. - -I put my rifle to my shoulder, but could not see the sights; then I -stretched the weapon to arm's length until I could feel the end of it -against the brute's ribs, and pulled the trigger--both triggers. - -I thought that the great roar to which he had previously treated us had -been a fairly effective production, but a terrific noise, half roar, -half bellow, to which he now gave vent, put the first completely into -the shade. At the same time the brute, so far as I could distinguish, -seemed to rise up on his hind legs, paw the air, and fall over -backwards. - -I thought of dead Jack, and fury lent me courage; I reloaded both -barrels of my rifle, climbed out of my pit, and placing the muzzle once -more to the brute's side--though he lay quite still and did not seem to -require a second dose--I fired both cartridges simultaneously. At the -same moment a wonderful thing happened. - -Out of the pit in which he had lain hid suddenly popped Jack's head, and -Jack's voice cheerily hailed me. - -"Peter, old man!" it said, "I'm really awfully obliged to you!" At the -words so fierce a flood of joy rushed up to my throat that all utterance -was choked and I could say nothing. "You have saved a very precious -life," continued Jack. "Do you know the brute was simply feeling for me -with his claws when you fired and stopped his game? Look here!" - -It was not of much use to look, for the night was pitch dark; but I may -say that afterwards, by the firelight, I was somewhat shocked to observe -that Jack's Norfolk jacket about the left shoulder was torn to shreds, -and that his arm was considerably scratched beneath it. If the pit had -been an inch or two shallower, Jack's arm would have been lacerated in a -fearful way; as it was, the brute only just touched him. - -We found the lion was as dead as a post when we had fired some brushwood -and were able to examine him, which we did without loss of time, for it -was unpleasant to feel that the brute might possibly be still alive, and -gathering up his dying energies for a little _vendetta_, to be enacted -upon us so soon as one of us should come within grabbing distance of -that tremendous mouth of his! - -I confess that I was very proud and happy over that dead lion. It was -"my bird" undoubtedly; for though Jack was a crack shot and had fired -both barrels at it, at a distance of about ten paces, or not much more, -yet he had missed it clean. He could not see the end of his rifle, he -explained, and had simply pointed the weapon according to the grace that -was in him, hoping for the best results. The results were a clean miss -and a big lion sitting, as he picturesquely put it, on the top of his -head and digging at his arm. As a matter of fact, I believe this is -what happened: the lion, enraged by the shot, instantly sprang towards -the only visible thing that it could see, which was the white smoke of -Jack's rifle. - -It had alighted with its great carcass stretched over the pit, the hind -legs short of the aperture, head and shoulders beyond it, but one of its -front legs happened to fall just inside the hole; and it was in -struggling to regain its footing and draw its great arm out of the -mysterious hole into which it had fallen, that the brute spoiled Jack's -coat and very nearly spoiled his arm and shoulder as well. - -My shots came at the right moment, and the mystery which that lion must -have already felt to exist with regard to the banging and the hole in -the ground, and things in general, was, for that lion, never solved. He -went away to the Happy Hunting Grounds with his last moments in this -world made mysterious by unguessable and incomprehensible riddles, -leaving me a very proud and elated young person. - -Perhaps other lions who have been shot by a visible creature, and with -whom my first victim has by this time scraped acquaintance in those -shady retreats, have now explained it all for him, and have described -what an artful, tricky, fire-spitting, incomprehensible race are we -humans, who have about as much strength in our whole bodies as lions -have in one muscle of their forearms, but who can nevertheless spit fire -at a lion from the other end of nowhere, and burn him up in an instant -from out of sight. - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - - *OUR TRUSTY NIGGER TO THE RESCUE* - - -We did not attempt to skin that lion, for the best of reasons--because -we did not know how. - -Simple Jack was very much inclined to try, because, said he, it could -not be very difficult. He had heard that if one cut it straight down -the proper place one could pull the whole skin clean off over the -beast's head, like a fellow having his football jersey pulled off after -a match. But I did not encourage his enterprising spirit in this -matter, because I did not think Jack's theory would "come off," or the -lion's skin either. - -We made up a splendid fire after this adventure, and passed the rest of -the night in comfort and self-laudation. We could not expect to see -much more animal life out of our pit ambushes after all the banging and -talking in which we had indulged. - -But we heard several hyenas--probably the pilots and squires of Lord -Leo, departed--which came around and said a great many things in -derisive tones, as it seemed to us; but whether they intended thereby to -rejoice over the downfall of a tyrant, or to abuse us for depriving them -of their patron and food-provider; or whether, again, they were -addressing their remarks to the lion himself, ignorant of his death, and -assuring him, wherever he might be, that he was wasting invaluable time, -inasmuch as two fat and juicy young men were ready and waiting for his -kind attention down by the river, I really cannot say, not knowing -hyenese. - -But this I know, that once, when Jack and I had both (oh, how -imprudently!) just dozed off for a few minutes of repose, I suddenly -awoke to the consciousness--like a person in a ghost story--that we were -"not alone." - -Up I started, and up started Jack also, aroused by the same sound that -had awakened me. What was it?--another lion? - -Not only was it not another lion, but lion number one had disappeared. -We sat up and rubbed our eyes. We stood up and looked carefully around, -and asked one another what in the name of all that was mysterious was -the meaning of it? - -At the sound of our voices there was a scuffle behind the scrub close in -front of us, and a pattering of feet; growlings, moanings, yelpings -followed the scuffle: and we ran, rifle in hand, to solve the mystery. - -There lay our lion, dragged from the spot in which he had died, and -there, under the lee of a prickly-pear bush, his friends the hyenas -would, in another minute or two, have torn him to pieces. - -I did not know then that the hyenas would have eaten their lord and -patron. It struck me that they had dragged away his carcass in order to -hide it, in honour, from his enemies, perhaps to bury it. I mentioned -this to Jack, who laughed rudely. - -"Bury it?" he said. "Yes; in their stomachs." - -I had conceived quite a wrong idea of the relations between the hyena -and the lion, it appeared. The respect of the former for the latter, I -now know, though great during life, vanishes with the breath of his -nostrils. The hyena flatters and adores the lion while he can roar and -kill food for him; but when the lion dies the hyena instantly eats him -if he can get hold of the royal carcass. - -The morning after our exploit with the lion, which had first so nearly -eaten Jack and afterwards been itself so nearly devoured by hyenas, we -left our quarry to take care of itself, for this was the only course -open to us, and went on foot towards Ngami, leaving it on the ground at -the mercy of vultures or hyenas, or anything else that should smell it -out and descend upon it. We went on foot, because our horses had broken -away and departed, as we feared "for good," whither we knew not. - -But to our great joy and surprise, when we reached a grassy glade near -the village (having walked about ten miles from the spot in which we had -passed the night), we suddenly came upon them feeding quietly, with -their torn halters dangling on the ground, neither surprised nor -disconcerted to see us. - -They allowed themselves, moreover, to be caught by us, which was really -exceedingly obliging of them, for there they were with the whole of -Africa to run about in if they pleased, and no one to prevent them; and -yet they submitted tamely to be placed once more under the yoke, and to -enter into bondage upon the old conditions! - -At the village of Ngami we found our waggon, with its, to us, invaluable -accompaniment of native hunter and Kaffir driver, and its welcome load -of little luxuries such as bottled beer, and big luxuries such as -express rifles, with other delights. - -The native hunter was a Somali, and knew a little English. His name, -for those who liked it, was M'ngulu; but we felt that we could never do -justice to such a name as that without a special education, and called -him "M" for short. He had convoyed other bands of young English -sportsmen, and knew enough English words to convey his meaning when he -wanted anything, such as tobacco, which he called "to-bac," or whiskey, -which he called "skey," but which, since we soon found that he was -better without it, we never offered him. - -I do not think our Kaffir driver had a name of his own; we called him -"Nig," or, sometimes "Hi!" and he was equally pleased with either, being -an extremely good-natured person. - -M'ngulu, or M, took to us at once. I think it was on account of the -lion of the previous night, to whose remains we very quickly introduced -him. I had made sure that the hyenas would have picked its bones by the -time we reached the spot, but, to my joy, there the brute lay, -untouched. As we neared the place, however, three huge vultures rose -from a tree close by and flapped lazily away to another a few yards -farther down the bank, which showed that we were only just in time to -save our property. - -It was a treat to see M skin that lion, or any other animal. There was -no mystery about the proceeding when _he_ had a hand in it. Off came -the skin as easily as if the fellow were divesting himself of his -waistcoat, which, by the bye, is a garment that he did not actually -wear. When I come to think of it, I am afraid I should be puzzled to -tell you what M _did_ wear. I do not think it can have been much, or I -should have remembered it. - -When M saw that we had really killed a lion, and without his assistance, -he evidently felt that he was in for a good thing. He had cast in his -lot with a couple of great sportsmen, and that was enough to make him -very happy. - -Those who had recommended M'ngulu to us informed us that he knew -Bechuanaland as well as most men know their own back gardens. You might -set him, they said, anywhere within a hundred or two miles of Vryburg, -blindfold; then remove the handkerchief and ask him where he was, and he -would tell you. I do not know that this was an exaggeration. I am -certain that we, at all events, never succeeded in finding a place which -he did not know, or pretend to. - -M now desired to be informed where we wanted to go to, and in pursuit of -what game? - -"Oh, elephant," said Jack. "Let's have a turn after the elephants -first, Peter; don't you think so?" - -I did, and remarked forthwith to M'ngulu, interrogatively, "Elephants?" - -"Oh, elfunts," said M. "M'ngulu know--not here--come." - -And M'ngulu took a turn to the north-east and went away with us after -those elephants, up through the continent of Africa, as though he knew -every clump of trees from sea to sea, and all that dwelt therein. - -Wherever the elephant country may have been, we occupied a week in -getting there; a week, however, which was not wasted, but which was full -of adventure and delight; of days spent in stalking or tracking, and of -nights luxuriously passed within the waggon under the comfortable -knowledge that M'ngulu lay asleep without by the fireside with one eye -open, and that if a lion or any other large beast were to move a whisker -within a mile or so, M would know the reason why. - -And at length one day, as we passed by a dense copse of trees whose -appearance was unfamiliar to us, M remarked, "This right tree; elfunt -like him not far now!" from which we inferred that we had passed into a -district which produced the food beloved by the big creatures we had -come to find. - -Soon after this we made a camp, by M'ngulu's directions, and left the -waggon under the care of the Nig, to whom we presented a rifle for use -in case of accidents, and departed, all three of us, on horseback into -the jungle. - -Jack said that it was to be hoped no one would alarm Nig and cause him -to wish to fire that rifle; for that would be a fatal moment for poor -Nig, who knew no more about firearms than he did about the rule of -three. Nig spoke English fairly well, and we asked him at parting what -he would do if attacked by a lion? Whereupon the Kaffir seized his -rifle (which was loaded), and waved it wildly about his head (with -accompaniment of bad language and war dance), in a fashion that caused -us to ride away in great haste over the veldt, and not to draw rein -until we were well out of range of his weapon. It was on the second day -after leaving camp that we saw our first elephant, and made our -acquaintance for the first time with an animal actually and undoubtedly -"possessed," and a pretty lively introduction it was for us! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI* - - *THE BAD ELEPHANT* - - -We were riding slowly, in Indian file, through a rather dense belt of -forest, M leading, when that worthy suddenly drew up and slowly turned -his head round to shoot a warning glance at us. When he did this old M -always looked so exactly like a setter drawing up to a point, that it -was all Jack and I could do to avoid laughing aloud. - -At this particular moment, laughter or anything else of a noisy -description would have been a grave mistake, for M was very much in -earnest. He beckoned us up to him, and pointed to a tree which had been -almost stripped of its leaves and smaller twigs, and said, "Elfunt--bad -elfunt!" - -"Why _bad_?" whispered Jack to me; "and how does he know whether it is -bad or good?" - -To this I could give no reply, for I could not imagine wherein consisted -the goodness or the badness of an elephant. There did not appear to me -to be anything peculiarly wicked in an animal helping itself to its -natural and favourite food without M'ngulu's leave; and I confess that -up to this point my sympathies were in favour of the elephant and -against his traducer, M; but I was to learn presently that this elephant -was a very bad animal indeed--a really wicked creature without one -redeeming feature about his character. - -It seems that the acute M'ngulu formed his opinion as to the elephant -upon whose traces he had suddenly chanced by the manner in which he had -eaten his breakfast. He had not only stripped the tree, but had -savagely pulled it about and broken its branches, scattering bits far -and wide, and from this fact M promptly concluded that he was a bad or -"rogue" elephant--namely, one who by reason of his evil temper has found -it impossible to remain with the herd to which he belongs, and has -therefore separated himself or been forcibly separated from his fellows, -and has departed to vent his fury, in future, upon trees, or strangers, -or anything that is encountered. - -"You know," said Jack, when we discussed this question together -afterwards, "it's a capital idea! Why don't we fellows of the human -persuasion adopt the plan? Fancy, if one could always banish sulky -chaps, at school or anywhere, and send them away to rage about the place -until they recovered their senses and returned mild and reasonable!" - -I said that I scarcely thought the plan would work in polite society, -because, though the community to which he belonged would no doubt be -excellently well rid of the rampageous one, the rest of the world would -probably object to his being at large, and would likely enough return -him to the fold in several pieces. - -M'ngulu followed up that elephant, by some mysterious process of his -own, for two hours, at the end of which period we had drawn so close to -the quarry that we could distinctly hear him somewhere in front of us, -still breakfasting, apparently in his own distinctively "roguish" way, -for there was a sound of continual rending and tearing of branches, and -the ground here and there was littered with wasted food which, Jack -whispered, might have been given to the elephantine poor instead of -being chucked about in this ruthless way! - -A minute or two more, and M'ngulu stopped, sitting motionless upon his -horse, finger to lip. Wondering and excited, we followed his example, -sitting like two statues. - -Presumably M'ngulu had caught sight of the elephant, but I could see -nothing of the brute; neither could Jack, it appeared, for he craned his -neck to this side and that, and looked excited but vacant. The rending -noise had ceased. Doubtless the "rogue" was becoming suspicious; -perhaps he had heard us, or seen us, or scented us. - -"That's the worst of having a Somali hunter," whispered Jack; "one _can_ -smell them quite a long way off! Any fool of an elephant ought to"-- - -But Jack's frivolity was suddenly broken off at this moment by a loud -ejaculation from M'ngulu, who turned swiftly about at the same instant -and whipped up his horse, shouting out something to us in his native -lingo, which we took for instructions to follow his example. - -Off we scudded, all three of us, separating as we went; and as we turned -and fled I heard a sound which was somewhat terrifying to the -inexperienced--a shrieking, trumpeting noise, accompanied by the -crashing of trees and shuffling of great limbs; and I knew, without -being told, that the "bad" elephant had taken this hunt into his own -hands. - -In spite of all the noise and circumstance affording unmistakable -evidence that our friend the "rogue" was really close at hand, I had not -caught sight of him up to this time, and it was only when M'ngulu had -galloped away in one direction and Jack and I (rather close together) in -another, and when the elephant had very wisely selected M to pursue, -that we two got our first glimpse of him. - -He was a huge fellow, and he looked very much in earnest as, with his -big, sail-like ears stretched to their full width on either side of his -head, his trunk uplifted and his tail cocked, he went crashing after our -nimble nigger, trumpeting and squealing like a steam-engine gone mad. I -felt some anxiety on M'ngulu's account as pursuer and pursued -disappeared in the dense depths of the jungle through which we had come. - -M was by far the worst mounted of the three of us, and was armed only -with one of our small rifles, a bullet from which might stop an elephant -once in a thousand shots, and, certainly, would do nothing of the sort -the other nine hundred and ninety-nine times. It would appear that the -angry brute had appreciated these facts in choosing M'ngulu to vent his -fury upon instead of one of us, for we were armed with our express -rifles, bought by Jack with a view to this very work, and we were -besides, much better mounted than our good nigger. - -But we need not have feared for M'ngulu. That acute person knew very -well indeed what he was about; and as Jack and I still sat wondering -whether we ought to follow in his tracks, or whether M would have the -gumption to bring the elephant round so as to pass within easy shot of -us, we became aware that M'ngulu had proved himself to possess the -required quality, and was, indeed, at this moment approaching with the -elephant at his horse's heels. - -The first indication of this was a violent trembling and quaking on the -part of my horse as the crashing and trumpeting began to tend in our -direction instead of away. Jack's horse, on the contrary, showed signs -of a desire to bolt; and it was with difficulty that he restrained it -until, just as the hunt came in sight, the brute gave itself up to -complete terror, and, refusing all persuasion, twisted round and -galloped madly away in the opposite direction. - -Mine showed a less frantic disposition. Though it quaked and shook like -a man in an ague fit, it stood its ground and allowed me to bring my -heavy rifle to bear upon the furious brute as it came by. - -Away darted M'ngulu's terrified horse, making better pace than ever it -had made before this day, straining every nerve to keep ahead of the mad -brute behind it. Even old M looked a little nervous, I thought, -glancing back over his shoulder at the pursuing "rogue," and shouting -something to me as he flew by. I did not catch what he said. The -elephant was distinctly closer to his horse's heels now, than when, a -few minutes ago, they had disappeared in the jungle, and it certainly -seemed to me that it gained at every stride; no wonder poor M looked -nervous. A considerable responsibility attached to my shot, I felt; for -if I could not stop the brute he would undoubtedly have M or his horse -in another minute unless they contrived to dodge him. - -I could still hear Jack's horse crashing away in the distance, and -Jack's voice remonstrating with it very loudly and heartily; there was -no help to be expected from him in this crisis. - -All this takes so long to describe, while the thoughts themselves passed -like lightning through the brain. - -I brought my rifle to bear upon the brute as well as I could for the -trembling of my horse, and pulled the trigger just as it passed within -thirty yards of me, aiming for its heart, which I hoped and believed was -to be found just outside the top of the shoulder. I pulled both -triggers at once, feeling that this was a crisis, and that I should not -get another chance of putting two heavy balls in at a favourable -distance and in a vulnerable spot. - -The immediate effect of my shot was twofold. In the first place, the -recoil of the rifle from the double discharge was so great and -unexpected as to cause me to lose my balance and fall backwards clean -out of the saddle. That was the effect as it concerned myself. As for -the elephant, it stopped short in its career, falling forward upon its -knees, and smashing both of its fine tusks with the concussion. - -For a moment I fancied that I had killed it outright at a shot; but the -next I discovered that this was far from being the case, for in an -instant the great beast struggled to its feet and looked about it with -the nastiest expression in its eyes that ever disfigured the optics of -man or brute. Blood streamed down its side, but not from the shoulder -or near it; I had missed my mark by a good foot, and wounded it in the -ribs--badly no doubt, but not in such a manner as to render it -immediately harmless. - -I had fallen off my horse, as I explained, and was at this moment behind -it, with one foot in the stirrup, about to remount, watching the -elephant over the top of the saddle, uncertain whether it would be wiser -to trust to my horse's legs or my own; and whether, indeed, there would -be time to mount and get under way before the brute discovered us and -charged. - -The elephant did not allow much opportunity for reflection. He turned -his head in our direction as soon as he was upon his feet, and of course -saw my terrified horse. - -Up went his trunk, out went his great ears, forth bellowed his scream of -rage. Silenced as he had been, for a moment or two, by the sudden shock -of his wound and his fall, he was doubly furious and vindictive now by -reason of the pain he had been caused, and in less time than is occupied -by the pious British man who calls at need upon his patron saint, Jack -Robinson, the great animal was in full descent upon my horse. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII* - - *I AM MOURNED FOR DEAD* - - -My steed was doomed; that was clear enough, for it still stood, helpless -and terrified, rooted to the spot and quaking with abject, nerveless -fear. Apparently terror had completely bereft it of the power to move, -for from the moment (only half a minute ago, in spite of all this talk -and telling!) when it caught sight of the "rogue" in full pursuit of -M'ngulu until now, it had stood with forefeet apart, ears cocked -forward, eyes and nostrils dilated, trembling and snorting, and -insensible to direction from the saddle. - -As for me, seeing that my horse was doomed, and that if I had still been -mounted I should probably have shared its fate, I thanked Heaven for my -escape and sprang back into the bush without further ado, leaving the -poor brute to its evil destiny. Safe behind a dense, thorny bush I was -free to reload my rifle and watch, if I desired it, the elephant's -behaviour with regard to his victim. - -This was not a very pleasant sight, and the idea of what would have -become of me had I remained in the saddle, trying to get the horse to -move, until too late, made me quite faint. It is enough to say that -when the "rogue" had done with the poor beast there was not an unbroken -bone in its body; for he had knelt upon it, danced upon it with his huge -feet, gored it with the stumps of his tusks, thrown it hither and -thither, and torn it to bits with his trunk, and, in a word, vented upon -it an abandonment of fury which was absolutely terrific to behold. - -So quickly did he perform his work, in the madness of his rage, that I, -who was obliged to set to work cautiously and with little movement for -fear of attracting his attention, had not finished loading my rifle when -the second act of the tragedy began. - -It was M'ngulu who reappeared next upon the boards. He came galloping -up, wailing and weeping at full voice, under the impression, I suppose, -that I had fallen a victim as well as my horse; and as he dashed past -the elephant's nose, he first spat at it and cursed it, and then fired -off his rifle in a very "promiscuous" manner, one handed. This, though -it did not injure the elephant, served to enrage him yet further; and -involved M'ngulu in a second race for life. - -Of this race and of its upshot I was not a witness, for our good nigger -and the raging "rogue" at his heels passed immediately out of my sight, -and it was only when I heard in the distance first one shot and then two -more that I knew where to look for the hunt. Having now reloaded my -rifle, I felt justified in rejoining the chase on foot; and careered -away at my best pace in the direction of the shooting. I presently -encountered both Jack and the nigger galloping back to meet me so -rapidly that I thought at first they were pursued, and hid myself behind -a tree in order to save my own skin and perhaps get a telling shot as -the brute passed me. But there was no elephant, and M'ngulu was weeping -and wailing, and Jack's face looked white and scared and haggard. - -"Jack!" I shouted as the pair rode by. "Hold on a bit! Where's the?"-- - -Jack pulled up in a instant, so did M, who ceased wailing on the spot, -and, jumping off his horse, commenced dancing around Jack and me in a -manner that made me suspect for a moment that the madness of the -elephant had infected him. - -"Good Heavens, man!" cried Jack, "I thought you were done for. This -fool of a nigger has been telling me you were dead--'White man Peter -dead--kill,' he has been saying, and crying and wailing fit to raise the -dead." - -"I wish he could raise my dead horse," I said; and I described to Jack -my own escape. - -"Great scissors!" cried Jack. And for some little time such foolish and -unmeaning expressions as "Cęsar!" "Snakes alive!" "Scissors!" and so on -were the only remarks I could get my friend to make. - -"I don't know which was the bigger fool," he said at last, "your horse -that wouldn't go or mine that wouldn't stay. This fool of a beast of -mine took me half a mile away before he would consent to return, and I -only got a look in at the hunt _then_ thanks to old M here, who kindly -brought the elephant to me as I was not allowed to go to the elephant." - -"Still," I said, "I think your horse was less of a fool than mine under -the circumstances. It's no fault of my poor brute that I was not made -jam of by that raging beast. By the bye, I suppose you killed it -between you, as you are here and the elephant is not?" - -"He's dead," said Jack. "You made two good holes in him, but in the -wrong place. M'ngulu brought him by me, and I put in a lovely -bull's-eye in the forehead. He went down like a sheep, but struggled -upon his knees again. Then I put in a second near the same spot, and M -fired off his piece and nearly knocked my cap off--he never went near -the elephant. He is a free cannonader, is M; I don't think we'll give -him rifles to hold in future, Peter--at least, not loaded ones." - -We were now at the scene of the bad elephant's demise, and Jack showed -me where he had stood, and where M'ngulu, and how it had all happened. -M's bullet had really passed very close to Jack's head, it appeared, for -the tree trunk was splintered by it a foot or two above the spot where -Jack had been standing. - -There lay the "bad 'un," terrible even in death; a big, vicious, mangy, -bony, ungainly elephant as ever went mad and was expelled by a -respectable herd. His tusks had been good, but they were spoiled by his -first fall, and though we collected the pieces, and M deftly dug out the -roots, they were useless as specimens. We made them over to M, however, -who sold them, I daresay, for a good price. - -After this we shot two or three other elephants before returning -southwards; but in each case it being we who hunted them and not they -us, as in the instance of the "bad 'un," the record of our achievements -would be uninteresting in comparison, and I shall leave the tale of them -to the imagination of my readers, who know well enough how the thing is -done, and resume the thread of our history proper, which must be pursued -without further digressions; and those who have skipped the hunting -adventures may now read on in the certainty that the Treasure business -will in future be strictly "attended to," and that they will not be -called upon to skip again, unless, indeed, it be from pure excitement in -the incidents of the legitimate story of the hidden money. - -Had we known it, we were on the brink, even now, of a very terrible -incident indeed. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII* - - *A RUDE AWAKENING* - - -Our hunting trip over, Jack and I left M'ngulu, our Somali hunter, and -the nigger driver in charge of the ox-waggon, which was to follow us at -leisure to Vryburg. On their arrival we purposed to sell oxen and -horses and waggon, pay off our men, and depart by train for Cape Town, -thence to England, and thence again to our new treasure island in the -Gulf of Finland. - -As on our ride from Vryburg, we now took nothing with us excepting our -light rifles and ammunition, our one remaining revolver, brandy, -blankets, a small supply of tinned food, and two small kegs of water (of -which we had learned the necessity by the bitter experience of our two -days' waterless wanderings in the jungle near Ngami). - -It was but a hundred or so of miles to Vryburg, but we were determined -to enjoy the return ride thoroughly, and to keep ourselves in food by -the way through the medium of our rifles, though we did not look to have -anything in the way of adventures, since our friends James Strong and -Clutterbuck were no longer by to afford us the excitement of a race to -the treasure ground, with its added interest of possible shots from -behind or from an ambush. - -I cannot say that I was sorry to feel that Strong was well out of the -way, and probably half-way to England by now. I do not like the -feeling, when travelling, that every tree may have an enemy behind it, -only waiting for an opportunity to put a bullet into you as you come -along. I am a plain man, and like a quiet manner of travelling -best--the civilised kind, without the excitement of ambushes and -cock-shots, and so on. - -We did not go far each day, for there was no hurry. M'ngulu and the -nigger were going to spend a few days at Ngami, to rest the oxen, before -starting after us; but we ourselves would rather pass our time in the -veldt than at Vryburg. So we hunted antelopes, and shot all manner of -birds that looked queer but tasted excellent, and we camped out at -night, and enjoyed life amazingly, as any two young Britons would under -similar circumstances; for we had had a successful and delightful -hunting expedition, and we were on our way home to England with the -secret of the treasure safely buttoned up in our breast pockets; the -object of our journey had been attained; the present moment was full of -delight--what could any man desire more than this? - -We were no longer afraid of lions at night. As a matter of fact, they -were rare enough so far south, and in all probability the one we had -shot at Ngami, before the waggon reached us, was the same animal which -had captured and devoured poor Strong, junior, that terrible night at -the treasure field. There were plenty farther north, as we well knew. -But now we were thirty or forty miles south of Ngami, and on the -highroad to Vryburg, and there was not much danger of a night surprise -from any of our old friends. - -Hence we were somewhat careless when on the watch over the camp fire. -Nominally we still took our sleep in turn and watched during the -interval; but as a matter of fact, the function of watching was honoured -by us in the breach more than in the observance, and it often happened -that we both slept soundly for hours together. Thus when, on the fourth -night, a most unexpected and alarming surprise broke over us, like a -thunderclap from a clear sky, we found that we had been living in a -fool's paradise. - -For once, old Jack--generally so much more to be depended upon than I, -being a more gifted person all round, and infinitely smarter and more -wide awake than your humble servant, the present scribe--old Jack, the -acute, was caught napping. It was his watch, and he ought, undoubtedly, -to have been awake--wide awake. Instead of that he was asleep--fast -asleep--when, as he described the event afterwards, he was awakened by -being stirred in the ribs by someone's foot. - -Assuming that it was I who took this liberty with him, Jack lashed out -with his own foot, and hacked someone violently upon the shin, eliciting -an oath which, I am glad to say, Jack instantly realised could not have -proceeded from lips so refined as mine. - -"Come, sit up!" said a strange and yet familiar voice, with added -expletives which I omit. It may be taken as understood that in the -subsequent conversation there was an oath to every three words of one of -the speakers, for this was a person who, I may tell you, was quite -unable to speak the Queen's English without a large admixture of strong -language: there are such people--more than are needed. - -Jack opened his eyes with a start, and recognised James Strong. Then he -twisted round and felt for his rifle, which lay at his side ready for -emergency; but he could not find it. - -Strong, who held a revolver in his left hand, laughed aloud. - -"No, no," he said; "I've seen to it; you taught me that trick, you know. -See there!" - -Jack followed Strong's eyes to the fire, and there he beheld the butts -of our two rifles blazing merrily among the twigs and logs. - -"Burn nicely, don't they?" said Strong. "Now chuck that revolver of -yours in. No, no! none of that, my lad; if you turn the muzzle anything -like in my direction I shoot. I can get mine off long before yours is -pointed my way. Drop it out of the pouch, anyhow it comes. You needn't -touch it. Open the pouch and shake it out--so!" - -Jack was obliged to obey, for Strong's revolver covered him all the -time, and Strong was a man to shoot in a moment if it suited him. -Jack's revolver fell at his feet. - -"Kick it towards me!" said Strong, and Jack was obliged to do so. -Strong kicked it into the fire. - -"Now then," he said, "that little matter being settled, hand me up the -letter you took from Clutterbuck's tin box." - -"I haven't it," said Jack; "Godfrey has it." - -"Turn out your pockets," said Strong. "You took a copy; I saw you do -it. Now, please, no shilly shally--out with everything." - -Strong turned over with his foot the few articles which Jack produced -from the pocket of his Norfolk jacket. The copy of our precious -document was not there. - -"Take off that waistcoat," said Strong; "Or, stay, what do I care where -you have hidden the blessed thing? Look here, I give you one minute to -produce it." - -There was nothing to be done. Poor Jack was obliged to reveal the -secret places of his waistcoat lining, and to bring out the required -document. What else could he do? The man with the revolver is bound to -have the last word. If I had been awake, instead of sleeping like a pig -by the fire, we might have had him; as it was, Jack was at his mercy. - -"Now," said Strong, "go away into the bush; step out one hundred yards, -and stay there while I negotiate this snoring tomfool here!" - -Jack, feeling, as he said afterwards, that a worm would have appeared a -dignified creature in comparison with himself, stepped out his hundred -yards, or pretended to; as a matter of fact he remained behind a thorn -bush about seventy paces away, determined to rush in at any risk if the -fellow threatened me any harm. - -Then Strong woke me as he had awakened Jack, by stirring me with his -foot, and I am thankful to think that I too "landed him one" for his -trouble; for I lashed out just as Jack did, and my foot certainly -encountered some portion of his frame, and as certainly elicited flowers -of speech which I omit. - -"Come, get up!" he said sulkily; "the game's played out." - -I started to my feet, feeling for my rifle; it was gone, as the reader -knows. Only half awake, I stared at Strong; then I looked round for -Jack, who had disappeared. - -Strong's revolver covered me all the while, just as he had held Jack in -peril of instant death. - -"Jack!" I screamed. I do not know what I thought. I believe I had an -awful fear that Strong had murdered and buried him. "Jack, where are -you?" To my intense relief Jack shouted back-- - -"All right, Peter; do as he tells you, just now!" - -Strong laughed loudly, and swore atrociously. - -"D'you hear that?" he said. "You are to do just as I tell you; the -captain says so. If you don't, your brains will fly in about two -seconds. Your rifles are burnt, so is your revolver; your smart friend -wasn't quite acute enough to-night, and he's a prisoner. Hand up the -letter, or cheque, or bank order, or whatever it may be that you took -out of Clutterbuck's tin box that night. You thought I was asleep, -curse you, but that's where you spoiled yourselves." - -I handed Strong the document he asked for. "There goes," I thought, "my -chance of the treasure!" - -Strong glanced at it and pocketed the paper. - -"Any bank-notes in that pocket-book?" he said; "if so, hand them over." -I had thirty pounds in cash, which he took. I had subscribed the rest -to make up Clutterbuck's two hundred pounds. - -"Now," resumed Strong, "if you move a finger while I'm in sight I shoot. -Come, hands up! Stand!" - -He left me standing like a confounded statue, with my hands over my -head. Then he laughed, swore a disgusting oath at me, loosened the -bridle of his horse, which was tied to a tree quite close at hand, and -started to ride away. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV* - - *STRONG SPRINTS AND GAINS A LAP* - - -Jack was at my side in a moment. - -"Quick," he whispered "let's mount and be after him; I shall never be -happy again until I have kicked that fellow within an inch of his -grave!" - -We dashed into the wood for our horses--they were not where we had left -them. Of course they were not; the man would have been a fool to leave -us our horses--we might have raced into Vryburg before him, and got him -arrested! Strong was about as perfect an example of a scoundrel as you -would find in Africa or any other continent, but no fool! - -We stood and stamped and murdered our native language, diving to the -lowest depths of our vocabularies for expressions of hatred and rage and -of abuse, and the promise of future dire vengeance. We still stood and -raged, when suddenly Strong came riding back. - -"You have disobeyed orders," he said; "don't blame me for enforcing -discipline. Go back to your place, you--Henderson, or whatever your -name is!--hands up, you other!" - -"I shall have it out of you, one day, for this, you infernal scoundrel," -said Jack, whose temper was now beyond his control. "Get down and fight -me on the ground--you may have your revolver, I'll use my fists." - -"You fool!" rejoined Strong with an oath; "a man does not ask a leopard -to spit out his teeth before attacking him. Go back to your place, I -tell you, or I fire!" - -Jack did not move. - -"You are a murderer already," he said, "and you know it. What have you -done with Clutterbuck and his money, you scoundrel? That's his pistol -you hold; do you think I don't know it? Never fear, you shall hang one -day, my friend!" - -For answer James Strong fired his revolver straight at Jack's head. I -do not think he had intended from the beginning to murder us. Either he -had calculated that his plans would work out without the need of killing -us; or he had reflected that his own skin would be the safer, when in -England, if he spared ours; for inquiries would certainly be set on foot -if Henderson disappeared though few would know or care whether poor I -disappeared or not. - -But when Jack accused him of murdering Clutterbuck, his comrade--a crime -which in all probability he had actually committed, though Jack only -drew his bow at a venture--Strong changed his mind and suddenly -determined that it would be the safer plan to shoot us both down. -Accordingly, he first fired at Jack and missed him clean. Then he fired -another shot and missed again, and swore, and turned his pistol on me -and fired three shots at me; at the third I fell, feeling a sharp pain -in my shin-bone--my leg would not support me. - -Jack had drawn a log from the fire and was about to hurl it at Strong -when he fired his last shot, at Jack this time, and rode away into the -grey of the early morning, before the last named could launch his clumsy -missile at him. The shooting of the six shots did not occupy altogether -more than ten seconds. - -Jack sprang to my side, white and terrified. - -"For Heaven's sake, Peter, where are you hurt?" he gasped. "Can you -speak? Are you dying? Where is the pain?" - -"My leg," I said, writhing, for the pain was very severe. "It's only a -broken leg--but it'll lose us the race!" - -As a matter of fact, my leg was not broken, as the term is generally -understood--there was no bone setting required; but the bullet had -carried away a splinter of my shin-bone, having all but missed me, but -taking, as it were, a little bite out of me as it passed. - -Nevertheless, trivial as the wound was, this misfortune delayed us three -weeks at Vryburg; for though Jack doctored me with all the devotion and -skill that he could command, the weather was hot, and I suppose there -were some wretched little bacilli about of the kind "to play old -gooseberry with open wounds," as Jack learnedly expressed it; for my -shin became very painful and inflamed before we reached Vryburg, and I -was obliged to take to my bed at the hotel there and remain in it for a -tantalising spell of three weeks. - -As for our journey to Vryburg, I performed it in the waggon. Jack -carried me, or half carried me, back to a village on the highroad which -we had passed through on the previous evening without stopping, and -there we awaited the arrival of the waggon, sleeping in a native hut and -collecting, I suppose, the bacilli that were destined to play the part -with my wound which Jack described as "old gooseberry." Had we stayed -in that village on the previous evening we should have learned that a -white man had been living in the place for a month, waiting for friends -to come down from Bulawayo, and that he was living there still. This -was, of course, our friend Strong, who had deliberately waited a month -for us, in ambush, and had sallied after us when we passed through, and -caught us napping, as described, over our camp fire. - -But we learned another significant fact bearing upon this matter. When -the white man originally came to the village a month ago, he was, we -were told, accompanied by a friend who lived with him in a hut which the -white men made for themselves. But after about a week the little white -man disappeared, and the big white man explained that he had gone on to -Cape Town, being tired of waiting. - -But after another week--that is, a fortnight ago--Umgubi, who was a kind -of village herdsman, and looked after the cattle belonging to the chief -men of the place, came upon the body of the little white man in a nullah -with steep banks two miles or so off the road. Then the big white man -said that the little one must have gone astray and fallen down into the -nullah, or else an eland or some other big animal had attacked him and -pushed him down; and all the natives of the village said that he must -have terribly offended his gods for so great a misfortune to have -happened to him, and that doubtless an eland had pushed him over into -the nullah, or else he had fallen over by himself without the eland. - -Only, if that was the case, said our informant innocently, why was there -a bullet-hole in the back of his head! - -It was when M'ngulu and the nigger had arrived with our waggon and -translated the tale for us that we heard the details of this story of -Strong's villainy; and I may honestly say that, though shocked to hear -of poor Clutterbuck's end, I was not altogether surprised. It was a -comfort to think that we had done our best for him by furnishing him -with a pistol, while Strong was left quite unarmed. If Clutterbuck, -with so great an advantage, was unable to retain the upper hand, there -could be, after all, no one to blame but himself. - -How Strong dispossessed him of the revolver; by what stratagem or -plausible arguments or threats he succeeded in persuading Clutterbuck to -part with all that stood between himself and his murderous companion; -and how, when he had obtained the weapon, he used it for his fell -purpose, will, I suppose, never be known. Perhaps the dark tale of -deceit and murder will be revealed at the last tribunal of all; but it -is certain that the tragedy must remain one of the mysteries in this -life. - -Meanwhile, where was the murderer? Half-way towards Hogland and my -hundred thousand pounds? - -As for ourselves, we determined to collect what evidence we could in -order to bring the miscreant before the judges at Cape Town, if we could -catch him there; but events proved that the fox was not to be so easily -run to earth as we had hoped. - -To this end we telegraphed from Vryburg, just a week after our own -interview with James Strong, explaining that we had evidence of his -connection with a murder, and giving his name and appearance. - -But when, three weeks later, we reached Cape Town, we found to our -disappointment that the police had utterly failed to find Strong. No -person of that name, or answering to the description, had either been -seen or had taken passage by any of the late steamers bound for home. -The nearest approach to our description of the man "wanted" was of one -Julius Stavenhagen, who had sailed in the _Conway Castle_ before our -telegram was delivered. - -Jack and I looked at one another on receiving this information. If this -were Strong himself--and we had a firm conviction that such was the -case--then he had not only escaped just chastisement for his crime, but -he had also obtained a three weeks' start of us in the race for -Clutterbuck's Treasure. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV* - - *LAPPED, BUT STILL IN THE RACE* - - -It may strike some of those who read this narrative that, considering -the fact that we had (in a cowardly manner, as they may deem it, and -with far too much regard for the safety of our skins) surrendered to -James Strong not only our invaluable map of the spot to which we were -directed by old Clutterbuck's "message from the tomb," but also the copy -of that document which we had been prudent enough to make in case of -emergency--that, considering these facts, it did not really matter very -much whether Strong sailed for England with one day's start of us or one -year's; for he now possessed every available clue to the discovery of -the treasure, while we had none whatever. - -Our game was played out and lost. Strong had won. We might sail for -England to-morrow or this day five years, but James Strong would now -both possess himself of and retain the hundred thousand pounds for which -we had toiled and travelled and suffered, simply because we were -ignorant where to look for either the treasure or for him. - -Yet this was not the case, for we--Jack and I--had been in this matter -craftier than the fox and wiser than the eagle; and each independently -of the other, too. - -We discovered this on the morning after Strong's checkmate of us, as I -lay by our camp fire, when, intending to spring a mine of surprise and -delight upon Jack, I started bewailing the shipwreck of our hopes to -find the treasure. Strong had stolen from us, with fiendish cunning, -both the plan and the copy. I dwelt upon this disastrous fact because I -intended presently to send Jack into ecstasies of admiration for my -sagacity by informing him that it did not really matter a bit, seeing -that I had committed the whole letter to memory, and knew by heart every -jot and tittle of plan and instructions. - -But Jack spoiled my little game by saying-- - -"Oh, I don't think you need worry, old man, about the loss of the -'message from the tomb.'" - -"Why not?" I asked. - -"I know it by heart," he said, "every word of it; and the plan too--I -could draw it exactly. Look here!" - -This was disappointing, for I really had thought I was going to score -for once over my acute one! - -However, we praised one another, and came unanimously to the conclusion -that any two foxes would have to take a back seat for cunning if he and -I were to drop treasure hunting and take to robbing farmyards! And that -is how it came about that the loss of our papers was not so serious a -disaster for us as it might have been if we had been "other than we -were"--_i.e._ less clever. - -So three weeks after Mr. Julius Stavenhagen's departure, or, if you -prefer it, Mr. James Strong's, Jack Henderson and I sailed at last from -Cape Town; a bad second, of course, but still not without hope that -Strong might hitherto have failed to find the treasure when we should -have reached the island of Hogland, or Hochland; indeed, it might even -prove that, fearing lest we should have remembered the name of the -island, he might have hesitated to visit the place at all, in case we -should follow and denounce him for the murderer he was. - -I did not greatly rely on this last faint hope, however, for Strong was -not the kind of man to surrender an undoubted advantage for any -consideration of craven expediency. He would rather occupy the island -of Hogland, and shoot us if we appeared to disturb him; and that was -what we must look out for, supposing that we ever found the island with -Strong in possession. - -"It would simply amount to a shooting match in that case," said Jack; -and I think he just about expressed it. - -My leg was quite cured by this time, and my only trouble on the voyage -to England was that the _Bangor Castle_, which is one of the fastest -passenger steamers afloat, did not travel quickly enough. I was -beginning to consume my soul in anxiety to be even with James Strong for -his smart trick upon us, and to be "one point ahead" in the matter of -the treasure. - -But we reached England in due time, and I journeyed straight up north to -Hull, in order to lose not a moment in making arrangements for our -departure; while Jack took the train at Paddington for Gloucestershire, -binding himself first by a solemn promise to come up north the instant I -telegraphed for him. - -My faithful old friend had vowed to see me through with this treasure -hunt, and declared, moreover, that he considered himself under a solemn -obligation to discover James Strong and see him thoroughly well hanged -for his misdeeds. - -So away went Jack for Gloucestershire, and I travelled northwards to -Hull and interviewed without delay the shipowners, Messrs. Wilcox, who, -I found, ran a line of regular steamers from this port to St. Petersburg -and Cronstadt. And first I inquired, with not a little anxiety as to -the reply, whether there really existed in the Gulf of Finland any such -island as Hogland. The clerk's answer was encouraging. - -"Why, certainly!" he said. "Here, Captain Edwards, you can tell this -gentleman all about what he wants to know far better than I can. Captain -Edwards has just returned from a trip to Cronstadt, and must have passed -this very Hogland a few days since." - -"At five forty-five last Sunday afternoon," said the captain, a quiet -and most gentlemanly little man, who, I was afterwards to learn, was a -pronounced favourite not only with his employers but also with every -passenger who had the good luck to take the trip in his fine steamer, -the _Thomas Wilcox_. - -"Do passengers ever land there?" was my next question. - -"Well, they don't get a chance, as a matter of fact," said Captain -Edwards; "for we never stop. There is nothing particularly attractive in -the island to cause passengers to wish to land and explore it. Stay, -though; I have heard of one visitor to the place--in fact, I took him -off the island eventually, though it was not I that landed him." - -"Not just now--this month?" I blurted. The communication gave me a -shock, for it struck me that the passenger referred to could be no other -than James Strong, who, if he had already visited and left the island, -must have taken the treasure with him. - -"Now? Dear, no!" said Edwards. "Four years since, at least--if not -five. An old fellow--cracky, I should say. He gave out on board the -_Rinaldo_, tripping from Hull to Cronstadt, that he was in search of an -island to bury treasure in, and asked to be landed in Hogland when he -passed it. You remember the story, Mr. Adams?" - -Mr. Adams laughed, and said he had heard about it. - -I laughed too, to hide my deeper emotions. This was delightful -confirmation of my best hopes! - -"Was he landed there?" I asked. The captain's first words rather -staggered me. - -"No, he wasn't," he replied. "He couldn't be without permission from -the Russian Government. But he went on to St. Petersburg, got his -permission, and was landed by the _Rinaldo_ on her return journey. I -took him off and brought him home. Dotty, I should say, decidedly. He -was in the rarest spirits, and declared that he had tricked his -blackguards of heirs, as he called them. They were not going to touch -his money, he said, before they had sweated a bit to earn it--just as he -had. Nobody believed he had a farthing to leave. He was dressed like a -pauper, and disputed his steward's bill." - -Nothing could have portrayed my late revered acquaintance more -realistically than these words. - -"It's sport, I suppose, isn't it?" continued Captain Edwards. "I am -told that numbers of wolves, foxes, and game birds of all kinds come -over the ice in winter, and some are caught there when the thaw sets in. -You might have a pleasant week--lonely, though; only a few fisherfolk -and the lighthouse people. The island is five or six miles in length." - -I blushed, and declared that sport was--in part, at least--the object of -my visit; but that my main idea was to make some investigations in the -hope of finding coal and iron, which were supposed to exist in the -islands of the Gulf of Finland as on the mainland of Esthonia on the -Russian side of the water. - -"Oh, I see!" said Captain Edwards. "Well, look out for my old friend's -treasure if you get digging. Who knows you mayn't hit upon something -that will pay you even better than coal and iron!" - -Captain Edwards laughed merrily at his little joke; he did not dream how -near he came to touching the truth. - -"Get yourself ready in a week," he added, "and I'll take you out. -You'll have to get leave, though, before you can land. Try the Russian -Consul; he's a sensible chap, and isn't likely to refuse anyone with -commercial intentions that might benefit his country." - -I thanked Captain Edwards, and left the ship-owners' office to digest -what I had heard. - -James Strong had apparently not sailed for Hogland from Hull; or, if he -had, he had not revealed his intention to land before sailing. If that -was the case, then he would not be landed at all--unless, indeed, he -relied upon getting permission from the authorities in St. Petersburg to -visit the island, and then returning thence to the spot. - -After all, thought I, he would scarcely be so rash as to give himself -away by announcing who he was, and why he desired to visit the island of -Hogland. He would reflect that the first thing we should do on reaching -England would be to travel up to Hull and inquire after his movements; -and whether our designs upon him should prove to have reference to the -treasure or to the welfare of his neck, he would naturally prefer to -keep his whereabouts a secret. He would guess that, though we had lost -our maps, we might at least remember the name of Hogland, and that it -lay somewhere between St. Petersburg and Hull. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVI* - - *HOW WE PROSPECTED FOR COAL* - - -I happened to have some distant relatives in Hull, and, partly because I -could not as yet make up my mind upon the particular cock-and-bull story -that would best serve me with the Russian Consul, and partly because, I -suppose, if one possesses very few relatives of any kind the heart warms -towards even very distant ones when there is a chance of making or -renewing acquaintance with them, I determined to pay them a call. - -I was glad afterwards that I did so; for my father's cousin and his -people were pleasant folk, and I have since learned to know and value -them well. But over and above these good and sufficient domestic -reasons there was another. My relative was well acquainted with the -Russian Consul, I found, and not only did he offer to introduce me to -that official, but even volunteered to go with me and use his good -offices in persuading Mr. Oboohofsky to grant my request. - -My cousin, moreover, knew something of mining matters, and was somewhat -enthusiastic about my idea of coal and iron to be found in paying -quantities in Hogland. There were coalfields in Esthonia, he said; why -not in the islands off the coast? Why not, indeed? I began to look -upon Hogland as a kind of "land of promise," and grew quite in love with -my own ridiculous fable of exploiting the place for mineral wealth, -though at the same time I was somewhat ashamed of myself for, as it -were, taking in my relative in this matter. There might be coal and -iron, however, in the place, and if I happened to find any, why, so much -the better; my cousin should have the entire profit and exploitation of -it for himself. - -Still, I would not promise to dig very deep for it; that would depend -upon the depth at which old Clutterbuck had buried his money-boxes; I -should go no deeper than that! - -The Russian Consul was a practical person, and did not feel so -enthusiastic about my mining schemes as I had hoped he would. He wanted -to know why on earth I had thought of going to the Gulf of Finland for -coal; whereupon I trotted out my Esthonian coalfields--knowledge culled -from some physical geography book, and, by some inscrutably mysterious -process of mind, remembered where most other items of knowledge were -clean gone out. - -Then he asked, why particularly Hogland? And it was at this point of the -conversation that I showed a readiness of resource and a nice -appreciation of difficult situations, otherwise "corners," and of how to -get out of them, which, if I could only act at all times up to the -"form" of that morning in September, would undoubtedly lead me into very -high places in the diplomatic and political world. - -I pointed out to the Russian Consul that for purposes of coaling the -Baltic fleet a fuel-producing island like Hogland, in mid-channel on the -direct line from Cronstadt to everywhere else, would be an unspeakable -boon to the nation. At present most of the coal used by Russian -warships came from Hull and other English and Welsh ports But what if -the Baltic were blocked in time of war? - -The Russian Consul did not burst into tears, and, while thanking Heaven -for this revelation of the terrible possibilities of the future, entreat -me, with streaming eyes, to go to Hogland and find a little coal for his -imperial master's warships; but he laughed, and said that the English -were wonderful people, and seemed to be for ever prepared to take a -great deal of trouble all over the world on the chance of very small -results, and added that he hoped, if I found my coal, that I would make -him a director of the company started to work it and would present him -with a few shares. - -I promised that if I found coal I would let him know, but we have never -corresponded. - -However, thanks to the good offices of my cousin, who was quite intimate -with the Consul, and my own obvious enthusiasm, which he did not for a -moment suspect to be founded on any more substantial basis than -coal--and extremely problematical coal at that--Mr. Consul Oboohofsky -granted my request for permission to land at Hogland, and countersigned -my passport to that effect with the words--"Bon pour l'īle de Hochland;" -and Jack Henderson's also. - -This matter being satisfactorily arranged, and there being still four -days to pass before a start could be made, I ran down to Gloucestershire -and spent that time with Jack and his sister, who is one of the sweetest -girls that ever--but no, I think I will not enter into that matter in -this place; if I have anything more to say about the Hendersons and -their family circle I shall say it later on. - -Enough that on the Saturday following Jack and I returned to Hull and -took ship on board the _Thomas Wilcox_, whose captain had special -permission from his owners to land us on the island of Hogland. I -confess that I left the shores of England feeling depressed and -miserable, and disinclined to go and dig for treasure or anything else, -and that I looked long and sadly back at the dull shores of the Humber -and wondered whereabouts exactly lay Gloucestershire, and what the good -folks at Henderson Court were doing just at this moment, and especially -Gladys--there I go again! - -The North Sea is a cruel, ruthless body of water, and a stumbling-block -to passengers. I had travelled to the Cape and back, and scarcely felt -inconvenience; but here, one day out from England, I was treated to such -a pitching and a rolling and a tumbling that my very soul refused -comfort, and I lay and wished I was dead like any novice upon shipboard; -and so did Jack, which was a great consolation to me, and did me more -good than all the ministrations of the benevolent chief steward and the -encouragement of kind Captain Edwards. - -But all was forgotten and forgiven when Copenhagen was reached and the -historical castle of Elsinore, one of the ugliest fastnesses, I should -say, that ever mason put together for the joint accommodation of -long-dead, disreputable kings, exemplary living monarchs, and -respectable ghosts. - -We passed Elsinore at midnight, and I did think that--as we had paid a -good sum of money for our passages, and had stayed up and yawned for an -hour beyond our usual sea-time for retiring--there might have been some -little spiritual manifestation for our benefit. But Hamlet's father is, -I suppose, laid by this time; or the rebuilt castle, upon whose -battlements he used to walk, is not to his taste (in which case he is -the ghost of a wise and discriminating spirit!), for he never appeared -to us; and we were obliged to retire to bed baffled and disappointed, -resolved to pen a complaint to the Psychical Research authorities, who -ought to see that passengers _viā_ Elsinore are not disappointed in this -way. - -And so on into the Baltic, and past many islands belonging to Denmark -and Sweden, and with distant glimpses of a most uninteresting-looking -mainland; and presently the Gulf of Finland was reached, and our pulses -began to beat once more with the old ardour of treasure hunting--a -sensation we had almost forgotten since the agitating days of the Ngami -search, and the many exciting adventures and crises through which we had -passed in the last three months. - -As we drew hourly nearer to our island, my excitement grew positively -painful. I was oppressed with a kind of horror that we should find -Strong waiting to be taken off, with a smile of triumph upon his face -and a cheque for one hundred thousand pounds securely buttoned up in his -breast pocket! - -Captain Edwards, who proved a good and kind friend to us throughout, -strongly recommended us to take with us to Hogland a sailor--one whom he -could easily spare us, since he was now within a twelve hours' run of -his destination--of Russian nationality, who could speak English. He -had more than one such "hand" on board, and we arranged with a certain -Michail Andreyef to land with us and act as our interpreter--a post -which that gentleman, having ascertained that no work of any kind would -be involved in the situation, accepted with alacrity at a moderate wage; -and remarkably useful he proved to us in our sojourn in that lonely -island. - -I do not think that Michail, good man, would have landed with us if he -had known that there was no drinking shop on the island; but he found -out our flasks after a day or two, and these no doubt afforded him some -little consolation, though, of course, the contents did not last him -long, and he was only drunk three days on the entire proceeds. And now -here, at last, was Hogland itself--our Eldorado, as we hoped, if only -James Strong had not already landed and ruined our prospects! - -How I stared at it, and wondered and wondered whether the fateful tin -box that contained old Clutterbuck's cheque lay somewhere within its -soil, peacefully slumbering until the right man came along to unearth -the treasure! And oh! how I wished it might prove that Strong had -neither arrived nor forestalled me! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVII* - - *ELDORADO OR--HOGLAND* - - -The island looked bare and desolate enough from the point of view of the -deck of our steamer, long and rather narrow at each end, but bulging in -the middle to a width of several miles; covered with pine forests and -patches of moorland, and with a high backbone of tree-clad hills running -down the middle from end to end. It was exceedingly like the old man's -map as we remembered it, and the first sight of it so whetted my -enthusiasm and treasure-ardour that I could scarcely contain my joy when -we steamed into view of it. - -Jack and I, nevertheless, made the most of the bird's-eye prospect of -the island which we now obtained; for we knew well that such a survey of -the place might be exceedingly useful to us in our subsequent -investigations. We saw the spot which appeared to us to answer to that -described in our lost maps as the grave of Clutterbuck's Treasure, and -we noted the best way to get to it, which was by the seashore to the -left from the lighthouse. - -The keepers of that most useful building must have been surprised indeed -to see a large British steamer stop within half a mile of the -hungry-looking rocks upon which their house and tower were erected; for -though such vessels passed daily, none ever stayed. Three men, two -women, and several children came out in a hurried way and stood staring -like startled rabbits at us and our proceedings before bolting back to -their holes as the boat approached into which we had transferred -ourselves and our luggage, guns, spades, and provisions. - -So far as these good folk were concerned, we might as well have had no -passport at all; and as for the "bon pour Hochland" of the Consul, if we -had written across the document any such legend as, for instance, -"Herrings at tenpence a dozen," it would have served the purpose equally -well. For the lighthouse keeper, after having studied the passports -wrong way up, and scratched his head for inspiration, and spat on the -ground in true Muscovite protest against the incomprehensible, and -having crossed himself in case there should be anything appertaining to -the evil eye or the police (which he regarded as amounting to much the -same thing) about the proceedings, gave it up as a bad job, and inquired -of our interpreter, Michail, what on earth we had come for. - -I fancy Michail indulged in some pleasantry at our expense, for the two -women and three men and seven children, standing gaping around us, all -burst out laughing at the same moment, and the conversation among them -"became general." - -Presently, however, Michail informed us that it was all right, and that -we might remain if we pleased. He said a small offering to the -lighthouse keeper, for "tea," would be acceptable, and this we -cheerfully provided, with the result that that gentleman and all his -following were our sworn friends for life, in the hope of more tea-money -some other day. - -We were offered quarters in the wooden houses in which these good people -lived; but when we entered their abode and learned that we should be -expected to herd in one suffocatingly hot room, together with every -person whom we had yet seen, and perhaps others to whom we had not yet -been introduced, and to sleep on straw upon the floor, or on sheepskins -upon the top of a huge brick stove which occupied half the room, we -explained to Michail that we had other engagements. There were several -reasons for this decision besides those given--some crawly ones and some -jumpy. We saw a number of the former on the walls, and had already -begun to suspect the presence of the latter nearer still to our persons. - -Michail might come back and sleep here, we told him, after he had -accompanied us to the small fishing village where we desired to make a -few inquiries. - -This seemed to please Michail, who, we concluded, had some good reason -for liking the poor dumb animals on the wall better than we did. I -suppose there is good in most things, if one can only discern it through -the evil. - -Michail inquired, at our request, whether anyone had landed here lately, -within the last month or so; upon which the lighthouse keeper informed -us that the last stranger who had visited the island, so far as he knew, -was a madman from England, or Germany, or other foreign parts, where -everyone, he was told, was more or less mad. This English lunatic had -landed here a few years ago; he had gone and hidden himself in the woods -for a week, alone, sleeping, he believed, at the village at the other -end of the island, and passing his time counting the trees in the -forest, or doing something equally insane. After a week he had -returned, and had been taken on board by a steamboat. - -"No one else, this month?" we insisted. - -"Certainly not," said the man; why should anyone come to the island if -he could live on the mainland, where there were drink-shops? - -This was unanswerable, and quite delightful too, though how it happened -that we had contrived to arrive before the wide-awake Mr. James Strong -was more than I, or Jack either, could imagine. - -"Perhaps he was wrecked, and drowned on the way here," I suggested. - -Jack dissented. That would not be "playing the game," he said; Mr. -Strong was born to be hanged; of that there could be no possible doubt -whatever. Perhaps he would arrive while we were still on the island! -Michail must keep a lookout, and come and warn us if anyone landed. We -had no particular desire to be bombarded again by Mr. James Strong. - -As an additional precaution we promised the lighthouse keeper the sum of -ten roubles, which is about equal to one pound, if he refused to allow -any other person to land, and were comforted by that individual's -assurance that he would refuse admittance to the Tsar of England himself -for such a sum of money as that. - -Then we went to the fishing village in order to glean any information -that the inhabitants might have to dispense at their end of the island; -but to all our questions as to whether any person had landed on the -island within the last month, the "elder," or head man of the village, -to whom we applied, declared that he knew nothing and cared nothing -about anybody or anything; and that, when it was necessary, he also saw -nothing and heard nothing. - -"Ask him, Michail, if a rouble would refresh his memory as to anything -he may have seen or heard," suggested Jack. - -The head man said he did not know; it might. - -Then he took the rouble, and declared that no one had been near the -island for years. - -This was very satisfactory, and we added a second rouble in the joy of -our hearts; at which evidence of our generosity Alexander, the elder, -crossed himself and prayed aloud for the welfare of our souls. Then he -said he had some articles for sale which might be useful to us if we -intended to try a little sport on the island, and produced--to our -surprise--an English-looking revolver. I was about to take it from his -hand, when Jack snatched the weapon from me. - -"Why, great skittles! Peter," he cried. "Look at it! Look at it, man; -look at it! What do you see?" Jack burst out laughing, and then -suddenly grew grave. I took the weapon from him to examine it, -surprised at his excitement. - -"It's loaded," I said, "in four chambers." - -"Yes; but look at it well!" he cried. "Don't you know it, man?" - -I looked again, and the weapon almost dropped from my hand. It was my -own revolver, not a doubt of it--my own name was scratched along the -lower side of the barrel. It was the same that Strong had choked with -lead, that I had afterwards presented to Clutterbuck, that Strong had -stolen from that unfortunate fellow, and with which he had murdered his -companion; the same with which he had attacked ourselves on the road to -Vryburg, at our last encounter with the rascal, and a bullet from which -had taken a bit out of my shin-bone. - -For a moment or two I was too bewildered to collect my thoughts. Jack -brought me to my senses. - -"Well," he said, "what do you make of it?" - -"I make of it that we are too late," I groaned. "The rogue has been too -quick for us, confound him!" - -"Yes," said Jack, "that's what I'm thinking too. But how did this -fellow get hold of the pistol?" - -It was a question to which I could find no reply. - -"Ask him where he got the pistol from," said Jack to Michail; and our -interpreter put the question as desired. - -The reply was that the pistol was for sale; would we buy it? The elder -knew nothing about the antecedents of the weapon, but it was his -property, and for sale. - -"Ask him if he will remember anything about its history if we buy it," -said Jack. - -The elder was of opinion that he might remember a little for ten -roubles. - -This sum was instantly transferred, and our friend presently informed -us, through Michail, that the weapon had belonged to a Swedish person -who had come over from the coast of Finland, from Helsingfors, in a -sailing boat about three weeks ago, and who had made him a present of -it. That was all he had to say. The Swede had departed a fortnight -ago. - -At this reply my heart sank lower than before, for here was the -confirmation of my worst fears. All was lost--that much was obvious. -James Strong had been too smart for us. He had travelled _viā_ Sweden -and crossed from Stockholm to Helsingfors, sailing over to Hogland from -that port--absolutely the simplest, and at the same time the most -artful, course he could pursue, seeing that he was unwilling to travel -direct from Hull by reason of the obvious publicity of such a -proceeding. - -All was lost--that was now certain. I was a pauper again. The only -consolation was that, so far as I could see, I could not have done -anything to circumvent Strong. He had had too long a start. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVIII* - - *WHAT THE ELDER DID WITH STRONG* - - -Jack looked as dejected as I did. - -"The only thing I don't understand is," he said presently, "why Strong -should have presented the fellow with his revolver. Do you suppose he -intended us to find it here, as a sort of mocking message to us that we -had failed?" - -"More likely he wished to be rid of an awkward piece of evidence in case -he was ever collared by us," I said. "If we ever caught him, and he had -this thing in his possession, we should easily have proved our -accusations against him." - -"Of course he found the treasure," said Jack, "or he wouldn't have gone -away." - -"Of course," I echoed dismally. - -"Still," said Henderson, "it would be interesting to hear all about -_how_ he found it and where; I'd give another ten roubles to be told all -this grimy gentleman knows." - -I was not at all certain that it would be an unmixed joy to be taken and -shown the pit out of which another fellow had dug the treasure which I -had so ardently hoped to make my own. But Jack was evidently anxious on -the subject, and curiosity was burning a hole in my resolution as well. -I reflected a minute or two. - -"Well, ask him if you like," I assented presently; "it will be a painful -thing for me, though, I can tell you." More painful than Jack guessed, -perhaps; for I was tenfold more anxious to be rich to-day than I had -been a few months since in Africa. I had found a new reason, down in -Gloucestershire, for wishing to own the treasure, and now all hope of -possessing old Clutterbuck's golden hoard had vanished. Painful? It -would be _torture_ to be shown the hole in which the treasure, and all -my hopes of happiness with it, had rested but a short three weeks since; -to be ruthlessly torn from their sanctuary by the bloodstained hands of -a double-dyed rascal like James Strong. - -"Michail," said Jack, "tell the fellow there is more tea-money to be had -if his memory improves." - -Michail conveyed this intelligence to his grimy companion, who grinned -and scratched his shaggy yellow locks, and spat and made a gesture as -though he now abandoned in our favour all previously observed -considerations of discretion. Then he bade Michail tell us that for a -second ten-rouble note he would tell us the whole history of the pistol, -which he had just remembered. - -Jack was artful this time, having gained experience upon this artless -island. When he had heard the story, he said, he would hand over the -tempting-looking red bank-note for ten roubles, which he now carefully -removed from his purse and displayed, invitingly held between his -fingers. - -Then the elder, after looking wolfishly at the note and indulging in a -final scratching among his tousled locks, began his tale, which proved -to be a sufficiently exciting one. - -"It was a lunatic of a Swede," he said, "who had sailed over in a small -sailing-boat from Helsingfors, and had moored his craft over there at -the Finnish side of the island and come ashore. He couldn't talk a word -of anything that anyone could understand in the island, and would not -come to the village, but slept on the shore close to his boat; and if -anyone came near to have a look at him he stamped and raved and scolded -them away again. - -"On the morning after the first night I went down to the shore to see -what the Swede was about," continued the elder, "that being my duty as -elder of the village, and I took with me Kuzmį, my brother-in-law, and -Gavril, my brother; for we have no right to admit strangers upon the -island without passports. But this fellow had no passport, and -threatened me with his fists for demanding one of him. - -"So Kuzmį and Gavril and I sat down on the shore to watch what the -Swedish lunatic would do. - -"He waited, hoping that we would go away; and we waited, to see what he -wanted on our island. He did nothing but read letters and look this way -and that through the trees, and then down again at his letter, like any -lunatic. - -"Presently he grew tired of waiting, and stood up and shouted at us to -go away. We did not understand his lingo, but that was doubtless the -meaning of it, only the man was so angry that he could hardly speak, but -only screamed at us and stamped his foot. Kuzmį grew a little -frightened and said, 'Shall we go, brothers? This man is mad; it would -be wise to preserve our bodies from harm.' - -"But I said, 'No. We will pretend to depart, and hide ourselves among -the trees; then we shall see but not be seen!' So we departed and hid -ourselves where the mad Swede could not see us. - -"After a while," continued the elder, "the madman took his letters and a -spade, and wandered about among the trees until he came to a certain -place, and there he began to dig. - -"We desired to know, naturally, why he dug in the earth of our island, -and while he was very busy with his digging we came nearer to see what -we could see. - -"And then, of a sudden, Kuzmį coughed, and that mad Swede looked up and -saw us. - -"Holy Saint Vladimir, equal to the apostles, preserve us from such -demons as that Swedish maniac when he caught sight of Kuzmį and me and -Gavril! He rushed straight at us like a wild bull, bellowing and -shouting, and then--what think you, Mercifulness?--he whipped this very -pistol from his pocket and banged one shot at Kuzmį and one at me. Me -he missed, by the mercy of the Highest, and thanks, doubtless, to the -interposition of my patron saint, Alexander of the Neva; but Kuzmį was -struck by a bullet in the arm, and lay yelling on the ground." - -The elder here paused in his narrative, which, for me, was about as -interesting a tale as ever human lips unfolded, and spat five several -times on the earth, crossing himself after each performance of the -function. I waited impatiently for him to recommence. Jack's face, -which I glanced at, was a study; he too was absorbed by the interest of -the tale. - -When the elder had finished his semi-religious duties, he continued-- - -"Gavril," he said, "my brother, to whom may the saints ensure a heavenly -kingdom for his behaviour that day,--Gavril, with his staff, whacked the -Swede on the head before he had quite killed Kuzmį and me, and knocked -him senseless; in which condition Gavril and I put him in his boat and -sailed across to Narva, where we gave in our evidence against him in the -police court. We showed the pistol, and promised to produce Kuzmį when -his arm was well enough to allow him to travel. This is his pistol that -you have bought; and that is my tale. It's all I know, and may the holy -saints preserve those who are honest folk, and punish the evil doers! -If I have pleased your Mercifulness, I will place the ten-rouble note -along with the other." - -Thus, or to this effect, did the elder wander along, Michail laboriously -translating, and then he stopped, having said his say. - -"Good Heavens! Peter," said Jack after a pause, "that's a tale well -worth ten roubles, I fancy; what say you?" - -"Stop a bit," I gasped. "Ask him, Michail, what the Swede got out of -the earth? Does he know what the fellow was digging for, and did he -find it?" - -"He did not give himself time," said the elder. "He flew at us before he -had dug for half an hour. As for that which he expected to find, how -should a plain fisherman know that? He was mad; what would a madman -expect to find growing upon an island, that he could dig up with a -spade? Gold and jewels, perhaps!" The elder laughed aloud and spat -freely. Jack still withheld the note. - -"At anyrate, he found nothing?" he asked. - -"Nothing but sand, Mercifulness." - -"And what has become of the Swede?" said I. "Was he detained at Narva?" - -"Detained at Narva to be tried, Mercifulness," said the elder. "But -there is hope that when the police behold Kuzmį's arm, which will be -next week, the rascal may journey to Siberia without further trouble." - -Jack handed in the ten-rouble note; our friend had certainly earned it; -for though, of course, I would not go so far as to say that this elder -told the truth (being a Russian that, of course, would be impossible; -the only Russian who ever told the truth is dead), yet that his tale was -not all lies was proved by the pistol. - -Jack thought of a way of obtaining a little supplementary evidence in -corroboration. - -"Get him to show us where the Swede shot at him," he said, addressing -Michail. "It would be interesting to see the mark in the tree made by -the bullet fired at the elder." - -Strong's latest victim had no objection to giving us this pleasure, and -we were conducted to a place in the wood, and shown a tree which had an -undoubted bullet mark some seven feet up the trunk. - -"Ah! I see," said artful Jack. "So that is where you stood, and Kuzmį -here, and the mad Swede came rushing from over there." - -"No, not there," said the elder; "your Mercifulness may see, if you -will, where the fellow was digging in the ground when we saw him. -Heaven! to come all this way to dig!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIX* - - *MUCH DIGGING* - - -The elder's invitation fell out very propitiously with artful Jack's -designs, and we were shown the open space among the trees where Strong -had commenced his digging operations, which had come to such an untimely -end. There was the hole he had dug when interrupted and made to lose at -once his temper and his chance of wealth. - -There too were the four posts, arranged exactly as in Bechuanaland, in -an irregular square. Strong, remembering where the treasure had been -found in the first instance, had gone straight to the corresponding -corner here, had pulled up the outer post, and begun to dig about its -socket. Jack laughed. - -"The old fellow wouldn't have been likely to hide it in the same spot -twice," he said; "that would be too easy for us!" - -I suggested that, at anyrate, we must not lay ourselves open to -suspicion by digging about or even remaining in the neighbourhood of -this particular spot, or we should have the whole village coming and -digging with us. We must pretend that our curiosity was satisfied by -the sight of the scene of the struggle, and that there our interest in -this spot ended. We must do a little hunting or fishing for a day or -two, and then return unsuspected to our real labours. - -So we hired the elder and Gavril, the hero of the broomstick which had -overthrown James Strong, and went a-fishing among the tiny islands and -rocks that fringed the shores of Hogland itself, and here we spent a day -very pleasantly in allaying the suspicions of the elder and in catching -some good fish, in weight from one to fifteen pounds, including a few -which I believe to have been large lake trout. The water here was -scarcely brackish and the fish we caught were all denizens of the fresh -water. - -But excitement and longing to be up and about so as to discover the -hidden treasure, burned like a banked fire within my bosom, and I was -feverishly anxious to be ashore once more and at work. - -We were out all night, and a cold function indeed it was; and right glad -were we that we had brought our flasks to keep us alive and help our -circulation to maintain the struggle. It was now that Michail -discovered the existence of those flasks, for we had presented both the -elder and our interpreter each with a small portion of the contents, and -both men had found the English brandy to their taste. The consequence -to us was, that when we landed and retired to sleep those two artless -Russians stole our flasks and disappeared. - -Now this, far from proving, as at first sight it might seem, an unmixed -disaster, was, as a matter of fact, the greatest boon that could have -happened to us; for though there was not very much of the spirit in our -stolen flagons, yet it was strong, and there was enough to keep both men -handsomely employed in recovering from its effects for three days. - -Those three days of investigation, free from inquisitive observation and -possible interference, were exactly what we most desired, and at the -very first opportunity we shook off both the elder and Michail, who were -already in secret possession of the flasks and quite pleased to be -shaken off, and set to work in earnest at our digging. - -The area to be investigated was of the same shape as our African -treasure-field, but smaller by half, for which mercy I was grateful to -destiny; for even half the old area was quite sufficient for the digging -of two men, unless they happened to desire to dig themselves into their -own graves, which Jack and I certainly did not. - -Needless to say, Jack now felt no compunction about taking his turn with -the spade, for I might fairly consider myself the only competitor now -left "in the running." Poor Clutterbuck murdered; young Strong eaten; -James Strong in Siberia, or on the way there--there were none left to -contest my claims. - -So Jack dug with me, and very hard work he found it, and very stiff he -felt at the end of the first profitless day; so that I was able to screw -out of him a kind of apology for his want of sympathy with my stiffness -at Ngami. We had half intended to set a decoy for wolves, of which -there were said to be a few on the island; but we were both too tired -for anything of the sort, and preferred to sleep, wrapped in our -blankets, over a fire in the forest, as in the African days, only with -dark pines waving over our heads, and a sharper air biting at the -exposed parts of our persons, instead of strange palmy and ferny trees, -and prickly-pears and kei apples, and a soft, hothouse kind of air -around us. - -On the second day we toiled from morn till dewy eve, but found nothing -to repay us, and by that time the surface of our ground was upheaved -from end to end to the depth of a spade-head. Then we determined to -spend the third day in trying various experiments. - -We were full of excellent ideas, but the same thoughts had unfortunately -not occurred to old Clutterbuck while hiding his treasure. - -First of all, we procured from the village a ball of string; they had -plenty there, for the making and mending of nets. - -Then we fastened an end to one of the posts and carried a line across -diagonally to a second, and from a third across to the fourth, as from A -to B and from C to D in the chart-- - - A C - E - D B - -Where the strings crossed at E, we dug a deep hole and had great hopes -for the result. But it seemed that this excellent plan had not occurred -to Mr. Clutterbuck; he had not concealed his wealth in accordance with -our ingenious geometrical device. Then we went and borrowed a horse and -a plough from the fisherfolk, who had a field or two near the village -for the growing of their rye and potatoes. And with that plough we -turned up every scrap of our acre of land, and began to grow desperate -because there was not a vestige of treasure or anything else but sandy -soil and a few worms. - -Then we sat down to reflect, and gnashed our teeth, and took in vain the -name of old Clutterbuck who had beguiled us to this forsaken island to -dig for treasure which he had never buried. - -"I believe Strong found it, after all," said Jack--"found it in five -minutes in the very first hole he made." - -"If I thought that I would go to Siberia after him," I said, "and screw -his neck till he gave it up." - -"My dear man, he couldn't take a load of treasure with him to Siberia!" -said Jack. "The authorities would have it in a minute." - -"It might be all in one cheque," said I; "and he's hidden it--swallowed -it, or put it in his boot or something." - -"Well, you can't very well follow him to Siberia with a stomach-pump in -one hand and your revolver in the other," laughed Jack; "but you may -bet, if he had found the stuff he would not have been so quarrelsome; he -would have been too pleased with himself to rush straight at these poor -peasants and empty his revolver at their heads!" - -This seemed true, and we turned our thoughts once more to the invention -of devices that might have occurred to the old man for the more -ingenious concealment of his treasures. It could scarcely be supposed -that the old miser really desired to defeat altogether the ingenuity of -his heirs, should they prove to be in possession of a quantum of that -commodity; for if it had been his intention to deprive us altogether of -the money, he need never have made us his potential heirs. The money -must be here--that was as good as certain. - -Then we tested other geometrical designs. We counted as many feet -towards the middle, from each post in turn, as the old man had lived -years, seventy-one; and we dug deeply at each seventy-first foot. We -turned up the soil at the spot where fell the only shadow of the -day--the shadow of a tall pine whose topmost boughs afforded us a few -feet of shade towards evening; but nothing came of it. We tried many -other devices, each more deeply ingenious, not to say "far-fetched," -than the last; but the third day drooped and faded, and still we were no -wiser than before. - -That night Michail returned to camp, looking as though he had passed -through great tribulation and had been making good resolutions. He -slunk in and lay down by the fire, and slept so soundly that no ordinary -artillery firing a royal salute at his ear would have disturbed him. - -We were sorry to see Michail, for we did not desire his presence here. -We wished we had another flask for him. - -This wish was redoubled when in the morning, as we dug and -delved--toiling and perspiring and almost despairing, though still -manfully playing up to the motto of my own family crest: "_Dum spiro -spero_" (which Jack translated "Stick to it, boys, till you're -pumped!")--while Michail still slept, the elder appeared suddenly upon -the scene. He too bore traces of bacchanalianism, though he did not -seem to have suffered so severely from the malady as Michail. The elder -was surprised to see us working, and asked us what we were about. - -We gathered that this was the meaning of the elder's remark, but until -we had kicked Michail into the realms of consciousness in order to -translate it for us we could not be certain. Michail awoke at the -seventeenth kick, and said he had not been asleep, but had been lying -and thinking. He told us what the elder had said, the elder repeating -it. - -"Tell him that's our business," said Jack surlily--he was disgusted, -like myself, with the failure of our labours; "and that he'd better go -home to the village and mind his own." - -"Oh," said the elder, on hearing this, "certainly I will obey; I had no -wish to intrude upon their Mercifulnesses; only I thought their -Mercifulnesses might be digging here in order to find a certain tin box -with a letter in it which I myself found near this spot some years ago!" - -The spade dropped from my hand; Jack's fell also. - -"Michail," he said, or gasped; "what does the fellow mean? Where is the -tin box and the letter that he found here? Ask him quickly, idiot, or -I'll brain you with my spade!" - -The elder was not disturbed by our excitement; he said he thought the -tin box was somewhere up at the village; he wasn't quite sure! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXX* - - *I TAKE A STRONG LEAD IN THE RACE* - - -Jack seized the elder by the shoulders and shook him--shook him -handsomely and thoroughly till his splendid white moujik-teeth rattled -in his head. The elder burst into tears and fell on his knees as soon -as Jack let go of him, crossing himself repeatedly and jabbering -vociferously. The fox had changed in an instant into a rabbit, and a -timid one at that. It was impossible to translate what he said, Michail -protested. On being pressed to do so, Michail observed-- - -"He say his prayers," and I think that must have been about the measure -of it; at all events, he was saying nothing about tin boxes. - -"Tell him we don't wish to hurt him," said Jack; "but we intend to have -that tin box; and if his memory does not improve in the next five -minutes, so that he leads us straight to where he has hidden it, -something dreadful will happen to him." - -This truculent message was given to the elder, who allowed himself but -one more minute for the consolation of prayer and then took to his heels -for the village, we taking care to keep up with him. Jack's threat -seemed to have wonderfully assisted the process of recalling the past, -for Alexander led us straight to his own house, into the living room -(where his astonished wife and five amazed children were feasting upon -black bread and dried fish, their mouths, opened to receive those -dainties, remaining open by reason of their surprise), and without -hesitation opened a kind of cupboard in the corner in which he kept his -three teacups and his two tumblers (one cracked), together with his -store of vodka. - -From this receptacle, which he opened but a fraction, as though jealous -lest we should steal a peep at his teacups, he quickly produced a tin -box, the facsimile of that which I had unearthed in far-away Bechuana. -The elder crossed himself, spat on the ground, made a droll gesture of -surrender to superior force, and banged the box down upon the table. - -Then his face assumed a beseechful, maudlin expression, and he said that -he had done as the gentleman desired, but if the gentleman considered it -worth a gratuity that he should have safely preserved this box until the -gentleman came for it, why-- - -"Tell him to go to the deuce," said Jack; "and wait there till we see -what's in it and what isn't. Here, Peter; it's yours--examine." - -I opened the box: there was another within it, as before; neither was -locked; and as before, inside the inner receptacle was an envelope, and -within the envelope a letter; no cheque to bearer, no bank-notes for one -hundred thousand pounds.... My disgust and disappointment were too great -for words; I could not speak; I could not even swear; I believe I burst -into tears. - -"Come, come!" said Jack bracingly, "don't give way, old chap; it's just -as well there are no diamonds or gold--this elder fellow would have had -the lot! Cheer up, man, and read the letter, or I will! I for one -don't mind another journey--I haven't travelled half enough yet! Read -the letter!" - -It was all very well for Jack. The issue was nothing to him -(comparatively speaking); to me it was everything--all the world, and -the happiness of life! - -"I told you how it would be," I raved; "the old rascal meant to swindle -us from the beginning. He will keep us travelling from pillar to post in -this way till the worms have eaten up his hoardings and his miser's -carcass as well. The whole thing's a fraud, Jack, and I am the victim." - -"You're better off than the other victims, at all events," said Jack. -"Read the letter, man. Don't abuse the old boy till you know he -deserves it." - -"Confound the letter," I said, "and him too! Read it yourself--I'm sick -of the business!" - -I was, as my conduct indicates, very angry, very disappointed, and very -ridiculous. I have since exonerated Mr. Clutterbuck and apologised to -Jack, many a time. I still think, however, that the old man's methods -were extremely exasperating; and though ashamed of my loss of temper, I -am not in the least surprised that I should have succumbed to my -feelings of rage and disappointment. - -But there was one thing which I have never regretted in the slightest -degree, and that is, that when Michail suddenly laughed out at this -point, finding, I suppose, something comical about my words or actions, -I laid hold of him by the shoulders from behind, and walked him twice -round the room and out at the door, I kicking and he yelling. After -this I felt consoled and returned to hear Jack read out the letter. - -It was very much like the other. - -"The Prize to the Swift," the document began, and continued as -follows:-- - - -"Do not despair, you whose energy has proved equal to emergency. Having -succeeded up to this point, you are sure to succeed to the end. My -treasure is not here. I would never leave it so far from home and at -the mercy of prying strangers in a foreign land. How do I know that I -am not watched at this moment by jealous eyes from the fishing village a -mile away? This box will possibly be dug up after my departure, but I -do not dread such an event, since it will add, perhaps, to your trouble -in finding it, my most indolent relatives and heirs, and that is a -contingency which I hail with joy. That any finder of the box will -destroy it, I am not afraid. He will rather keep it by him and sell it -to those who come to seek it. - -"As for you, my treasure is where it should be, and must ever have been, -for I would never trust it elsewhere--in my own country and in my own -home. Where else should it be? Return, then, successful pilgrim; seek -nearer home. Where my treasure is, there is my heart, or near it. I -lie buried in Streatham churchyard; my treasure is not far away from my -bones! ... Dig, dig, and dig again. - -"The only land upon which I or my heirs possess the right of digging is -my own garden in Streatham. Dig there, my friend, and success to him -who digs wisest and deepest. - -"My portrait is part of the spoil for the winner; it was done for me by -a pavement artist for two shillings and three pence, but do not throw it -away on that account. It is the portrait of your benefactor, and his -blessing will go to him who preserves it well." - - -The letter ended here, without signature or date. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXI* - - *THE ELDER MAKES A GOOD BARGAIN, AND - MICHAIL A POOR ONE* - - -"What does he mean?" I growled. "Where's the portrait?" - -Jack looked in the boxes, and turned the letter round; there was no sign -of a drawing or of anything connected with portraiture. - -I walked up to the elder's cupboard and looked in. Besides the teacups -and other domestic treasures there was a tin case, in size about one -foot by nine inches. I took this without permission from the elder, who -had disappeared after Michail. I opened it. - -Sure enough, it was a portrait of old Clutterbuck--the vilest that could -be conceived, but still recognisable. The old man could never, I should -say, have laid claim to good looks; but the "pavement artist" had -scarcely done him justice; he had, in fact, represented his client as so -repulsively hideous that the lowest criminal would probably have -reconsidered his position and turned over a new leaf if informed that he -possessed a face like this of poor maligned Clutterbuck. - -"By George!" said Jack, "the old chap couldn't have been very vain to -bequeath such a thing as that to his heirs. What a terrible specimen he -must have been! Was he like this thing?" - -"He wasn't as bad as that," I replied. I felt that I had a grievance -against the man, and I was not inclined to give him more than the barest -justice; but I was bound to admit this much. - -"I'm glad to hear it," said Jack; "for if he had been, I think I should -have lost my faith in the _bonā fides_ of his letters and of the whole -thing. That pavement artist ought to have been hanged, and his body -danced on. What, in Heavens name, did the old man want to leave you a -thing like that for? Why couldn't he get himself photographed if he was -sentimentally anxious that his heirs should possess his portrait?" - -Jack laughed; I could not help joining in. It was really rather funny; -and the more one looked at the picture the more one felt inclined to -laugh. The artist was evidently not ashamed of his work, for he had -painted his name in full at the foot of it, "Thomas Abraham Tibbett," -bless him! I know his name well--I read it every day of my life, for -his masterpiece hangs over my washstand, and I look at it whenever I -feel low in spirits and think that a little T. A. Tibbett will do me -good. - -"What a merciful dispensation that one can't see his eyes, or, rather, -that they are looking downwards and don't follow you about as they do in -some portraits that are not by pavement artists," said Jack. "Look at -them; there'd be a lifetime of nightmares in a pair of eyes like those, -if they happened to be looking up." - -I have often thought how true this was, and have rejoiced that the -artist of the pavement mistrusted his skill and made the eyes as he did; -but for my joy there are more reasons than now appear. - -Michail and the elder were outside when we left the house. I think they -were conspiring against us; no violence, or anything of that sort--a -mere conspiracy of roubles. Michail desired a solatium for the kicks he -had received from me; the elder grieved because he had delivered up his -tin box, under the influence of fear, without pecuniary equivalent. - -Both were sulky and uncommunicative, or perhaps assumed sulkiness for -their own ends. The only information that we could obtain from Michail, -in reply to our requests that he would inquire of the elder where and -how he found the tin boxes, was that Kuzmį was going to sail across to -Narva to give evidence against the Swede who had shot him. - -"What has that to do with it?" said Jack. - -Michail grinned and scratched his head, and said something in Russian to -the elder, who did likewise and cleaned up his mouth with the back of -his hand besides. - -"Well?" said Jack; "go on!" - -"The other great lord kicked me in a painful manner!" continued Michail, -placing his hand near the afflicted part. - -"He will kick you again in a still more painful manner," said Jack, "if -you don't explain yourself." - -"There is plenty of good vodka at Narva," said Michail, "forty, fifty, -or sixty copeks the bottle, or two-forty for a _vedro_." (A _vedro_ -contains, approximately, a gallon.) - -"Oh, I see," said Jack. "All right, sonny, you shall be healed, don't -fear; and the other fellow too, but ask him about the boxes first!" - -"Tea-money first!" said Michail. "Alexander says the little box is -worth five roubles and the big one ten. At Narva, if I complained -against the merciful gentleman for kicking me, he would be detained and -fined. A gallon of vodka and twenty roubles is my price for being -kicked by the honourable lord." - -"Kicked how many times?" said Jack. "For that sum we shall certainly -kick you round the island, my friend. The police at Narva will fine as -much for one kick as for thirty. We shall take all our kicks, -remember!" - -Michail decided not to go to Narva, and to charge me for the original -kicking only--the price of which was fixed at a vedro of vodka, to be -brought back from Narva by Kuzmį, and one rouble. - -As for the elder, we paid him for the tin boxes, for, after all, they -were treasure-trove, and might prove to be very much more valuable to us -than the price asked. - -This little matter being satisfactorily settled, Alexander the elder -deigned to inform us how he came by the property. - -This, he said, was a very simple matter. He had had the things five -years, keeping them because he felt sure someone would arrive one day to -find them. Five years ago an old Englishman had come on the island, all -alone, to seek rare flowers and plants, as he informed everyone through -a pilot at the lighthouse, since departed, who spoke English. - -The elder had watched the old man's botanical researches, and saw him -collect a number of roots of "_brusnika_ and other rubbish," and saw him -also plant four posts in the wood, digging holes for each and putting -them in and piling earth to keep them steady. Then he had dug a fifth -hole, somewhere near, and buried these boxes in it, laughing and -jabbering to himself, said the elder, like a madman. The rest was very -simple. Old Clutterbuck sailed away in the English steamer that stopped -to pick him up, and the elder quickly went and dug up the boxes, hoping -to find cash, but discovering nothing more valuable than a letter he -could not read. He had thought of destroying both this and "the picture -of the devil," as he called old Clutterbuck's portrait, but had taken -the wiser course of preserving both in case someone to whom they were -not valueless should come to find them. - -When Strong arrived and commenced his digging operations, the elder -hoped that his opportunity had dawned; but Strong proved to be a madman -with whom it was impossible to enter into negotiations. - -The rest, of course, we knew. - -Were we really on the road to success at last? At all events, Jack and I -had the grace to admit that we had enjoyed fairly good luck after all, -supposing that the letter was actually the passport to wealth which it -purported to be. If the elder had destroyed it we should never have got -any farther than Hogland in our researches! As for the picture, he -might have done what he liked with that, we thought; though, since it -seemed to be the desire of the testator that we should keep it, we -piously determined to do so. - -So that here we were with our object attained, or attained so far as it -was possible to attain it, and with another week or so on our hands to -be spent on this island before the steamer could be expected to return -and fetch us away. What was to be done, and how should the time be -spent? - -There was fishing, and there was wandering about with our shot guns, in -hopes of picking up a few grouse or other game which might be met with -in the moorland and woods which covered the island. But the elder made -a tempting suggestion which we caught at, though we did not anticipate -much result from his idea. - -There were three wolves on the island, he said, half-starved and rather -savage. They lived here because they could not return to the mainland, -whence they had come in the days of ice, last February or March. If we -liked to pay for a sheep, he would kill one and lay it down as a decoy. -On the third night, if we passed the hours of darkness in a tree over -the spot, we should probably have an opportunity of shooting the brutes, -and a good thing too; and it was in consideration of this fact that the -elder would let us have a sheep for a merely nominal sum--fifteen -roubles. - -We agreed to pay this sum, so the sheep fell a victim, and was laid to -rest not in but upon the earth beneath a tree. - -Meanwhile the wounded Kuzmį was about to sail for the mainland in order -to bring up his bandaged arm in testimony against James Strong, and the -question arose whether Jack and I were not bound to accompany him in -order to do what we could to ensure a fair trial to a fellow-countryman -in distress. - -He had done his best to murder us more than once, true. He had also -foully done to death his own cousin, the younger Clutterbuck; and he had -only failed to shoot down three innocent Russian peasants because one of -the three had had the cleverness to knock him on the head before his -purpose was half accomplished. - -Yet, for all his crimes, we felt compunction about allowing him to pass, -friendless and helpless, into the hands of those who are ever ready, as -Englishmen (who know nothing about it) invariably believe, to draft -their victims away to Siberia whether guilty or innocent. He deserved -"Siberia," whatever that name may imply, as thoroughly as any rascal; -but, somehow, though neither of us would have moved a finger to save his -neck had it been in danger at the hands of an English hangman, yet we -felt inexplicably averse to permitting Russians to have the twisting of -it. - -Why this was so I do not attempt to explain--it is a psychological -problem which I leave to other heads to solve; all I know, is that it -was only the sturdy good sense of Jack Henderson that prevented me from -stepping on board his fishing-lugger with Kuzmį, and another peasant, -and sailing away to Narva to make a quixotic fool of myself in defence -of the indefensible James Strong. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXII* - - *WE RECEIVE A TERRIBLE SHOCK* - - -As it was, we contented ourselves with sending a letter to the British -Consul there (supposing that there existed such a functionary), -exhorting him to use his influence to obtain a fair trial for the rogue -called James Strong, and to see that he was not sent to Siberia without -good and sufficient cause shown. - -"Great Jupiter!" said Jack, when he had read over my letter. "Why, man, -we have evidence enough to send the fellow to Siberia, or to the next -world for that matter, half a dozen times over!" - -So we had, of course. - -"And I'll tell you what, Peter!" continued Jack, "it will serve us well -right, when we've got the rascal out of his scrape by our confounded -meddling, if he turns up just in time to snatch the treasure out of your -fingers at the very last minute. What'll you do if he shows up at -Streatham and claims the right to dig with you, neck and neck for the -last lap?" - -"Oh, come," I said, "that's quite a different thing! I should let him -hang in England, fast enough, but it's unpleasant to think of Russians -stringing the poor beggar up far away from friends and country!" - -Doubtless Jack agreed with me, for he took no steps to prevent the -despatch of my letter. But it has since struck me that it is, after -all, very doubtful whether the proximity of "friends and country" would -have comforted Strong much if he had had the rope round his neck, even -an English rope. - -What with fishing all day and sitting shivering in pine trees all night -(like a couple of frozen-out sedge-warblers, as Jack picturesquely -expressed it), we contrived to pass away the time for the best part of a -week, and then Kuzmį arrived, having prepared for us a surprise which -for absolute breathless unexpectedness undoubtedly broke the record in -so far as my own limited experience went, or Henderson's either! - -Michail came running up to the moor where Jack and I were busily engaged -in trying to induce a covey of grouse to allow us within range of our -guns, and imparted the exciting information that Kuzmį's boat was in -sight. - -At the news Jack and I gladly conceded the honours of war to our covey -of grouse and hastened down to the shore to see Kuzmį's boat, for it had -come to this, that we were so very hard up for excitement on this island -that we would have gone miles to see anything or nothing. - -"There are three men on board," said Jack, as the boat came nearer, -running straight for the shore before a fresh breeze. "I suppose -they've brought a police officer along to make inquiries on the spot." - -"I hope he won't ask _us_ to go to Narva as witnesses!" I laughed. -"That would be a bad look-out for poor Strong, Jack, eh?" - -Jack was gazing at the boat as it neared the land; I gazed too, watching -the jolly little craft cut the water into an endless V as it flew -scudding towards us, as though rejoiced at the prospect of getting home. - -"Peter," said Jack presently, "look at the fellow in the bows; he's got -his head round this way. If I were not absolutely certain that such a -thing were impossible, I should say it was James Strong." - -"_What?_" I shrieked, "which? where?" I stared at the man; it _was_ -Strong, there could not be a doubt of it--there was no mistaking his -face, even at this distance. - -"Good gracious! Jack, what are we to do?" I said, trembling at the -knees like any coward. "Heaven help us, what will happen now?" I added. -My nerve seemed to have taken to itself wings at the sight of James -Strong! - -"Why, what's the matter, man?" said Jack. "It's a mystery to me how the -fellow happens to be in that boat, but you may take your oath that he's -pretty harmless as far as _we_ are concerned; he won't catch us napping -again, if we have to watch him all day and night till the steamer -comes!" - -I recovered presently, and called myself many evil names for yielding to -a craven instinct at sight of this ill-omened person. I was not really -afraid of the fellow; it was the unexpected that upset me--it always -does. - -As a matter of fact, there was little to be afraid of in the wretched -man. It was not the James Strong whom we had known in Africa that -landed among us that afternoon in Hogland. It was a poor, -broken-spirited, hopeless creature that raised his arms with a cry of -despair at seeing us, and hid his face and trembled and refused to leave -the boat when Kuzmį and others beached it and ran it, with him still -seated in the bows, up the shore. I felt quite sorry for the terrified -wretch. - -"Well, James Strong," said Jack, "this is an unexpected meeting, after -all that has passed! How come _you_ here, pray?" - -"I didn't expect to find you on the island," said Strong. "Oh, curse my -luck!" he added, in a wailing tone which changed into one of sudden -ferocity as his eye fell upon Jack, who was laughing at him. - -"Yes, it _is_ poor luck for you, I admit," said the latter, "but, if it -is any comfort for you to know it, you would have been too late in any -case, for we have got all there was to find." - -"I don't believe a word of it," said Strong. - -"And what's more," continued Jack, ignoring Strong's remark, "the elder -had it all the while, and would have given it to you if you hadn't shot -at him. So you see what comes of evil temper, James Strong. Now, if -you had not shot poor Clutterbuck, and tried to murder my friend and me, -you might have followed us to England, and perhaps, even yet, have -robbed us of our possessions. As it is, you see, if you come to England -you will certainly hang!" - -James Strong swore one of his vile oaths and spluttered there was no -proof. Who was going to believe our lies? It was much more probable -that we had shot Clutterbuck than he, and any jury of Englishmen would -see that the whole yarn was a foul conspiracy. Then he changed his tone -and whimpered, and said he had passed a miserable fortnight in the -Russian prison in Narva, and beseeched us, if we were men and -Englishmen, to help him escape to England and thence anywhere we -pleased. The Narva police would be after him by to-morrow for a -certainty, even if these Russian fiends did not carry him back and -deliver him up. - -"Tell us your story, with as few lies as you can put into it," said -Jack, "and we'll think what's best to be done with you." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIII* - - *HOW STRONG ESCAPED FROM PRISON* - - -"You're such an infernal blackguard, you see, Strong," continued Jack, -with engaging candour, "that one must be very careful in dealing with a -man like yourself. It seems to me that it's Siberia or the gibbet, my -friend; and upon my word, I don't quite know which to advise in your -best interests. Tell us what happened at Narva." - -James Strong was considerably cowed by his experiences, and obeyed -without further demur. Undoubtedly, his tale was full of untruth, but as -he gave it to us I will pass it on to the reader. We were able to learn -a truer version subsequently. - -Strong declared that he had been taken to Narva by the fishermen, having -been bound by them while still unconscious from the effects of a blow on -the head from Gavril's staff. At Narva he was thrust into a miserable -prison or police cell, where he was interrogated by persons who could -not understand him, nor he them. A Swedish interpreter was brought, and -Strong was knocked about and bullied because he protested that he could -understand Swedish no better than Russian. He repeated the word -"English" in hopes that an English interpreter would be produced, but -none appeared. He was half starved and atrociously bullied by Russian -policemen, and so the time passed until the witness Kuzmį came to give -evidence against him. At the trial the English Consul came and spoke -for him (this was in consequence of our letter, no doubt), but he was -taken back to his cell, the Consul informing him that he could do -nothing to save him from the consequences of his violence. He would -probably be convicted of attempted murder and deported to Siberia. - -That night was celebrated, Strong explained, some Russian church -holiday, and everyone was drunk or half drunk. He succeeded in escaping -from the wooden building in which he was confined, and in finding his -way down by the river to the port, securing a small boat, which proved -to be rotten and to leak vilely, in which he put out to sea; he hoped to -get away and finally return somehow to Hogland, where he might even yet -find the treasure before we arrived, and escape with it on the first -steamer that passed. - -"You can't blame me for that," interposed Strong at this point. "I had -as much right to the treasure as you, if I could find it first." - -"Oh, quite so, Strong," said Jack. "We don't always approve of some of -your methods--as, for instance, of your attempts to remove us out of the -way, us and poor Clutterbuck--but we never denied your right to compete. -Proceed. Whom did you murder, and how, in order to escape from your -cell?" - -"You never give me a chance, curse you!" said Strong, looking livid with -rage. "I have never killed a human creature. Clutterbuck fell down a -nullah and broke his neck. I shot wide of you on purpose--it was -necessary to frighten you off--and these fellows too. Did I murder one -of them or one of you?" - -"What about my leg, Strong? you infernal lying blackguard!" I said. - -"I was bound to keep you back how I could," he cried hotly; "I am sorry -I hurt you, but that's not murder, and you know it." - -"I know it was meant to be," I said. - -"It was not," he cried; "I fired wide on purpose. One doesn't hit a man -in the leg if one means killing." - -"Oh, come, Strong; you are a poor shot, you know, at the best!" said -Jack. "We don't forget Graciosa! Go on with your story." - -"Oh, curse Graciosa, and you too!" said Strong surlily, and not another -word could we get out of him at this time. - -But Kuzmį told us the rest of it--that is to say, from the point at -which Strong left off--though we only heard the true version of his -escape from Narva at a later date, and from another source. - -Kuzmį returning to Hogland in his fishing-boat, had seen in the -distance, when about an hour out from Narva, a small craft occupied by -one man, who seemed to be in difficulties, since he shouted and -gesticulated. - -As Kuzmį and his companion consulted whether to head for the small boat -in order to offer assistance, they suddenly observed that the vessel had -disappeared. Sailing up to the place where it had sunk they had come -upon a man swimming, whom they did not recognise for Strong until they -had pulled him on board. - -When they did recognise him, said Kuzmį, they were for pitching him back -into the sea; but Strong had a knife, and looked so dangerous, that they -thought it wiser to bring him along, which they did. They knew nothing -of his escape or anything else, excepting that they fully intended to -make a little money out of the job, presently, by restoring him to the -authorities, and claiming a gratuity. - -Had they known more, they would probably have smashed in his head with -an oar, and pitched him back into the gulf. Cash rewards are very, very -pleasant things; but under some circumstances Kuzmį would have felt even -greater satisfaction in smashing a head than in earning money by -preserving it whole for others to smash! - -On the following day we might fairly begin to look out for the return of -our good steamship the _Thomas Wilcox_, and it became necessary to -settle something as to James Strong and his fate. - -The Russians, Kuzmį and his friends, being aggrieved parties, and also -interested in a pecuniary way in returning the prisoner to his bonds, -were naturally all for conveying him back to Narva under strong escort; -but this James Strong besought us with tears and piteous entreaties at -all hazards to disallow. He would assuredly be sent to Siberia or -starved or flogged to death, he protested; nothing could save him. "For -the love of Heaven," he begged us, "let me sail with you from this -accursed place." - -"But I can't, we can't do it, as honest men!" said Jack, in some -perplexity for the wretched fellow. "Don't you see, man, that if you -set foot in England we are bound to denounce you?" - -"Then land me at Copenhagen," said Strong, "or anywhere." - -"But you'll take the first steamer on to Hull, and the difficulties will -all begin again," said I. - -"I won't--I swear it!" he cried. "I'll sign anything you like." - -Jack and I held a consultation over this knotty question. No doubt it -will be said that our duty was obviously either to abandon the miscreant -to these poor fellows, whom he had deeply aggrieved, and who would -restore him into the hands of those who would try him; or else to take -him to England ourselves, and arraign him there. - -And yet, stern and judicial reader of these lines, we felt that either -course would be equally repugnant to us. We could not allow these -Russians to have their will of the fellow; how did we know that they -would not knock him on the head, without trial, so soon as we were -afloat? As for taking him to England and accusing him of murder, fully -as we believed him guilty, we were without absolute proof, and the work -of establishing a case against him was not an enterprise we cared to -undertake. - -In the end we decided to buy the man off from these islanders for the -sum of one hundred roubles, which they gladly accepted, and to allow him -to accompany us as far as Copenhagen, where he should land. In -consideration, therefore, of a signed statement from him that he was -guiltless of the murder of Clutterbuck, who, he solemnly declared, had -fallen in fair fight during a struggle for the revolver, which had -exploded and killed Clutterbuck on the spot; in consideration, I say, of -a declaration to this effect, Jack and I both undertook to leave Strong -unmolested so long as he did not cross our path in England. So sure as -he ever came near us again, for good or ill, he should be denounced by -us without further compunction. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIV* - - *EXIT STRONG* - - -We did not altogether believe Strong's story even then; I believe it now -still less, in the light of subsequent information bearing upon his -conduct at Narva. Taking him all in all, I daresay, and indeed I hope, -that I shall never look upon the like of James Strong again; for I do -not suppose the earth contains many such callous and sanguinary rascals -as he, and it would be more than my share of ill luck to come across two -such scoundrels in the course of one lifetime. - -I will not dwell upon his "gratitude" and joy when our decision was -communicated to him. He had knelt weeping before us, praying aloud and -blubbering while we had the matter in consideration, and when the thing -was decided he--well, it was a sickly exhibition, and, of course, his -gratitude was only sham. He would have stabbed either of us in the back -any minute, for a five-pound note. - -Thus, when the good ship _Thomas Wilcox_ arrived off the island next -morning early, we took leave of our gentle but avaricious elder and his -friends, and left the island without much regret, and James Strong went -with us. - -"Well," said kind and hearty Captain Edwards, shaking each of us warmly -by the hand, "found your coal?" - -As for me, I had completely forgotten our coal-mining enterprise, and -was foolishly taken aback by the remark. But Jack, as usual, was "all -there." - -"There is certainly coal in the island," he said; "but I don't think it -will prove to exist in paying quantities." - -I don't think it will either; for, so far as I know, the only coals to -be found in the place are the few ashes shot out by steamers passing the -island near enough for their siftings to be washed ashore. - -"Ah, that's a pity!" said Edwards; "I was looking forward to be a -director, one day! So your trip's been a failure?" - -"Well, not altogether," said Jack, grave as a judge; "we've enjoyed some -good fishing, and haven't had a bad time altogether." - -We paid Strong's passage to Copenhagen, and landed him there. Not -wishing to enter into particulars as to his story, we gave out that he -had come to the island a month ago, _viā_ Helsingfors, upon much the -same errand as ourselves; and if Captain Edwards was surprised to hear -that there had been three fools instead of two in the matter, he was too -polite to say so. But after Strong had, to our relief, finally -departed, and we were once more in full sail for England, we received a -piece of news from Captain Edwards which gave us what is commonly called -"a turn," and we were glad at first that we had not received it but a -few hours earlier. We had just seen Strong off, and were sitting and -talking in the dining-saloon, discussing various matters, when Edwards -suddenly startled us by saying-- - -"Nice pranks a countryman of ours has been playing at Narva!" - -"What--Strong?" I blurted in my foolishness. Jack coughed as though -choking over his glass of sherry. - -"How your mind is running upon Strong, Peter!" he said. "At Narva this -was, Captain Edwards said; didn't you, captain?" - -"Yes, at Narva," said Edwards, suspecting nothing; "it's a place not so -very far from Hogland, on the Esthonian shore. The fellow was a sailor -apparently, and had behaved violently towards other sailors, Russians--I -don't know the history of it; but he was placed in 'quod' for his -misdeeds. Well, what does the fellow do one night, finding that most -people about the lock-up were drunk by reason of a church holiday (it's -a sin to be sober on a church holiday, you must know, in Russia); what -does he do but set fire to the place, stick a knife into one policeman, -brain another with a stool, and escape in the confusion down to the -water, where he gets to sea in a leaky boat, and goes Heaven knows -where?--probably to the bottom, for the boat is described as a totally -impossible craft." - -"Do you mean to say, captain, that the two men he attacked are actually -dead--murdered?" I asked, feeling that I was paler than I ought to be to -hear of these excesses in a stranger. - -"Why, certainly," said the captain; "he appears to have run amuck -entirely; and I should say that if he went to the bottom he did a deuced -wise thing, for if they catch him there'll be a bad quarter of an hour -for him; on that you may bet your pile." - -"Anyone burnt?" said Jack. He too looked somewhat appalled by these -revelations. - -"Most probably--I only saw a telegram, mind you, in the French paper, -the _Journal de St. Petersbourg_. There must have been a number of -drunken people about the place,--bah! it isn't a pretty story. Upon my -word, you have both gone quite pale over it. Pass the sherry, Mr. -Henderson--help yourself and your friend; you both look to require it." - -Talking over this horrible story with Jack, afterwards, we agreed that -if we had known of this before leaving Hogland, we could not possibly, -in conscience, have allowed the fellow to escape. We must have sent him -back to Narva. It was lucky indeed that Kuzmį had known nothing of it, -having simply picked the man up in mid-sea! - -"What should we have done if Captain Edwards had told us this story -while Strong was still on board?" I asked. - -"Nothing," said Jack. "What would have been the use? It would have -been very awkward for Edwards; and besides, rogue as Strong is, I don't -think I should hand the poor wretch back to Russian judges any the -easier after this. Heaven only knows what would happen to him!" - -At all events, it was a matter to be thankful for that we were at length -happily quit of this nightmare, and, as we hoped, for ever. - -As we hoped, yes. But it's a delusive thing, this bubble "Hope," and -very given to bursting! - -It was during lunch that Captain Edwards had told Jack and me all about -the Narva business, and it was while sitting and smoking a pipe in my -cabin an hour later that it suddenly occurred to me--I don't know -why--to have a look at old Clutterbuck's last letter and the daub which -was supposed to be a reproduction of his features upon canvas. - -I did not suspect anything. On the contrary, it never for one moment -occurred to me that anything could have happened to the things. They -were useless to anyone but myself, unless it were Strong; but that -thoroughly cowed individual would never have dared possess himself of -them--why should he? It was impossible for him to show himself in -England, for he would know that we should have no mercy if he were -deliberately to disobey orders and risk his neck in this way. - -I suppose I wanted to have a peep at the things--my stock in trade, such -as it was; just as one enjoys taking out one's money, from time to time, -and counting it, in the mere pleasure of possession. I can think of no -other reason why I should have gone to my portmanteau to have a look at -that foolish old letter and that unspeakable caricature. At anyrate I -went. - -The portmanteau was unlocked, and strapped only on one side, because of -the nuisance of hunting up keys and unfastening buckles when at sea. -Dressing in a cabin with a rocking floor beneath one's feet is an -extremely disagreeable process, and I am always unwilling to add to the -necessary time to be expended in the operation by fastening up bags and -portmanteaus. - -Let them lie open, day and night--there are no thieves to come picking -and stealing at the first-class passengers' end of the ship! That is -what had been my idea in the matter, an idea supported by the reflection -that I had nothing worth stealing. But when I went to the portmanteau -and found that both letter and picture had totally disappeared, I -realised, not for the first time, that Mr. James Strong was an -individual whose craftiness should not be measured with the ordinary -tape-yard applicable to the shrewdness of others. He required a measure -all to himself. He had got the better of us again! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXV* - - *MORE CHECKS* - - -I rushed upstairs to Jack, who had gone on deck. - -"Jack," I cried, almost shouting in my excitement,--"he's done us -again!--he's got the things! Heaven only knows what he means to do with -them, but he's got them and--and we haven't!" I concluded lamely. - -"What do you mean, man?" said Jack. "Who's got what?" - -"Why, Strong--Strong again! Don't you understand?--he's stolen the -letter and the picture too, and Heaven only knows where he's gone with -them." - -It was now Jack's turn to be moved. - -"Impossible!" he exclaimed; "he would never dare; why--man alive!--he -knows well enough he must swing if he sets foot in England, and what use -are the things to him anywhere else?" Jack rose and strode about the -deck. - -"He might have done it out of spite, though," he added next minute; -"very likely he was determined that if _he_ couldn't have the money, at -all events _we_ shouldn't have it either. Are you sure they are gone?" - -"Come and see for yourself," I said; and together we hurried down again, -through the saloon and into my cabin. - -Here we turned out every single article that my portmanteau contained; -we searched every corner of the tiny room in case the things should have -been mislaid; but we found nothing, and finally, in desperation, we -called up the steward and cross-questioned him as to whether anyone -could possibly have entered the cabin, either by day or night, without -being seen by him or by his sub. - -But neither did the steward know anything of the lost articles, nor -would he admit that anyone could or would have entered the saloon -without his being aware of the fact. - -"Why, my pantry's at the foot of the stairs," he said, "and if I'm not -in it Arthur is, and the stewardess is generally knocking around about -here too; how's anyone going to pass the lot of us without someone -knowing of it? Besides, we don't keep no thieves aboard _this_ ship," -he concluded, with displeasure. "No one but me and Arthur's been in -this 'ere cabin since you came aboard at Hogland, and that's a fact!" - -"No, you're wrong there, steward!" I said, "for that Russian sailor -Michail came in to close the portholes last night, and woke me; what's -more, he said you sent him." - -The steward admitted that this suddenly recollected circumstance was -correct. He had forgotten it, he explained. Michail had come to him at -about two in the morning, and had asked whether he should close the -passengers' windows, as the wind seemed to be rising and the portholes -might ship a sea or two presently. "If you suspect him, or me, or any -of us, all you have to do is to examine our things," the steward ended. - -But we disclaimed any such desire. We would like to see Michail, -however, and as soon as possible; for if the things were not -forthcoming, we must--as Jack expressed it--"get out at Elsinore, and -walk!" - -So Michail came up for examination. - -Did he often volunteer for the duty of closing portholes at night? we -asked. - -Michail said he did it sometimes; he generally offered to do it because -he liked the job; the passengers now and then gave him a small gratuity. -On this occasion, Michail added, the gentlemen had given him nothing, -but it was not too late should they desire to repair the omission. - -"Wait a minute, Michail," said Jack. "The time has not yet arrived to -speak of gratuities. What about this portmanteau, here? Have you seen -it before?" - -"Often," said Michail; "it is the very one I carried ashore on Hogland, -for the gentleman with red hair." (My hair is _not_ red, it is a warm -yellow; Michail meant me, nevertheless, for Jack's locks are raven -black.) - -"Yes; but have you been a-fishing in it lately--just an innocent search, -you know, for something of interest; not a burglary of course." - -Michael started back in horror and surprise. "Do the _barins_ take me -for a thief?" he asked with some indignation. - -"That was the idea," said Jack, quite coolly. "But you may have been -acting for another--for that other Englishman, for instance, Strong." - -"Which Englishman is that?" asked Michail innocently; "one of the -sailors?" - -"The Narva man; you know well enough!" said Jack. - -Michail crossed himself very devoutly. "_Barin!_" he said; "as if I -would act with that _skoteena_!" (rascal) - -"Come, Michail," continued Jack, "will ten roubles do it?" - -"There is nothing to tell of myself," said Michail reflectively; "but -for the sum of money mentioned, I might possibly be induced to tell you -something that I heard him say to one of our men in the fo'c'sle." - -"Well," I said, "go on Michail. It sounds promising. When did he say -it, and what did he say?" - -"It was yesterday," replied Michail; "you two were walking on deck, and -I saw him point to you and say those two passengers had the worst -tempers of any two men he'd ever seen; they go mad angry every two or -three days, he said, and tear around, playing Old Harry with everything. -Very likely they'll want to be landed in the middle of the North Sea, -and they'll paint everything red till they're allowed, too; and I shan't -be there to see the fun, he said, for I shall have been put ashore at -Copenhagen." - -"What did he mean by that? You're romancing, Michail!" said Jack -severely. - -Michail replied that he would scorn to tell us anything but the plain -truth, though he was always glad to tell that--for a consideration. - -"Well, you've earned nothing yet, my friend; the ten roubles remain with -me, so far. You'd better remember a little more if you want the money." - -"That was all the _skoteena_ himself said," Michael continued; "but if -the _barins_ desire it, I will tell them what some of those in the -fo'c'sle thought about it." - -"Go on," said Jack; "what did they say?" - -"They said--when the _skoteena_ had told us about your tempers and what -you would do in the North Sea after he had gone--that he wouldn't say a -thing like that unless he had a reason for it; and probably the reason -was that he had got hold of some of your property, and you'd find out -about it in a day or two and go mad with rage, and want to be landed -wherever was nearest so as to go after him." - -"Oh, that was it, was it?" said Jack. - -Michail received his ten roubles, and Jack drew me aside. - -"I'll tell you what it is, Peter, old chap; Michail's right. Whether he -said it because he has a guilty conscience, and wants us off the ship; -or whether Strong really used the expression he attributes to him, one -thing's certain--we must land." - -"Where can we?--anywhere here along the Danish coast? By George! if we -catch him again, Jack, he shan't escape us, eh?" - -"He should swing if it depended upon me, now, and I could prove -anything," said Jack grimly. "But come and interview Captain Edwards, -and see if he'll stop the ship and land us." Captain Edwards was upon -the bridge with the pilot, whom we had shipped at Copenhagen. - -"Of course," Jack added, as we caught sight of the jolly-looking, -weather-beaten Dane standing beside our own skipper--"the pilot! We'll -ask Edwards to let us go ashore in his boat, with him; that'll probably -be Elsinore. Confound it all, though, we shall be six hours behind him -at Copenhagen!" - -"But why, what's up, what's happened?" asked bewildered Captain Edwards, -when we had made known to him the nature of our request; "has the other -fellow bolted with the money-bags?" - -We explained that this was just about the state of the case; the man had -robbed us, and we must land and be after him. - -"Are you quite sure it was he?" continued Edwards; "it would be funny if -you went after this fellow and left the real culprit, _plus_ your -property, on board!" - -But we explained that there was no reasonable doubt as to this. The -only person now on the ship who might possibly have had a hand in it was -Michail, and we begged the captain to keep an open eye on this rascal, -and even have him watched on landing in Hull. It was possible that he -might have in his possession a picture belonging to us, and of some -value. - -"What! a work of art?" laughed Edwards. "May I ask how you came to be -travelling about and landing and prospecting on Hogland in company with -a valuable work of art?" - -Well, we thought it best--and probably the shorter way as well--to tell -the skipper all about it, and we did so. Now that Strong was out of our -hands we need not scruple to conceal the fact that he was perhaps the -greatest rascal unhung, and that he and the hero of the Narva exploit -were one and the same person. - -Captain Edwards was naturally somewhat excited. - -"The scoundrel ought to have been sent back to Narva," he said, "not -brought on here and set free. You deserve what's happened for setting -such a monster loose upon society. It's not fair dealing towards your -kind, young men, upon my soul it isn't; you may take that from an older -man than yourselves. However, please God you'll catch him yet. You -must land with the pilot, of course; that'll be at Elsinore, in half an -hour's time. You'd better get your traps ready." - -We went down to prepare for our departure. In the cabin a thought -occurred to me. What if Michail and Strong were in direct collusion, -and had agreed upon a base of action such as this: that Michail should -convey to us, just as he had done, by innuendo, that Strong had stolen -our property, in order that we might be induced to land at Elsinore and -hurry back after him by train to Copenhagen; that meanwhile Strong -should have caught the first train to Elsinore, and--having "done" the -distance by land much faster than we should have accomplished it by -water--be waiting at Elsinore or beyond it, knocking around in a small -boat all ready to be picked up at dusk by his friend Michail. In that -case he would have left the property on board, and would simply continue -his journey to Hull, and land there in two days and a half, or three -days, while we were still hunting him, goodness knows where, all over -the Continent, perhaps! - -"Well," said Jack, "if that _is_ the plan, Master Strong will find -himself in the wrong box. I don't believe he could get taken on board -out of a small boat without stopping the ship, or the captain or mate -knowing something of it; but if he did, Edwards knows all about him now, -and he'd be as safe here as in Newgate, _pro tem_. Let him come, by all -means; the arrangement would be all right for us even though we did lose -a few days travelling about the Continent." - -Nevertheless we warned Captain Edwards that it was just possible Strong -might turn up again beyond Elsinore and demand to be taken aboard, or -perhaps be assisted by Michail in making a secret reappearance. - -"Not he!" said Edwards; "he wouldn't risk it--don't you make any -mistake! I only wish he would. It would be putting his head in a bag -with a vengeance!" - -I think I ought to make an apology, at this point, to the memory of the -astute Mr. James Strong. I ought never to have imagined him capable of -so crude an enterprise as that which my fancy accused him of -undertaking. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVI* - - *WE FIND AN OLD FRIEND* - - -The ugly castle of Elsinore was in sight when we came on deck, and a few -minutes later the pilot's own little craft, splendidly sailed by his -mate and a boy, came alongside, and without asking us to stop for her, -made fast to us and raced along in our company. - -After a hasty farewell with Captain Edwards, and a whispered injunction -under all circumstances to keep a good look-out upon Michail, we threw -our portmanteaus into the arms of the astonished Dane below, and -followed the pilot down the steps swung over the side of the ship for -our accommodation. - -Though the pilot lived at a village at some little distance from -Elsinore, he kindly agreed to convey us to the railway station at the -latter town, and with a fair wind we soon made the jetty close to the -very spot from which the trains start. Here, having paid off our -gallant boatmen, we jumped ashore and hurried with all speed to the -station, to find that we had just missed one train and that we could not -now catch another for an hour and more. This was tantalising and -vexatious; but at least we were ashore and in full chase after our -quarry, and that was a source of some comfort to us. - -Together we paced up and down the platform of Elsinore Station. We -tried to converse. I asked Jack what he thought would be Hamlet's -opinion of the state of affairs if he were to "come down" and see a -railway station within a stone's-throw of his capital castle of -Elsinore. - -Jack replied that all depended upon whether Strong should have been -lucky in catching his train; if one had started from Copenhagen soon -after he landed there, then his advantage over us would be very great, -and probably our best way would be to let him go, and hurry back to -England, ourselves, by land. - -Presently, standing at a spot whence he commanded a good view of the -castle, Jack observed that if Hamlet's father's ghost ever walked upon -the parapet of the great ugly building nowadays, he must be as active as -a cat, for there would be a lot of climbing to do, there being a kind of -miniature turret at every few yards which the ghost would have to -negotiate if he desired to get along. - -To which I replied, in a contemplative fashion, that in any case we knew -well enough without the paper where we had to dig for the money, and the -only thing that really mattered was the picture. The question was, did -we absolutely require the daub to help us find the treasure, or not? At -anyrate, Strong knew too much to come fooling around in England. He -must know that we would nab him at once. There was no fear of Strong -himself turning up. From all of which it will be gathered that our -conversation was a little mixed. However, the train started at last, -and we left Elsinore behind us. - -At Copenhagen many inquiries had to be made, and at first we were -somewhat helpless; for though the language sounded sufficiently like -English to make it additionally annoying that we could not understand -it, yet neither we nor those with whom we attempted to converse could -make head or tail of that which we or they respectively tried to convey. -At the station we could do nothing towards making our wishes known, and -at length we determined to visit the nearest hotel and engage an -interpreter, if such a person existed. - -Here we were lucky, for we found the very man, and to him we confided -our need, namely, to get upon the track of an individual who landed from -an English steamer, and had, presumably, gone on by the first train -elsewhere. - -"But where?" asked our commissionaire; and to this question we had, of -course, no reply. - -"We must begin at the beginning, and go down first to the -landing-stage," said our friend. - -Now this was annoying, because the journey would be a loss of time; but -it was obviously the correct course, and we took it. We must begin our -inquiries from the spot at which he first touched land. - -Down at the wharf our Dane interviewed several boatmen, all of whom had -seen the _Thomas Wilcox_ arrive and depart, and all of whom agreed that -a passenger had landed and had engaged a conveyance and driven away. - -"To the station, of course," said I. "Why do we wait? This is all a -waste of precious time!" - -"Which station?" asked our Dane grimly; and, when I had no reply to -make, he added, "That is what we have come for to find out." - -It seemed, however, that the point was a most difficult one to -establish, and that we should be obliged to drive to each station in -turn, thereby wasting more time, until there wandered upon the scene, -presently, a Danish youth who said he had taken the passenger's bag out -of the boat and put it into the carriage. The passenger was a German, -he said. - -"How do you know that?" asked Jack, through the interpreter. - -"Because he wanted to get to Kiel," said the boy; "he knew no Danish, -and could only hold up his finger to the driver and say, 'Skielskor, for -Kiel!'" - -This was good enough for us. We drove rapidly towards the station, -feeling that we were about to make a real start at last. - -The clerk at the booking-office remembered the man we wanted. He had -hurried into the station and said, in an interrogative manner, -"Skielskor?" and when the clerk had replied that it was all right, if he -meant that he required a ticket for that place, he had repeated, -"Kiel--Bremen?" Whereupon the clerk, seeing that conversation would be -difficult, had tentatively offered two tickets, one to Skielskor, and -the other through to Kiel; of which he had selected and paid for the -latter. He had left just an hour ago. - -"Can't we get to Kiel direct by water, quicker than by land to -Skielskor, and thence across?" asked Jack. "If there should be a -steamer going just about now, we might possibly cut him off at Kiel." - -Fortune favoured us quite handsomely this time. - -Hastening back to the waterside we actually found a Kiel steamer about -to depart; that is, a large steamer lay in mid-channel, having arrived -since we were down here half an hour before; she had stopped to put down -passengers, just as the _Thomas Wilcox_ did, and would proceed almost -immediately. - -We signalled her to take us on board, and left without a moment's delay. - -"Great Scott, Jack!" I exclaimed; "Strong will have the luck of the evil -one himself if he reaches Kiel before us now; this is splendid!" - -We ascertained that, all being well, we should reach our destination -considerably before Strong could do so, he travelling by land and then -by small steamer to Kiel, even though he should catch one just about to -start. Under these circumstances the jubilation which we felt was most -justifiable, and over a capital dinner we spoke with delight of the joy -in store for us, when we should stand on the landing-stage waiting for -the arrival of the little Skielskor steamer, and see the countenance of -Mr. James Strong change when he caught sight of us there. - -"Will he have a fit, think you, Jack?" I asked in glee. - -Jack said he thought it quite likely; it would appear so uncanny to the -wretched chap, and so utterly unexpected. "I should certainly have a -fit under similar circumstances," he added. - -We went to bed with the conviction that fortune was treating us kindly -this time, and that to-morrow had consolations for us in expiation for -the shocks and disappointments of to-day. - -But these rascally to-morrows never perform exactly what is expected of -them. Our programme was all of the colour of the rose, and justifiably -so; but certain circumstances marred the order of events, and things -fell out differently. - -Now our steamer, the _Peter der Grosse_, had come from Cronstadt, just -as our own _Thomas Wilcox_ had, and in Russia at this time the cholera -was having one of those periodical innings which it enjoys at regular or -irregular intervals in that country. And when we arrived at Kiel and -requested to be landed as quickly as might be, we were met by the -stunning statement that this would be impossible until the quarantine -officer should have come on board and passed us. - -"How long will that be?" we asked, and were informed that it might be a -couple of hours and might be twelve. - -"They are very particular here," said the captain, "and are as likely as -not to leave us half a day or so, just to give the germs a chance, in -case they should require this much extra time to develop." - -As a matter of fact, the quarantine officer did not visit us until -nearly evening, we having arrived before midday. Just before his -arrival I had noticed a little Danish steamer creep into harbour, and -through the captain's glasses I distinguished, or thought to -distinguish, the words "_Helma_--Skielskor." - -"Jack," I said, "look at the little craft just running into -harbour--here, take the glasses." - -Jack took them and had a long steady gaze at the small steamer. - -"You're quite right," he said presently (I had expressed no opinion -whatever!); "he's just done it; that must be his boat; there's no -question of it!" - -Then Jack muttered an expressive word between his teeth, and I another. - -Then I looked at Jack and he at me, and--having nothing better or wiser -to do, I suppose--we both burst into a roar of laughter. - -It was sickening to see the fellow just gliding out of our very hands; -but at the same time it was really very funny. - -"Never mind," said Jack. "We'll be after him directly, and we know he's -going _viā_ Bremen. Perhaps we may catch the same train yet." - -But we were not destined to reap this crop of good fortune. The -quarantine officers came on board and examined carefully every creature -in the ship. This occupied a couple of hours. Fortunately for us, we -were able to prove that we had joined the steamer at Copenhagen; still -more so, we were not asked for passports, otherwise the fact would have -been revealed that we too had come from Russia, and we, like the rest of -the passengers, would have been delayed in quarantine for twenty-four or -forty-eight hours, or whatever the term may have been. - -As it was, we were allowed to land, though the rest were detained; and -without a moment's delay we made for the station, calling on the way at -the jetty, at which lay, sluggishly steaming, the little Skielskor -steamer which had arrived a short while since. - -We inquired of the captain, as best we could, as to the passengers he -had brought over. Was there an Englishman? we asked; and we described -our friend Strong. The captain who--excellent man!--spoke English, -replied that most certainly there had been an Englishman among his -passengers, a charming, cheery sort of person, who had laughed and drunk -Swedish punch all the way, and told capital stories. He was a generous -kind of a man too, and had stood drinks all round. He had also made -him, the skipper, a little present which he declared to be of some -value, though it could not be said to have the appearance of much -intrinsic worth, so far as he, the skipper, was able to judge! - -"Oh," said Jack, not greatly interested; "and what was that?" - -"The picture of an old man--Dutch School; after Gerard Dow, so he said," -laughed the skipper. "You can see it, if you like; you may be a judge of -these things. Lord knows why he gave it me--drunk, I suppose!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVII* - - *MR. STRONG MAKES AN EFFECTIVE REAPPEARANCE* - - -This communication was as exciting as it was utterly unexpected. We -entreated the skipper, as calmly as we could, to produce his work of -art. He did so. It was the portrait, of course. - -And we to talk of ill-luck! Why, supposing the thing to be really of -any value to us, it was a stroke of the most magnificent good fortune to -have found it in this way! I realised this fact as the skipper brought -the ugly thing out, and--with a laugh--placed it on the table before us. - -"There," he said; "a beauty, isn't it? If it's by Gerard Dow, why, I -don't think much of Gerard Dow, and that's the truth. Any offers?" he -added, with another laugh. - -"Ten shillings!" said Jack, laughing also. "It isn't Gerard Dow, nor yet -_after_ him; but I collect these old Dutch daubs, and I'll take it off -your hands for a half sovereign." - -"That and a drink round," said the skipper. - -And ten minutes later we were driving in a German droshky to the -station, having our newly-recovered treasure in tow. - -It mattered little, now, whether we caught Strong or not. As a matter -of fact he would be more of an embarrassment than anything else. What -should we do with him if we caught him? - -At anyrate, however, we would shadow him and see what he intended to do. -If his destination should prove to be England, then matters would be -different and it would be our duty to follow and arrest him. - -"We can't prove anything," I said. - -"We shall have to try," replied Jack. "A rogue like him can't be -allowed to prowl about England free." This was, of course, perfectly -true. - -"Why did the chap steal the portrait, only to chuck it away again?" I -said presently, as we drove along. "Simply to annoy us, or prevent us -finding the treasure, even though he daren't go and dig for it at -Streatham himself?" - -"That's the idea, I should think," said Jack; "that if _he_ can't have -it, _you_ shan't!" - -Upon reaching the station we found that Mr. Strong was, at anyrate, not -to be caught in Kiel. The Bremen train had left just an hour ago, with -him in it. There would be another in fifty minutes. - -"Gad, Peter, we are in the race, at anyrate, after all!" said Jack, with -a guffaw; "if we have any luck in the trains we may catch him yet." - -"Let's find out how long he'll have to wait at Hamburg for the Bremen -train," I suggested. - -We did so, and found to our annoyance that our train reached Hamburg -just ten minutes after Strong's was timed to leave that station for -Bremen. There would be another one, however, in an hour or less, and a -quicker one than his; so that we might get him at Bremen, It would -depend upon what should be his next destination. - -"It doesn't much matter," I reflected. "If we don't catch him at Bremen -we'd better just see where he's gone to and then set off for Streatham, -_viā_ Hanover and Flushing, as quickly as possible. Are you very keen to -see him, Jack?" - -"It depends," said Jack. "I should dearly like to see him, just once -more, in a dark lane and without witness or revolvers, but with a pair -of football boots upon my feet. That would be very sweet indeed. At a -crowded station, one might get in a little comforting language; but -kicking would be out of the question, and therefore the case would not -really be met. However, it would be nice just to see his face, when -_he_ sees _ours_, and to tell him one or two things about himself." - -So we took train for Bremen _viā_ Hamburg, and at this latter place we -found, to our amusement, that our train, though starting after Strong's, -who had already gone on, ran into Bremen a short while before the other; -ours being an express. - -"Gad, Peter, this is splendid!" cried old Jack, rubbing his hands with -delight. - -It really was; it was splendid! Destiny was playing a strong game in -our favour; there was no doubt about it. - -We should thus have the ecstatic pleasure of meeting Mr. Strong upon the -platform, and of observing his expression of delight upon seeing us -waiting for him. - -It was at some little station outside Bremen, and about five miles from -that city, that we overtook Strong's train, which, no doubt, was waiting -there in order to allow the express to go by. - -We did not know it was Strong's train, of course. We discovered the fact -in this way-- - -I was reading, Jack was looking out of the window. Suddenly he startled -me with an exclamation. He was staring, all eyes, through the glass, -which was closed on account of the dustiness of the German railways. - -"What is it?" I inquired. I looked out, but saw nothing very startling -or unusual; a train lay alongside of ours, and Jack was staring, as it -appeared, into one of the carriages. - -"What is it?" I repeated. - -"Hush!" said Jack. "Don't make a row, but just look in there--the -compartment exactly opposite this one. Don't speak too loud or you may -awake the dear kind soul." - -I looked, and first my heart gave a great jump; then, almost -immediately, I was attacked by the most violent desire to laugh aloud, -and I sank back in my place and heaved about, stuffing my handkerchief -into my mouth to prevent an outburst of noise therefrom. - -For it was Strong himself, alone in a carriage, and fast asleep--the -pretty innocent--not dreaming of the possibility of enemies at hand! -Happy; at peace with all the world; slumbering upon his second-class -cushions in all the guileless confidence of a weary child. It was too -beautiful for words. - -Almost immediately our train started with a sudden jerk, and spoiled our -contemplation of the sweet picture before us. But in marring one it -gave us another--a mere lightning flash of a picture, this last, -certainly; but one which I would not have missed for untold sums, and -the memory of which is even now a constant delight to me whenever -conjured up by the wizard Imagination. - -The movement of our train caused Strong to open his eyes languidly and -to raise them towards the cause of his awakening. - -At the same instant he caught sight of Jack's face and then of mine, and -a more sudden and startled rushing of a sleepy intelligence into full -and disgusted wakefulness I have never beheld. Strong's eyes went from -languid and fishy expressionlessness into swiftly alternating phases -representing surprise, disgust, rage and terror; they seemed to start -from his head and to grow, visibly, to about twice their normal size. -It was a noteworthy and unforgettable spectacle; it was beautiful. As -we passed out of his scope of vision, we saw the fellow start from his -seat as though to put his head out of the window and follow us away with -his eyes. - -"Did you ever see the like of that?" exclaimed Jack, subsiding into his -seat and beginning to roar with laughter. - -"_I_ never did!" I concurred. "The only thing is," I added, "the rascal -will get out, now, and not come on to Bremen." - -"That doesn't matter a bit," said Jack; "let him; it will save us -trouble; we don't want him now, for we have the picture, which is all he -took from us barring Clutterbuck's letter, of which we each have a -couple of copies, besides one apiece by heart." - -"He may come on to England after us," I said. Jack laughed. - -"I don't believe it. He wouldn't dare. This last fright would put him -off even if he had contemplated it. As a matter of fact, I don't -believe he ever meant digging. He wouldn't have given away the picture -if he had, for he could scarcely have failed to suppose that it has -something to do with the treasure finding, though I'm bound to say I, -for one, can't imagine _what_!" - -"Then why did he steal it from us?" I exclaimed. - -"Malice, my dear chap; pure, unadulterated malice and devilment; the -rascal wouldn't be happy unless he were playing Old Nick upon someone or -other." I daresay Jack was perfectly right. - -We waited at Bremen Station, however, for the arrival of Strong's train, -in case he should be in it, and--as it happened--we should have saved -ourselves both time and vexation of spirit if we had gone on and left -him. - -Strong was in the train. He came out as bold as brass, and showed no -fear or surprise when he met us upon the platform. He even wished us -good-evening, and asked us how we came to be here and not on board the -_Thomas Wilcox_, in the middle of the North Sea. - -"Well, you're a darned cool hand, Strong, I must say!" said Jack. "What -about the work of art, and the other things?" - -"What work of art?" he asked, positively without a blush. - -"Clutterbuck's picture--you know quite well what we mean," I said. "You -stole it out of our cabin." - -"I never went near your blamed cabin," he said; "you'd better prove what -you say. You're too jolly fond of accusing innocent people, you two -bounders. If I had you in a quiet place I'd make you swallow all those -infernal lies about me that you invented on Hogland." - -"Oh, that's your line is it, Strong?" said Jack "You're going to figure -as the injured innocent, are you? All right, my man; you're safe here -in Germany, but don't you show yourself in England." - -"You cannot prove anything, curse you!" cried Strong, "and you know it." - -"Very well; quite likely; at the same time, think twice before crossing -the Channel; we may have a little evidence up our sleeve that you don't -know of." - -Strong uttered one of his oaths, which need not be repeated. - -"You deny stealing the picture, then?" continued Jack. - -"I may have it and I may not," said Strong, too angry now to care what -he said. "At anyrate, it seems _you_ haven't." - -"Never judge by appearances, Strong," said Jack; "we have it, all right, -such as it is. Pity to allow a work of art by G. Dow to remain in the -hands of a man who can't even recognise the beauty of it. Your friend -sold the keepsake you gave him--unkind of him, wasn't it?" Strong -winced. - -"You have the luck of the devil," he snarled. "What's your game? You -can't touch me, here; you know that. Michail took the picture; I didn't -want the infernal thing--he took it in revenge for your kicking him on -the island--there! You're welcome to it; it's as like my darned uncle -as two peas, I'm sick when I look at it. It may help you to find the -treasure, though how in perdition it's going to do it beats me. If you -want my opinion, there isn't any treasure--at least, not for you or me. -The blamed old miser played a trick on us all; it's rotting somewhere, -like him; and no one'll ever dig up the money any more than his carcass. -The whole thing's blamed, bally rot, and we've all been a parcel of -silly idiots; that's my opinion--take it or leave it." - -"We'll leave it, thanks, Strong," said Jack; "and we'll leave you too, -if you'll excuse us. Good-night, my man; you'd better keep this side of -the Channel, that's _our_ opinion, take or leave _it_." - -Strong darted a look of anger at Jack, and turned on his heel with an -oath. He slunk out of the station and disappeared in the dusk outside. - -We were in two minds whether to follow and keep him in sight, or let him -be. But we decided to let him go, since he did not appear to have any -intention of molesting us further. - -So we sought out a hotel near the station and engaged a room together, -for it would be just as well to double our chance of hearing Strong -should he, by any chance, resolve to make another attempt to deprive us -of the picture, or otherwise rob us, and somehow force an entry into the -room. - -As it happened, we were disturbed before we were an hour older; but not -by Strong. - -A very unexpected and exasperating thing happened--comical too, after a -fashion, especially after the event. - -We were seated over our supper in the coffee-room of our hotel, when a -scared-looking waiter informed us that both the English Herren were -wanted downstairs. - -"By whom?" we asked in some surprise. - -"By the police," said the man; "should he invite them upstairs, or would -we step below into the entrance hall?" - -Jack and I looked at one another. What did this mean? - -"We will come down," said Jack; and to the great hall below we -descended. Here an astonishing spectacle greeted our eyes: a group of -policemen in uniform; a man in civilian garb, presumably an interpreter; -and--Mr. James Strong! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVIII* - - *ARRESTED* - - -"Yes," observed Mr. Strong, upon our appearance, "these are the very -men. Tell the police, Mr. Interpreter, that these persons have robbed -me; the robbery was effected while _en route_ from Russia; they are, I -believe, in possession of a work of art belonging to myself; their -luggage had better be searched." - -I was absolutely speechless with surprise. This was certainly the most -audacious act I had ever heard of. I did not know whether to be more -furious or amused. - -Jack apparently decided in favour of fury. "You infernal rascal, -Strong!"--he began, but Strong said something to the interpreter, who -signed to the police, who promptly laid hold of Jack and me. It was too -ridiculous. - -"Strong, you"--Jack began again, and--"Gad, Strong, if I don't"--began -I; but our policemen would not have us speak, and marched us up to our -room, Strong and the interpreter following, bidding us in curt military -fashion hold our tongues. It was a ridiculous position. I have laughed -over the memory of it scores of times; I even felt inclined to laugh -then. What could Strong's motive be in acting in this way? He could -not want the picture, or he would never have given it to the skipper at -Kiel. Had he thought better of it, and determined, if possible, to get -us locked up here for a few days while he hurried away to Streatham to -dig without us? - -He couldn't, surely! Why, we could prove our right to the work of art -by telegraphing to Kiel, and, if necessary, producing the skipper to -witness to our purchase. Besides, he would have to prove _his_ right to -the thing before they could justly deliver it over to him. - -It must be an act of spite, then, conceived in the simple desire to -score one against us. - -Of course the picture was found in my portmanteau. Equally, of course, -we protested that it was our own, while Strong declared that we had -stolen it from him during the voyage to Copenhagen. No less was it to -be expected that upon seeing the work of art, both policemen and -interpreters smiled grimly, and that one of them observed-- - -"_Was ist aber Dass für ein Teufelskopf!_" - -In the end, the police took possession of the disputed picture, but -allowed us to remain in peace at the hotel. This was, however, Saturday -night, so that the examination into the matter of ownership which, we -were informed, it would be necessary to hold, could not be brought into -court before Monday. - -This was very unfortunate, for if Strong should really have devised this -little interlude with the sole desire to gain time, in order to reach -the treasure-ground in Streatham a day or two before us, he had -certainly gained his end. - -It was in vain that we assured our captors that we could easily prove -our title to the work of art by simply telegraphing to Kiel, to the man -from whom we purchased it. - -"That will be very good evidence on Monday, supposing that the seller -appears in person," said the police. "Meanwhile, we will take care of -the work of art, and on Monday you shall speak, and your friend here -shall speak, and the plaintiff shall speak, and then we shall see to -whom the beautiful picture belongs." - -"This gentleman will not wait to hear the case argued," said Jack, -indicating Strong; "he will be in England by Monday!" - -"Then he will lose the picture," said the man, shrugging his shoulders. -"Whoever remains alone to claim it, to him we shall consider that it -rightfully belongs." - -"You're a nice, audacious blackguard, Strong, I will say!" muttered Jack -to our friend, as--accompanied by his little band of interpreter and -police, with the picture--Strong left the room; "I warn you, you'd -better be out of Streatham by Tuesday, for by all that's certain, we -shall have no mercy if we catch you on our side of the water!" - -"Don't fret," said Strong; "I shall have the cash by that time, and you -may catch me when you can find me." - -"Do you really mean to dig, Strong?" I said. "I wish you'd take advice -and keep away; we don't want to be the cause of your hanging, but we -shall be forced to give you up if we catch you in England; you must know -that." - -"Well, catch me there, curse you!" said Strong rudely. "You'll have to -be a darned sight sharper than you've been yet, either of you, before -you touch either me or the money! That's my last word." - -"Well, _we_ are off by the next train," said Jack (to my surprise); "so -you'll not get the start you expect. You don't suppose we're going to -wait for that ridiculous picture, do you?" - -Strong looked foxily at Jack for a second or two; but he said nothing, -and followed the others from the room. - -"Lord!" said Jack, when they had gone, "I don't know whether to laugh or -cry; what a mysterious, incomprehensible, snake of a beast it is! -What's his game? One thing is clear, either it hasn't struck him (which -is improbable), or he has decided against believing, that the picture -has anything to do with finding the money." - -"So have you, apparently," I said; "for you told him that we were not -going to wait for it." - -"That was bluff, man; don't you understand? It was said to frighten him -from going on by the first train to Streatham; because, don't you see, -if he thinks that we are going at once, why, _he_ can't." - -"Do you think he's still after the treasure?" I asked. - -"That's what I can't make out," replied Jack; "it would be a fearful -risk for him to be about the place when we are there too, he knows that -well enough; yet I can't help thinking that he has not abandoned all -hope of the money. He's such a snake, that's the mischief of it; who's -to know what his game is? At anyrate, we must wait and get the picture. -It may and may not have a bearing on the search, but we won't risk -anything." - -"What if he waits too, and claims it?" - -"That is not at all likely; he doesn't want the picture. I should say -he'll be up at the station for the next Flushing train, and if he -doesn't see us there, he'll go on. Perhaps we'd better show up at the -station in order to prevent his departure." - -We agreed to do this, and having found out that a Flushing train started -early on Sunday morning, we both drove to the station, great-coated as -though for travelling, and stood about near the train as though -intending to board it at any moment. - -Carefully we scrutinised the faces of all who passed and repassed us, -about to travel by the express, but we did not see Strong. He had not -thought good to journey to England, then; probably Jack's hint that we -were intending to travel by the first opportunity had deterred him. -Presently, after much bell-ringing and whistling, and loud-voiced -invitations, from stentorian German throats, to take our seats, the -train slowly began to move forward. - -"Well, _that's_ all right," said Jack; "he isn't in _there_, anyhow." - -"Good-morning, gentlemen both," said someone leaning out of a carriage -window--the last carriage--just as we were about to turn and depart. -"Wish me luck with my digging, won't you? Forty-eight hours' start -ought to do me, eh? Well, ta-ta; take care of the picture--it's a -beauty, it is!" - -Strong bawled out the last sentence or two at the top of his voice from -far away down the platform, to the surprise of a few porters and -loiterers who gazed at us suspiciously. Jack shook his fist in Strong's -direction, a civility which was replied to by that individual by a -grimace, and a gesture of the hands--as the train passed round a curve -and out of sight--which might have been intended to signify digging, and -might not. - -Jack burst out laughing; I did not feel mirthful. - -"It's all very well," I said, "but I don't like it. He has forty-eight -hours' start of us. He may find the treasure in that time, by some -fluke." - -"He's been too clever for us, Peter, and that's the plain truth," -laughed Jack. "Mind you, I don't think he'll find the money, and maybe -he doesn't intend to try; but we have been badly scored off, and there's -no denying the fact. We must hope it is only spite. I daresay it's -that." - -But on Monday morning when we turned up at the police court to claim our -work of art, the police, finding that Strong had departed without -waiting for the case to be heard, exclaimed--"_Lieber Gott im Himmel!_ -you were then right!" upon which the interpreter added that he supposed -the other Englishman had not waited for the original because the copy -which he possessed of it, and which he had shown him, the interpreter, -was probably sufficient for him. - -"Had he a copy?" asked Jack quickly. - -"Certainly," said the man; "a very exact one. Done, he told me, by a -clever sailor on the ship which brought him from Russia. He had it -painted as a precaution, he said, lest certain persons should steal the -original for their own purposes." - -The police allowed us to take away our work of art, however, without -further difficulties. - -"Gad," said Jack, as we left the court, "my opinion of that chap's -cuteness strengthens every day! he _has_ intended, all along, to have -another dig for the treasure. He expected to gain a day by being set -down at Copenhagen; he gave away this picture simply because he didn't -require it, having got safely away with the other; this may be only the -copy." - -"It looks like our old friend," I said moodily; "but one can't tell. -Anyhow, we've lost, Jack; it's very sickening after all we've been -through"-- - -"Nonsense, man! the battle isn't lost until it's won. Do you suppose -Strong is going to win right off, in a day and a half? Why, there's a -fortnight's hard digging in a garden of that size! Don't lose heart so -easily, Peter, it doesn't become you." - -It was all very well, I thought, for Jack to be sanguine and spirited. -He had nothing hanging upon the issue of this matter, excepting the -sporting desire to win, and the friendly wish that I--as his -chum--should succeed. To me success was absolutely everything! - -We caught a train on the Monday evening, and reached Flushing in due -course; but the weather was so terribly stormy that the steamers were -not running. - -This circumstance put the coping-stone to my disgust and depression. It -was too bad--too utterly unfortunate. The delay would cost us another -twenty-four hours, every second of which time was a clear profit to -Strong. - -When the weather moderated, and the steamer was advertised to start in -the evening, we found that an immense number of passengers had assembled -to make the crossing. We obtained berths with difficulty, and at some -additional expense. At supper I asked the steward whether his steamer -was always crowded in this way. - -"Oh dear, no, sir," said my friend; "most of these passengers have been -waiting two days and more. We haven't run since the gale began--Sunday -night." A moment later, the significance of this statement suddenly -occurred to me. - -"Why, Jack!" I exclaimed, "then"-- - -"Yes," said Jack. "Either he's on board now, or else he has seen us, -and remained behind on shore; at anyrate there's been no digging done at -Streatham." - -"Thank God!" I exclaimed. "I was a brute to rave about bad luck, Jack, -before I knew." - -"Yes," said Jack, smiling; "the winds and waves and all the elements -seem to have fought on our side this time, old man! It strikes me we -are going to win yet." - -At Queenborough Station, in the morning, we scrutinised every passenger -that landed from the _Princess Clementine_. There were many pale, -sea-sick, travel-worn people that came ashore to take train to London; -but we were both certain that Strong was not among them. Neither did he -alight at Victoria. There was no doubt about it; for once Strong's -cleverness had been over-trumped by the forces of nature! - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIX* - - *DIGGING AGAIN* - - -Jack was determined to see me through with my treasure hunting, now--as -we hoped--at its last stage, and came with me to Streatham without even -a flying visit to his Gloucestershire home; which was good of old Jack. - -Arrived at Streatham, we put up at the best hotel we could find, and -lost no time in walking down to old Clutterbuck's house in the lower -town. The place looked gloomy and forbidding, and we rang at the garden -gate--the only entrance--with a feeling that our trouble was not quite -over yet, and that in all probability the old man would have exerted his -eccentric ingenuity to the uttermost in order to make the last stage of -our search at least as difficult and toilsome as any, in spite of the -seemingly simple instructions of the letter, which were merely to go and -dig in his own garden at Streatham, and find what we should find. - -As a matter of fact, we encountered one difficulty before getting -farther than the garden gate--the _outside_ of it, I mean; for an old -caretaker answered the ring, and, opening the door an inch or two, but -without removing the chain which secured it, peeped out and asked us -what we wanted. - -I said that we had authority from its late master to take possession of -the house and garden. - -The old fellow produced from his pocket an envelope, from which he drew -a scrap of paper. - -"Is your name William Clutterbuck?" he asked. - -"He's dead," I replied. - -"James Strong?" he continued. - -"Oh, hang it, no! not that blackguard," said Jack. "It's all right, old -gentleman; this is Mr. Clutterbuck's heir." - -The old caretaker took no notice of this remark. - -"Charles Strong?" he continued, unmoved. - -"He's dead too," I said. - -"Ellis?" said the old fellow, doubling up his paper and preparing to -return the envelope into his pocket. - -"No," said I, "but"-- - -"Then you don't come in here," concluded the man, banging the door in -our faces and double-locking it. - -The old caretaker's arbitrary action nonplussed me for the moment. - -"But my name is down in the will together with those you have read out," -I cried through the panels. Jack stood and laughed. I heard the old -man stumping towards the house. I shrieked out a repetition of my last -appeal. He paused and spoke. An errand boy stopped to look on, and -whistled "D'isy, D'isy, give me your answer do," so loudly that I could -scarcely hear the reply. - -"No, it ain't," shouted the old fellow back again. "For I copied these -down from it myself, and there wasn't another. And what's more, this -'ere door don't git opened to no one else but these four, and if yer -wants to git into the garden, yer'll 'ave to climb the wall and see what -yer'll git from the dawg. He's loose in here--speak, Ginger!" - -Ginger spoke, and the utterance was certainly alarming. Ginger's voice -was a deep bass, and it seemed to say--unless my imagination gave it a -meaning which it did not really possess--that it was as well for those -outside that there was a wall between them and Ginger. It was -ridiculous; but it was extremely aggravating also. - -"But my name was added afterwards," I pleaded, while Ginger barked and -Jack laughed, and the errand boy, interested, stopped whistling to hear -the reply. This was not encouraging. - -"Garn!" said the rude old man; "I know what I knows; you go and git yer -'air cut, and come back and show me the will." - -"I can do that easily enough," I shouted, "and the lawyer who drew it up -too, so you'd better save trouble and let me in at once." - -"You find me a lawyer and a will as gives more than four names, and in -you may walk," said the heroic caretaker; "and till then you can take -yourself off or do the other thing--but out you stay!" - -This was evidently the ultimatum, for the old fellow could be heard -stumping up towards the house. The dog Ginger remained and continued -his observations in the same tone until we retired. The errand boy -remembered an engagement and departed, disappointed with us, no doubt. -We ought, of course, to have scaled that wall and been eaten by Ginger -in order adequately to perform our duty to that errand boy; but we had -other views, and went and called on the lawyer, Steggins. - -That good fellow was sincerely glad to see me, I believe, and to hear -that I was the successful competitor up to this point. We told him--in -skeleton form--of our adventures, promising him a detailed account if he -would dine with us at the hotel, which he gladly undertook to do. Then -we told him of our difficulties with the old caretaker, who had received -his instructions, evidently, before my name had been added to the will. -Steggins laughed. - -"What, old Baines?" he said. "I'll soon put that right; we are old -friends, he and I. But I'm afraid this other gentleman, Mr.----er"-- - -"Henderson," interposed that worthy. - -"Mr. Henderson cannot take any part with yourself in the digging -operations; the instructions are so clear that _only_ the successful -competitor is to be allowed in the house or garden until the treasure -has been found. Otherwise, you see, all the rest might have remained at -home, and still have been in at the death, so to speak. They might -simply wait till the report went about that you were busy digging in the -garden, and would then come and take a hand on equal terms with you, who -had had all the trouble." - -This seemed true. It was annoying, however, that I was not to have the -benefit of Jack's help in my last dig. As I told Jack, I had -particularly wished him to have half the work of digging. - -"And half the fun of being worried by Ginger!" added Jack; "thanks -awfully, Peter. It will be rather fun to stand outside and hear you -'Good-dogging' Ginger, and presently your squalls when he lays hold of -you!" - -"Ginger's all right," laughed Steggins. "He's almost as old as his -master, and hasn't a tooth in his head; besides, he's the friendliest of -animals, and wouldn't injure a baby." - -"His voice doesn't sound like it," I said. "Jack grew quite pale when he -heard it." Jack shinned me under the table for this, I am sorry to say. -He is a vindictive and un-Christian-like person, is Jack, when his pride -is touched. - -"Ginger's voice is his fortune," said Steggins; "it always has been; -he's the finest dog for the other side of a wall that ever I saw." - -I may say that presently, when Steggins had taken me down and introduced -me to Baines and Ginger as the _bonā fide_ heir-at-law, I found that -Ginger was quite as benevolent a being as Steggins had described him. -He was a St. Bernard, of enormous size and the very mildest of manners, -and his voice was a complete fraud, for whereas it threatened gore and -thunder, its real purport and intent were nothing more shocking than -small beer or milk and water. For all he knew, I might have been a -murderous desperado, but he took to me at sight, like David to Jonathan. - -Old Baines, too, was polite enough on his own side of the wall, and -showed me over the house and garden. He was surprised when I asked for -spades, but produced one nevertheless; however, when he had watched me -turn over the first few sods of turf, he retired muttering into the -house, and I could see plainly enough that the new proprietor was, in -his opinion, about to prove a disappointing master, inasmuch as he was -harmlessly but hopelessly mad. - -The garden measured sixty-three yards by forty-eight, and on that first -morning of my solitary digging I ardently wished, with all my heart, -that it had been one-quarter the size. For to dig up a garden of this -area, and dig it deeply too, as the latest instructions suggested, and -all by oneself, was a task involving more trouble than is agreeable, or -ever has been, to the present scribe, who is no lover of monotonous -drudgery. - -There were a few trees here and there, but not a flower-bed in the -place; the whole area was roughly covered with turf upon which coarse -grass had been allowed to grow throughout the summer, which grass I was -obliged to mow down with a scythe before I could proceed in any comfort -with my digging. - -Jack did not desert me, though he might not assist me on my own side of -the wall. He remained at the hotel, where I lunched and dined with him -daily; and during these meals we consulted upon my labours and the -direction these should take; and sometimes Jack would come and carry on -a conversation from the top of the wall, upon which he climbed when none -were by to see. Ginger used to look up and wag his tail affectionately -upon the stranger appearing in that unorthodox fashion within the -domains he was kept to watch over. If Jack had been a burglar, Ginger -could not have looked up more lovingly at him as he sat on the wall and -gave the dog bits of biscuit. - -Several days passed, and the late Mr. Clutterbuck's garden now resembled -a ploughed field; but never a glint of gold had I struck yet, nor a -glimmer of diamonds, nor the pale crisp delight of a bank-note or -cheque. - -Mr. Baines knew nothing, he protested, about anything whatsoever; he -merely thought me a madman, and considered it the safer way to leave me -entirely alone. I questioned him, now and again, as to whether he had -ever observed the late lamented, whom he had served as _factotum_ in -life, employed in digging or in taking measurements in the garden; but -to all these inquiries Mr. Baines gave answers courteously but plainly -pointing to one and the same conclusion--namely, that though old -Clutterbuck had been undoubtedly a "skinflint" (as he picturesquely -described the parsimonious character of the deceased), yet he had always -shown himself a _sane_ skinflint, and therefore unlike the gentleman who -now took his place as master of the establishment. By which Mr. Baines -meant to infer that old Clutterbuck neither took measurements nor dug in -the garden, and that I--who did both--must therefore be mad. He did not -say so in as many words, but he made it pretty clear that this was his -meaning. - -There was no assistance to be got out of old Baines. - - - - - *CHAPTER XL* - - *JACK PROVES HIMSELF A GENIUS* - - -After all, it was only natural that "the testator," desiring to give his -heirs as much trouble as possible, should scarcely confide his secret to -one who would probably reveal it, afterwards, to the first that offered -him half a crown for the information. - -At the end of the fourth day I was very tired and rather depressed. I -had measured the garden from end to end and across, and dug down at -every spot where, according to carefully thought out calculations, -stretched strings would cross one another; I tried every dodge I could -think of or that Jack could suggest. I gazed a dozen times at the old -portrait, and could suck no inspiration from it; indeed, as regards that -work of art, I had quite decided ere this that the thing was no more -than a sickly joke on the part of its grim old original. I took -Clutterbuck's age and measured it out in feet, and dug at the end of the -seventy-first, and in inches, and diagonally in yards, starting each -from the house, and the two first from the centre. I pulled up the old -stump of a cut-down tree and looked inside the hole it left behind. I -think I really tried nearly every device that the mind of man could -conceive, but nothing had as yet come of my labours excepting fatigue -and depression and stiffness. - -Then, one day, on returning to the hotel, weary and cross by reason of -repeated failure, I found Jack studying the portrait of old Clutterbuck, -which annoyed me still more; for I was angry with the miser and his -detestable expedients for keeping his money out of the hands of honest -persons who had worked for it and fairly earned it. - -"Look here, Peter," said Jack, smiling, "here's fun for you; see what I -have found on the back of this work of art--read it for yourself!" He -passed the portrait over to me. - -I took it with, I am afraid, a growl of ill-temper, and read the words -he had pointed out to me. They were written very faintly and in pencil -on the back of the portrait, at a spot where the paper had become loose -under the beading, and ran as follows--it was a doggerel rhyme, and this -fact annoyed me still more in my ridiculously furious state of mind at -the moment:-- - - "If you'd save yourself some trouble, - Dig at three foot six, and double!" - - -"What does it mean?" said Jack. - -"Oh, take the confounded thing and chuck it into the fire!" I said -sulkily. - -"Well, but what _does_ it mean, if it means anything?" Jack insisted. -"You've got to take tips if you can get them, you know; so make the most -of this, though it does seem to convey a rather unpleasant meaning. As -I understand it, you have to dig to a depth of seven feet--that is, -_double_ three foot six, and"-- - -"What!" said I hotly, "dig over the whole garden to a depth of seven -feet? I'll see the old skinflint"-- - -"Don't swear," said Jack, though I had not sworn; "but keep cool and -help me to think this matter out. Now look here: he said, 'Dig at seven -feet in order to save yourself trouble,' or words to that effect. Now, -I can't help thinking he meant this for a tip; for if it meant that you -were to dig over the whole garden to a depth of seven feet, what trouble -would you save yourself by doing that? What the old boy meant was, find -the right spot, and _then_ dig down seven feet." - -"Yes," I said, laughing mockingly and throwing the portrait on the -table, "find the right spot; that's just the _crux_! If you'll kindly -find the spot for me, I'll dig to any depth you like--sink an artesian -well, if you please; but where the dickens _is_ the spot?" - -"You are angry and disinclined to speak like a sensible creature," said -Jack. "Have your dinner, and then perhaps you'll be in a fit mood to -listen to an idea which has struck me." - -This rather sobered me. - -"Have you really an idea?" I asked, flushing. - -"Yes," said Jack, "I have; but I'm not going to tell you till you've -dined. A full man is a less dangerous being than an empty one; you -might fall upon me and rend me now, if you thought my idea absurd, as -you very likely may." - -Entreaties broke like little waves upon the shingle of Jack's obstinacy. -I said I was sorry for being rude and angry; I begged to hear his last -new idea. Jack's only reply was-- - -"Dinner's at eight; you'd better change those digging clothes and make -yourself look like a decent Christian, if you can." - -Jack was perfectly right. Dinner made a wonderful difference in the -view I took of things in general; it always does. After dinner, armed -with his pipe, sitting over an early fire in our private sitting-room, -Jack dismounted from his high horse and admitted me into his confidence. - -"I daresay you won't think anything of it," he said; "but it was the -portrait of old Clutterbuck that set me dreaming." - -"_What!_" I said, jumping to my feet and seizing a dessert knife, "you -don't mean to say, after all my digging, that the money's hidden in it?" - -"Why, man, no! I never thought of that," said Jack. "However, open the -back carefully and see, if you like." - -I did so; I ripped the back off and looked in the space between it and -the canvas upon which the odious caricature was painted. An earwig ran -out, but there was no treasure. I threw the thing back upon the table, -and the knife with it. - -"Don't fret," said Jack; "that's not what I meant at all. What I did -mean is this: do you suppose that any sane man--and you cannot say that -old Clutterbuck was anything else--would any man who was not insane take -the trouble to carry a picture to the Gulf of Finland and bury it there -for his heirs to find--an odious misrepresentation of his features -too--unless there were some object to gain by so doing? In a word, what -I can't understand is how both you and I should hitherto have accepted -the ridiculous fact without suspicion." - -"But we _did_ suspect," I cried. "We said at the time that the thing -was about as idiotic as it could be; but when one's right to benefit by -a will depends on the sanity of the testator, one doesn't like to air -one's opinion that he was mad, even though one may think so." - -"Depend upon it, the old boy was no madder than you or I," said Jack -gravely. "I am beginning to think that he was very sane indeed, and -that he has managed the whole of this business with consummate -skill--always bearing in mind his expressed desire to make his heirs -sweat for their money. Now listen here. I have been thinking while you -did your hard labour in the garden, and I am now perfectly convinced -that the old fox did not bury his precious piece of rubbish because he -valued it or thought his heir would. Quite the contrary. He knew that -it was extremely likely that his heir--probably James Strong, as he -supposed at the time--would chuck the portrait in the fire with a curse -at the memory of the original. And why, think you, did he take the -trouble to have this picture painted and to bury it and solemnly -bequeath it to his heir if he suspected that the finder would burn it?" - -"It beats me," said I. "Go on." - -"Because he knew that the portrait was indispensable, or nearly so, to -the finding of the treasure," said Jack mysteriously. "See here. He -hates Strong and the rest, and knows they hate him. Therefore he makes -his portrait indispensable in the hope that they will destroy it, and -with it their chance of finding his money." - -"Very well," said I, "let us admit all that; but how _can_ the portrait -be indispensable to, or have any connection with, the finding of the -hidden treasure?" - -"That's what we have to learn," said Jack; "but I have evolved a theory -on that point also." - -I laughed. - -"Upon my life, Jack, it's too funny," I said. "You are as ingenious as -Machiavelli himself; but how are you going to connect that awful daub -with the buried treasure? You can't do it; I defy you!" - -"Well, I'll tell you, anyhow; it may be as ridiculous as you suppose, -and it may not," said Jack. "You see the eyes of the awful personage in -the picture: look here, I hold the portrait thus. Now get in front of -the thing and try if you can find a place where the eyes focus you; -you'll have to lie down on the carpet." - -Still amused, but interested nevertheless, I lay down along the carpet, -as desired, and presently found a spot where the eyes certainly seemed -to gaze at me. - -"Well," I said, "what then? They are to gaze at the spot where the -money lies hidden? Is that it?" - -"That's just exactly it," said Jack, flushing a little. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLI* - - *THE EXCITEMENT BECOMES INTENSE* - - -"But, man alive," said I, "where's the picture going to hang, or be -held, in order to point out the spot?" - -"That's what we've to find out," said Jack. "If my theory is right, the -old boy will have prepared a place for it to hang. Are there trees, or -nails in the wall?" - -"There are trees, certainly," said I; "I don't know about the nails. -And am I to dig a seven-foot hole wherever the confounded picture will -hang?" - -"Yes, you are," said Jack imperturbably, "and you know it. And now you -had better go to bed; partly because you'll require some rest for these -seven-foot holes, but chiefly because you are in such an evil humour -to-night that I'm blessed if I will endure your society any longer!" - -And so to bed I went. - -That night I dreamed a great many wonderful dreams, and in each and all -of them I was digging and for ever digging, and the treasure was still -unfound or, when found, snatched from me! In one of my dreams, I -remember, I fancied that I had hit upon the right tack, when of a sudden -three huge Mahatmas bore silently down upon me from the world of spirits -and demanded of me what I sought. - -They looked out upon me with piercing black eyes let into cavernous -sockets framed in dead-white faces, and they flapped their sable mantles -over me and frightened me. - -"Oh, sirs," I said, "I am seeking for buried treasure; I am within an -ace of finding it and yet have not found it. Help me, I beseech you, to -light upon it, and you shall do with me as you will!" - -"Treasure is vanity, vanity, vanity!" cried one of the Mahatmas. - -"Gold is dross, dross, dross!" wailed a second. - -"Nevertheless, I will show you where to find it!" sang the third, in a -mournful monotone. "Come!" - -I dreamed that I followed the Mahatma back, earthwards, and we alighted -in Clutterbuck's garden. He did but turn over one spadeful of earth, -and there lay revealed a sack of glittering gold pieces. Instantly the -two other Mahatmas flew shrieking to the treasure and fought for it, -tearing the black mantles from one another's shoulders. But the third -slew them both from behind, and, seizing the sack of gold, fled over -land and sea, I, shrieking, after him. - -But just as I was overtaking him he turned, and I saw his face--it was -James Strong. At the same moment he cried aloud, and said: "For -treasure I have sinned and murdered, and lo! I have bartered my soul in -vain--for see what this gold of yours is!" - -With the words he poured the gold out of the sack's mouth, and behold! -it was ashes, and they fell hissing into the sea. - -In another of my dreams I was busily digging, while the dog Ginger -watched my efforts. Suddenly I turned up a sod in which lay a piece of -bread, and in the bread was folded a cheque for one hundred thousand -pounds; but even as I read the figures, and was about to cry aloud for -joy, the dog snatched both bread and paper from my hand, and swallowed -them. - -All this dreaming went to prove that I was far more interested and -influenced by Jack's rather brilliant idea than I had chosen to show; -his suggestion was on my mind and had "murdered sleep," quiet, solid -sleep, such as I usually indulged in. Consequently, I was up very early -on the following morning in order to set about putting the new idea to a -trial. I hurried through breakfast, and was out of the hotel and busy -at work in the garden before Jack was dressed. - -First I tried the trees. - -There was a willow, a fine tree with two big branches, almost as large -as the parent stem, about ten feet from the ground. There was no -excrescence from this tree small enough to hang the picture upon, and I -passed on to the next, a poplar. Here, at about five feet from the -earth, there was a twig from which the picture might be got to hang in a -lopsided kind of way; but the twig was evidently a young shoot, and had -probably sprung into existence since the picture had been taken to -Hogland and buried, so that I spared myself a seven-foot dig beneath -that poplar. - -Then there was a lime, a small one, near the end of the garden; and into -the trunk of this tree, on the wall side, I discovered that a nail had -been knocked. I grew hot and cold at the sight, for I thought I had -"struck oil" at last. - -But, alas! when I had hung the picture by its little ring to this nail, -and tried to get my face where the eyes would be fixed upon it, I found -that the portrait glared at a spot about half-way down the brick wall, -and not at any place on the ground whereinto a man might sink a spade. - -There were no more trees, and I now turned my attention to the wall -itself, and looked for nails up and down, and from end to end. I found -one, to my delight, and having hung up the portrait, was engaged in the -occupation of lying on my stomach and wooing the stony glare of old -Clutterbuck's lack-lustre eyes, when Jack mounted the wall just above -it, and nearly fell off again for laughing at the ridiculous spectacle -which he said I presented. However, I focussed the eyes, and planted a -stick in the exact spot. - -"It's the only nail in the garden, Jack," I cried excitedly. "I do -believe we've hit off the place at last!" - -"Good!" said Jack grimly; "now dig for all you're worth!" - -I did dig. I dug that seven-foot hole as though at the bottom of it -some terrible earthworm had seized by the throat all that I held most -dear in the world. Never were seven feet of earth displaced in quicker -time by human energy. - -But there was nothing there. - -"Dig another three-foot-six!" said Jack from the wall. "The rhyme may -mean 'Three foot six, and double _that_ besides'--that is, ten feet six -in all." - -Breathless, despondent, stiff, half dead with fatigue, I dug on till the -water was up to the top of my boots; it was of no use. - -"I won't dig another inch!" I groaned; "not to-day, at all events." - -"Come out then, and consult," said Jack. Even he seemed dejected with -the last failure. - -I came out, dead beat. - -"Are there no more nails in the wall, _anywhere_?" he asked. - -"Not one," said I. "I couldn't dig again to-day if there were!" - -"Have you tried the trees?" - -"Yes; there's nothing to hang the confounded thing from on any of them." - -"I see the cut-up trunk of a felled tree against the shed, over there. -When was that one cut down?" - -I didn't know. - -"Ask old Baines," said Jack. - -Baines was within doors, though Ginger was with me; the dog had been a -terrible nuisance all day, licking my face when I had to lie on my -waistcoat in order to focus those eyes, and while I was digging the huge -hole standing at the brink and whining and howling as though he expected -me to unearth a huge cat for his delectation. As a matter of fact, he -would have run away if a mouse had jumped out. Ginger was not a brave -dog; he was too benevolent to be really brave. - -I went and fetched Baines, and asked him who had cut down the tree, and -when and why? - -Baines said that he had felled it a year ago at his master's orders. - -"What for?" I asked. But Baines did not know that. Only, he said, he -had strict orders not to burn the wood, or even touch it, for some -reason or other. - -This seemed rather curious, and I reported to Jack on the wall. - -"Great scissors!" said that most ingenious individual; "go and see if -there's a nail in the trunk!" - -To my astonishment and delight, there was a nail; I shouted this news to -Jack. - -"Oh, hang it all, I'm coming over!" cried Jack; "this is too exciting -for sitting on walls," he added, as he joined me and looked at and felt -the nail for himself. "Where was this tree?" I took Jack and showed -him the big hole in the centre of the garden out of which I had dug the -root. - -"Come on," said he; "we must have that root in again! Shove!" - -Together we shoved the stump back into its own place, taking care to fit -it into the hole exactly as it had rested there in life, and to keep its -sawn surface level with the earth in order that the sundered portions of -the trunk might be made to stand one upon another and all upon the -parent stump, straight and without tipping forward or backward. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLII* - - *ALL OVER BUT----* - - -Then we brought the round thick logs which had formed the trunk, and -which had been sawn into lengths of about four feet, and piled them one -on top of another in their own order, which was obvious and unmistakable -on account of the lessening girth of the trunk as it went higher. We -piled three of these, fitting them one upon the other as they had stood -in life, and the nail was in the fourth, with which we crowned the -edifice, Jack standing upon a step-ladder and I handing up the logs. - -"There!" he said, when he had built up the edifice to the height of some -fifteen feet; "there's our tree as it stood in life, wobbly, no doubt, -and insecure; but it will bear the picture though it wouldn't stand much -of north-easter. Hand up the work of art." - -We hung up the portrait, and again I lay on the ground here and there -and ogled the hideous thing until I had wooed its eyes to meet my own. - -Then we dug together. Jack had thrown all ridiculous fastidiousness to -the winds of heaven, and helped me like a man and a sensible being. - -Together we dug, and the hole rapidly grew, and with it grew also our -own excitement and Ginger's, who looked on whining, as before, for the -game that we were to start from our burrow for him to run away from. We -had had no lunch, and the afternoon was fleeting fast; but we dug on. - - -Now the grave was two feet deep, and now four, now five. I had never -felt so excited as this, even at that supreme moment when my fingers -touched the tin box in the African veldt. - -Now the hole was six feet in depth, and Jack's head, when he stood up, -was just below the earth-level. Ginger, in his excitement, pulled -Jack's cap off and laid it on the ground beside him, probably determined -that if we were to disappear altogether, he would preserve at least a -memento of us to swear by. - -Six feet and a half, and now my spade (it _was_ mine; I am glad it was -mine), _my_ spade struck against something hard and metallic. - -"Hullo!" cried Jack, who heard the sound. - -"Only a stone, I'm afraid!" said I, trembling so that I could hardly -raise my spade. Jack stopped work to watch. - -"Your first blood!" he said. "Dig again and see; if there are honours, -they shall be yours!" - -There _were_ honours. Half impotent with excitement, I dug again. - -It was no stone. Trembling, I cleared the clayey soil from the object, -whatever it might be, and revealed a vessel of hardware. - -"Pull it out, pull it out, man!" said Jack; "don't stand quaking there!" - -I made an effort, and removed the thing and handed it to Jack; I felt -cold and faint with the excitement. I could only just see out of my -eyes sufficiently to recognise that the object I had found was a large -earthen jar, corked and sealed round. - -Jack scrambled out of the hole and gave me a hand; I climbed out in a -dream. - -"Open it," he said. - -"No--you," I gasped. I sat down and watched, only half alive. - -Jack put the vessel on the ground and broke it neatly in two pieces. -Inside was a small tin box, hardly larger than the envelope which Jack -drew forth from it after prising it open. - -"Another sickening disappointment?" I gasped. - -"I don't know," said Jack; "read it, and see." - -"I can't," I said; "open it and read it to me; if it's another sell, I -shall curse Clutterbuck and die." - -Jack--looking pale and thin--broke the seal of the envelope. I saw the -colour rush back to his face. - -"What is it, in Heaven's name?" I said; "don't madden me!" - -"All right this time, old boy," cried Jack, handing me the paper with -flashing eyes--"a cheque to bearer." - -It was so. A cheque for ninety-seven thousand odd pounds! - - -I do not know what I did. Jack, who sometimes tells the truth, says -that I deliberately stood on my head on the very top of the pile of -earth we had dug out of the hole, and that Ginger licked my face just as -I had reached the third bar of the National Anthem (performed then -positively for the first time in that position!) and brought me down -with a run. Personally I do not recollect the episode. - - -The cheque was duly paid, the bank manager gravely smiling as I handed -it to him in his private room. He was, I found, partially in the -secret. He asked for, and I gave him, a short account of my adventures, -when he was kind enough to express the opinion that I deserved the -money. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLIII* - - *--THE SHOUTING* - - -That evening Jack and I gave a party. That is, we sent down to old -Baines a box of cigars, a bottle of champagne, and a hamper of -delicacies which--I have since reflected--must have made him very -unwell, if he ate them. We did not forget Ginger; Ginger enjoyed, that -night, a meal which he must, I am sure, have believed to have been -cooked in the Happy Hunting Grounds, and to have been sent specially -from that abode of canine bliss for the comfort of his declining years. -To this day I sometimes see him, when asleep, licking his lips and going -through the action of masticating imaginary food. Well, I believe he -is, at such moments, enjoying once again--in the sweet glades of -remembrance--the ecstasies of that _gala_ banquet. - -As for ourselves, Jack invited me and I him to a Gaudeamus, and together -we celebrated the occasion in a manner befitting so glorious a finish to -our wanderings and toil (not that Jack ever did much of the digging!) -and sufferings and disappointments, and so on. Together we fought o'er -again every encounter, whether with Strong, with elephants, with lions, -or with the devils of despair and disappointment, and it was on this -festive occasion that Jack made me promise to write down for your -benefit, my dear reader, the record of our experiences and adventures. -I may say that we drank your health, dear owner of this volume, whoever -you may be, and voted you an excellent fellow for buying, or having -presented to you, the book; and wished you were twins and each had a -copy,--all for your own benefit, you know, because the tale is a jolly -good--but perhaps I had better leave all this for others to say; only I -should just like you to know that we thought of you, as of a wise person -to have possessed yourself of the book, that's all. Well, among other -things that night, absurd things that--in our joy and triumph--we said -and did, we drank Strong's health and wished that he might escape the -hangman's rope; we also breathed a fervent wish that we might never see -the rascal again, and then, in more serious mood, discussed the question -as to whether it was at all likely that we ever should. - -We both decided that it was extremely unlikely. He certainly had -audacity enough and--to do him justice--pluck enough for five men; but -when a man knows that he is a murderer, and a double or treble murderer, -and that if his crimes could be brought home to him he must "swing" for -them, he is not likely to haunt those parts of the world where he would -be most in danger. The world is big enough. He would keep away from -us, at anyrate! - -"I wonder what he is doing now?" said Jack with a laugh; "and where he -is, and what he would say or do if he knew of to-day's little success, -eh?" - -"Well, I'm glad on the whole that he doesn't," I said; and in this -conclusion Jack concurred; for, without being exactly afraid of the -fellow, we had had enough of him, and that's the truth. - -Now, the longer I live in this world the more I realise that we human -beings are but a poor, blind, helpless lot of creatures; we are best -pleased with ourselves when we have, in reality, little cause for -satisfaction; we imagine ourselves safely out of what is familiarly -termed "the wood," when, as a matter of fact, a very jungle of trouble -lies immediately before us, could we but see it! Here is a case in -point. We were very, very happy that night, and apparently with every -legitimate reason; moreover, when I laid my head upon the pillow at -about twelve o'clock, I imagined that I should awake at eight or so, -ready to step into a new bright world which the sunshine of yesterday's -success should have transformed for me into a very paradise of bliss. I -had every reason to suppose that this would be so. I never for one -moment imagined, for instance, that this might be the last time that I -should lay my head to rest in this world, and that the sleep I now -courted should be an endless one in so far as concerned the usual -awaking to a terrestrial morrow! - -And yet this came very near to being the actual and exact state of the -case. - -It was, I think, about two or three o'clock in the morning, when some -pleasant dream I was enjoying began to be marred--I remember the feeling -quite well--by a kind of choky sensation, a difficulty in breathing. I -can even recall the fact that some friend--a dream-friend, I mean--made -the heartless remark that prosperity was making me so fat that the -function of getting breath had become a labour to me. - -But the sensation became rapidly unpleasant and intolerable, and I awoke -suddenly, sweating and in terror. What had happened to me? - -Then I heard Strong's voice, very subdued and soft, but certainly -Strong's voice. Could this be still a part of the dream? - -No, it was reality; Strong's voice was a reality; so was a handkerchief -which he had tied over my mouth, gag-wise; so was a candle which he had -lighted in the room, and the light of which revealed the detested face -and ferocious expression of the scoundrel as he bent over me, and hissed -his oaths and threats into my ear. - -"Ah, you're awake, are you?" he murmured (I omit the oaths with which he -befouled his language)--"I have you at last, you see, you infernal"--(I -really cannot repeat the names he called me, they were too vile even to -mention), "say your prayers, for you're off this time, to glory!" - -I could not speak for the gag upon my mouth. I tried to raise my hands, -but I found the rascal had tied them together at the wrists. I could -hardly breathe, for the bandage was so tightly drawn that I was half -suffocated already. - -Strong saw that this was so. He put his hand behind my head and -slightly loosened the handkerchief. - -"Now, you whelp of Satan," he said, "get out of bed and show me where -you've hidden the treasure, curse you! I've wasted time enough over it -already. Don't pretend this hundred pounds odd, in your letter-case, is -the lot. Lies won't do, you're off to Kingdom Come in two minutes; -you'd better not go with a lie on your lips! Come,--I saw you find -it,--you'd better be quick!" - -I glared at the scoundrel, but did not move. I was thinking hard! Oh -that I could get my hands free and be at him! or my mouth, that I might -shout for Jack--who was in the adjoining bedroom. My heart was almost -bursting with rage and hatred for this man; yet I was absolutely -helpless; I could do nothing. - -"What, you won't budge, won't you?" said the scoundrel. His face, at -this crisis, looked exactly what I should imagine the devil to be like: -the very incarnation of hatred and malice and all evil--but I daresay my -own was not, at the moment, a type of innocent beauty and passionless -charm, any more than his! - -Strong placed his hand behind my neck a second time, and tightened the -gag. I was suffocating--I kicked and struggled--my heart was bursting, -my brain reeled and swam, my veins swelled--I sweated from head to foot -in my agony and terror, and then--at the critical moment--by God's mercy -an idea occurred to me. - -I sprang out of bed and rushed to the wash-hand stand, and, whether by -kicking, or falling over upon them, or pushing with bound hands or with -elbow, I contrived, somehow, before Strong realised my intention, to -send the jug and basin crashing upon the floor with a noise, I suppose, -that would have awakened an army of men a mile away. At the same moment -I lost consciousness, and therefore for the events of the next few -minutes I am indebted to second-hand information. - -This is, I understand, what happened. - -Jack is a lightish sleeper. He was dreaming, he says, of a cricket -match in which he once took part at "Lords," playing for his school -against the M.C.C. in the great annual function held, as a rule, on the -first two days of the holidays. Jack was batting, it appears, to -Strong's bowling. Dream-bowling is sometimes very difficult to play by -dream-batsmen. It depends very much upon whether the batsman has dined -judiciously or the reverse. Jack had assisted at a banquet, as has been -shown; and Strong's bowling was giving him a lot of trouble. Strong had -sent down four balls, of which the slowest, Jack declared, could have -given points to a flash of buttered lightning. One of them killed the -wicket-keeper; and another, being a wide, lamed short-slip for life; no -one knew what became of the other two balls, they were never caught -sight of at all. Then Strong sent down the fifth, and Jack--though he -saw nothing of it--slogged at it for all he was worth. The -wicket-keeper, it seems, just before he died, had assured Jack that -Clutterbuck's treasure would be lost to us for ever, and that Strong was -to be declared the legitimate proprietor of the same, by special rule -just passed by the committee of the M.C.C., unless he contrived to make -four runs in this over. So that it was absolutely necessary, Jack -explained, to hit this fifth ball to the boundary. - -By some fluke Jack caught the ball full; he did not see it; he admits -having shut his eyes; Strong's face was more than he could stand up to. -He lashed out at it blindly, and sent it flying, at the rate of a -million miles an hour, over Strong's head, straight for the pavilion -seats. - -That marvellous fellow, Strong--the dream-Strong--rushed after it, and -careered so fast (at the rate, in fact, of a million and one miles per -hour) that he was just able to leap into the air at the very pavilion -rail and touch the ball. - -He could not hold it, however, and, losing his balance--owing to the -great pace at which he had travelled--he flew head over heels clean -through the glass windows of the pavilion, and alighted upon the -luncheon-table, which fell with a frightful crash. - -This crash was my little contribution to Jack's dream; it was the -overthrow of my jug and basin, and the tumult of it roused Jack in an -instant. He sprang from his bed, wide awake, and seeing that a light -burned in my room, and hearing--as he thought--some sound there, pushed -the door open and entered, full of wonder and some alarm. - -He was just in time to see a figure disappearing out of the door, and -without stopping to help me--indeed, he declares that he didn't notice -me lying there in the corner!--sprang away after the man at the door, -believing that it was I, and that I had gone suddenly and mysteriously -mad. - -Things went propitiously. Several people rushed into my room, wakened -and startled by the crash of china and the sound of feet scudding down -the passage; and one of them speedily removed the bandage from my mouth -and the cord from my wrists. I think this saved my life. Indeed, I was -already half dead, and even when released I did not for some minutes -recover consciousness. - -Meanwhile, Jack had scudded after Strong without knowing whom he -pursued. - -Strong made for the outer hall, intending to escape from the hotel; but -delay at the front door, which he found locked, enabled Jack to run him -to earth. - -Strong fished out a revolver and pointed it at Jack's head, but Jack -luckily dashed it aside, and it fell upon the marble floor of the -entrance hall, exploding as it did so, with a startlingly loud report, -which effectually roused those few people sleeping in the hotel whose -slumbers had survived the upsetting of my jug and basin. - -Then Jack, recognising Strong at last, fell upon the scoundrel and -administered the grandest possible thrashing and kicking that you can -imagine. That thrashing of Strong, Jack always says, did him a heap of -good, and made a new and self-respecting man of him again; for he had -lost of late some of his self-respect by reason of Strong's indisputable -cleverness in Copenhagen and Bremen, where he had scored heavily against -us. - -When, however, he had "scarcely begun," as he says, the process of -kicking and punching the wretched man, the performance was interrupted -by an inrush of frightened people, who had heard a pistol-shot and were -rushing downstairs to see what was the matter. - -So that there was no difficulty about securing Strong; and that arch -scoundrel was presently led upstairs to my room, bound tightly at the -wrists, in order that I might testify to his identity as set forth by -Jack. - -Well, there was little doubt about that, and as little trouble in -getting the midnight burglar transferred from the hotel to the police -cell. He had been caught red-handed. My money and my letter-case, with -my own cards in one of the pockets, were found in his possession, two -hundred pounds in notes, the bulk of Clutterbuck's cheque had of course -been deposited by me in the bank. It was as clear a case of burglary as -ever delighted policeman's ears, and the constable, summoned to remove -Strong, looked as pleased as one who has come, unexpectedly, into a good -thing. - -We found that Strong had--under an assumed name, of course--actually -slept for three nights within a room or two of us! He had taken care to -remain invisible at all such times as we spent within the hotel, -however; but had kept a watch upon our actions, and had even--as he -declared--watched me find the treasure,--peeping over the wall at a spot -where his face was well hidden by the branch of a spreading tree. He -probably concluded that I should have the entire proceeds of the cheque -with me in the hotel. It was just as well that I took the precaution to -bank the money, however; for had he found it, he would have got clear -away without awaking me. As it was, he deliberately awoke me in order -to compel me, by the torture of suffocation, to point out where I had -hidden my property. - -There is not much more to tell. The magistrate committed our rascal for -trial at the Croydon sessions, and in due time he was sentenced by the -court to a term of hard labour. Jack and I consulted earnestly as to -whether we ought to reveal the miscreant's criminal acts in Bechuana and -in Narva; but we decided that it would be useless to attempt to prove -the major offence of murder; we were without evidence of any kind; and, -after all, so long as the fellow was safe within stone walls and under -many locks and keys at Millbank or Portland or at Dartmoor, or wherever -it might be, it would be out of his power to commit further mischief. - -Did he intend to murder me in the hotel, I wonder? Jack says he thinks -not; but then Jack did not feel the torture of that gag, and the horror -of imminent suffocation as I did; and I am certain that, whether Strong -intended it or not, I should have died then and there, if my good friend -had not rushed in and released me in the nick of time. - -I suppose there are not many, even among the convicts in Dartmoor, so -utterly evil and cruel in disposition as this man James Strong, and I am -glad that I may here take leave of him--in these pages at least--for -good and all. I daresay the reader is as glad to be rid of him as I am. -I humbly hope and pray that I may never meet him again in this world. - - -And now at length I was able to enter into peaceful possession of my -hard-earned inheritance of Clutterbuck's treasure. I had worked and -suffered much for it, and I think on the whole that I deserved it. Of -course, money earned by regular daily toil is, in a way, more worthily -obtained; but since destiny placed in my way the opportunity to make my -fortune, as it were, by a single sustained effort, the only condition -being that I should possess the necessary pluck and perseverance to -continue that effort right up to the goal, Success, why, I am not -troubled with any compunctions as to the comparative shortness of the -road which, in my case, led to wealth and prosperity. Nevertheless, -feeling that I should better enjoy my prosperity if I were assured of -the well-being of those (always excepting James Strong) whom my own -success had, in a manner, disappointed of expected benefit, I sought -out, through Steggins, the relatives of the murdered Clutterbuck, who--I -found--had been a widower. He had left two children in poor -circumstances, and the future of these youngsters I shall make it my -business to secure. They are living in comfort with a sister of their -dead father, and will never know, I hope, but that their parent perished -through an accidental fall into an African nullah. - -Ellis, the cousin, a meek person, who refused from the first to take -part in the treasure hunt, though one of the five potential heirs of the -old man, was, I found, fairly well-to-do, and declined with thanks my -offer to make him a small allowance. - -As for myself--well, you have probably had enough of me by this time. -But I will just mention this much: that the little affair down in -Gloucestershire to which I have once or twice made slight allusion ended -in accordance with my dearest hopes; and that Jack and I are now even -more than school and college chums, being united by a tie whose name is -Gladys, and who is certainly one of the sweetest-- But no! I will not -go into that. She suits me excellently, and that, after all, is the -main thing! - -We live in Gloucestershire, near Henderson Court, in a house that was -once a farmhouse but which has been glorified for our benefit by Jack, -who is its owner. - -Jack and I have not many elephants and lions, or even ibex and elands, -about the premises; in fact, I do not remember to have shot a single -one. But we have plenty of rabbits and not a few partridges, and -occasionally a pheasant or two. As for our ".500 Expresses," they are -hanging ready on the wall in case any of the above-mentioned types of -the larger animals should come down into Gloucestershire; so that we are -all right. - -Ginger came to the wedding. He _would_ come into church with the rest -of us, and he sat between two school children and behaved shockingly; -for he nosed all the hymn-books off the pew in about half a minute, and -howled aloud when I told Gladys that with all my worldly goods I her -endowed. - -Jack said afterwards that there spoke the spirit of old Clutterbuck, who -was doubtless present in the form of Ginger, and who hated to hear me -make over his property in this way without forcing Gladys to do a single -day's work for it. - - - - - _Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London and Bungay._ - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLUTTERBUCK'S TREASURE *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46582 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. 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