CHAPTER XXII
THE TREASURE CHAMBER
At high water the wrecked craft was moved for a distance of nearly ahundred yards towards the shore ere she grounded. This completed theday's work, and on the following morning at low tide the "slack" wasagain taken in so as to enable the rising tide again to lift the yawlclear of the bottom.
This time, owing to the bed of the lagoon shoaling more rapidly, onlytwenty yards were gained.
"It will be a tiring and tedious job, I can see," said Terence. "Howare we to manage when the hull is brought close in shore?"
"We'll have to be content to move her a few feet at a time," repliedEllerton. "It's slow work, I admit, but we are making verysatisfactory progress."
With the arrival of the neap tides, the work came to a standstill, therise of water being insufficient to justify the time and labour spenton it; so the slings were cast off and buoyed, and the canoes broughtinto the little natural harbour, where they would be safe from all butan exceptional on-shore gale.
During the interval, the lads utilised several spare lengths of rails,and spiking them into rough sleepers, formed a temporary hauling-upslip.
Two of the wagons were dismantled, and the axles and wheels attached toa cradle, while a winch was firmly bolted to a secure foundation on theshore at twenty yards above high-water mark.
The rails were to be laid down at low water as far seaward as possible,and the sleepers sunk by means of heavy stones. Andy hoped to availhimself of a high spring tide to float the yawl right over the cradle,then, casting off the lashings that supported her, they could haul thewreck up by means of the winch and effect the repairs at their leisure.
Unfortunately, with the return of the spring tides a strong on-shorebreeze sprang up and continued with unremitting freshness for over aweek, so that the members of the salvage party were compelledtemporarily to abandon their enterprise.
"Never say die," exclaimed Mr. McKay encouragingly. "Another fortnightand I hope we shall be able to resume the work. In the meantime, lads,what do you say to a kind of picnic?"
"A picnic?" asked Ellerton. "Where to?"
"I am thinking of paying another visit to the buccaneers' cave. I'mvery curious to know what is on the other side of that iron-bound door,and I've no doubt you are equally so."
"Hurrah!" shouted the lads in chorus. "When shall we start?"
"In an hour," replied Mr. McKay promptly.
"Bursting open the door will be a tough job," remarked Andy. "How doyou propose to do it?"
"I hope to manage it by means of an explosive," replied his father.
"Dynamite?"
"No, there's too much risk in carting a few sticks of that stuffthrough a tunnel a hundred yards in length or more. One slip and itwould mean sudden death to the lot of us. I want a couple of fuses,however, so while we are getting ready you can run up to the magazineand obtain them."
While Andy was away on his errand, Mr. McKay opened a few cartridgesand extracted the cordite.
"This stuff is safe enough with reasonable precautions," he remarked toEllerton, who was watching Mr. McKay with no little fear. "So long asit is not under compression cordite can be lit without the faintestdanger. In the open air it merely fizzles like a damp squib."
"Couldn't we smash the door with an axe?" asked Ellerton.
"We could, but I prefer not to. In the first place there's not muchroom to wield an axe; in the second, as I mentioned before, I have mysuspicions regarding that door."
"What suspicions, sir?"
"Wait and see!" replied Mr. McKay with a laugh.
On the arrival of Andy with the fuses, the little party set out for thecave, each member carrying part of the equipment. On gaining thesummit of the hill overlooking the house, Mr. McKay scanned the horizonwith his glasses to satisfy himself that no canoes were approaching theisland, then, having reassured himself on that point, he gave the wordto step out briskly.
"I don't want to spend a night away from the house in case anythinghappens," he explained.
"But do you expect another crowd of savages?"
"I didn't expect the last lot," he replied grimly, "but they came allthe same."
The journey through the forest and across the rock-strewn plain wasperformed without incident, and within a couple of hours after leavingthe house the party drew up at the mouth of the tunnel.
Here each member lit a lantern, and in a comparatively bright light thepassage of the tunnel commenced. Quexo, however, remained in the openair. Nothing could prevail upon him to descend into the bowels of theearth.
Once or twice someone stumbled, Terence falling heavily and barking hisshins, while Mr. McKay's head came in contact with the roof much toooften for his liking; but in high spirits the explorers crossed thefloor of the abyss, traversed the second tunnel, and gained thearmoury. Here they rested ere commencing the final stage of theirjourney underground.
At length the explorers came face to face with the mysteriousiron-bound door. In spite of themselves they felt a strange sensationas they gazed upon the relic of bygone days. What lay behind it? Whatsecret did it guard so well?
"Stand back a bit, lads, and hand me another lantern," said Mr. McKay.
Dropping on his knees, he carefully examined the floor and theiron-shod threshold of the door, probing the narrow slit with hisknife. This done, he turned his attention to the walk and the crown ofthe arch next to the woodwork, tapping the stone with the blade of hisknife with the greatest caution.
The others looked on with interest not unmingled with curiosity andawe. At length, apparently satisfied with the examination, Mr. McKayrose.
"I want you to bore a hole here," said he to Andy, pointing out a placein the door barely two inches from the floor.
Andy, armed with a ratchet-brace, began his task, and the subduedsilence of the underground passage was broken only by the rattle of thepawl and the sharp burr of the bit as it wormed its way steadilythrough the stout oaken plank.
"It's hot work," exclaimed Andy, who in order to use the brace in thatmost inconvenient place was obliged to lie full length on the floor.
"I know, but keep it up," replied Mr. McKay, who, grasping a crowbar,was standing astride his son's feet.
"Stand a bit farther back," he continued, addressing Ellerton andTerence.
The two lads instantly obeyed, though they wondered at Mr. McKay'salert and expectant attitude.
Suddenly, like the tongue of an enormous serpent, a double-pronged barbof steel flashed dully in the candle-light, passing completely acrossthe passage and about three feet above and over Andy's prostrate body.
In an instant Mr. McKay's powerful arm brought the crowbar upward in aresistless sweep, and with one blow severed the dreadful device ofdeath.
The lads, pale with the excitement and horror of the incident, couldonly utter an exclamation of astonishment while Andy hurriedly backedaway from the well-guarded door.
"Pleasant, isn't it?" remarked Mr. McKay in a cool matter-of-fact tone,as if such incidents were of an everyday occurrence. "I had mysuspicions, as I said more than once before. That device was cunninglycontrived to salute marauders in a very forcible manner. Had either ofus been standing in front of the door we should have been transfixed ina jiffy. Now, carry on, Andy. I don't think there's anything more tobe feared on this side of the door, at any rate."
But Andy was not equal to the task. The risky experience had, to usehis own words, completely knocked the stuffing out of him.
"Let's quit; the game's not worth the candle," said Terence.
"Rather not!" replied Mr. McKay, resolutely. "There's something worthsecuring behind that door, or the former owners would not have takensuch elaborate and crafty steps to guard it. Here, Ellerton, stand bywith the crowbar in case of accidents, and I'll finish boring the hole."
So saying, Mr. McKay took up a position similar to that formerlyoccupied by his son and plied the brace vigorously.
Ere the bit had
sunk another quarter of an inch there came a dullmetallic sound from the remote side of the door.
"What's that?" gasped Andy breathlessly.
"Another surprise for trespassers," replied his father without ceasingin his work. "I've released another secret spring, I suppose.However, we are on the right side of the door this time."
Having bored the hole sufficiently deep for his purpose Mr. McKayproceeded to insert the cordite, ramming it tightly home with the endof the crowbar. The rest of the explosive he laid close to the base ofthe door, covering it with stones and pieces of rock brought from thefloor of the chasm.
"Now let's go back to the other tunnel," he continued, after thedetonator and the fuse had been inserted and the latter fired."There's no hurry; the explosion will not take place for five minutes."
As the moments sped, the lads awaited in breathless silence the soundof the detonation.
Presently a dull rumble echoed through the rocky passage, followed by ablast of air mingled with the acrid fumes of the cordite.
"Not so fast! Not so fast!" cautioned Mr. McKay, as the lads began torun towards the hitherto baffling barrier. "Some of the rock may bedislodged."
As it was, they were obliged to wait some considerable time, as theatmosphere in the tunnel was so vile that it was impossible to breathewith comfort. Then as the mist gradually cleared, the dull yellowglare of the lanterns revealed a mass of shattered woodwork where thedoor had stood; while a foot beyond was a barrier of steel rods, which,serving the purpose of a portcullis, had fallen from above.
"That's what we heard fall," observed Mr. McKay. "The idea was, Isuppose, that any unauthorised person who escaped the lance-thrust onthis side of the door would, on opening it, be impaled by the weaponsconcealed in the roof. Now to settle with this obstruction."
A few powerful strokes with an axe shattered enough bars to enable Mr.McKay to squeeze through, and, followed by his eager companions, heentered the mysterious cavern.
At first there was little to attract the attention of the explorers.The cave was of irregular form, being about fifty feet in length,thirty in breadth, and varying in height from twenty-five to six feet.
On the floor were six wooden chests, ordinary in appearance andapparently of simple construction; they would have easily been mistakenfor seamen's chests placed in a lumber-room.
Striding up to the nearest one, Mr. McKay raised the lid. There was nocreaking of rusty hinges, no glitter of gold and jewels to dazzle theeyes. The chest was empty!
"Well, this is a sorry trick to have played on one another after somuch trouble," commented he with a forced laugh. He was visiblydisappointed, and his discouragement was shared by his companions.
"No doubt this has been the hiding-place of some great hoard," hecontinued. "But the buccaneering rascals have evidently removed theirbooty. I've drawn a blank, so you, Ellerton, try your hand."
The second chest was opened with equal ease, but to the unboundeddelight of the whole party the coffer was two-thirds filled with yellowmetal ingots, which flashed dully in the light of the lanterns.
"Gold!" was the chorus of exclamation.
"Gold it is," added Mr. McKay. "But a deal of good it will do us inour present state! However, let's continue the examination."
The remaining four coffers gave more trouble, the lids being secured bystout iron screws. Two were filled with gold and silver ornaments,cups, vases, and plates--the plunder, doubtless, of many a rich city ofSpain's colonies on the shores of the Pacific. The remaining two wereladen with virgin gold.
"Well, lads," exclaimed Mr. McKay, when the last coffer had been forcedto disclose its contents, "once we get this stuff safely to a civilisedcountry we shall be rich beyond our wildest imagination. We'll shareand share alike, of course."
"What is the value of the treasure?" asked Ellerton in an awestruckvoice, for the sudden avalanche of untold wealth had wellnigh upset him.
"Goodness only knows! There's enough to enable you to go through lifewithout doing another stroke of work. That is, of course, when you arehome in England once more. But, my lad, don't look upon it in thatlight. Take my word for it that idleness is a curse, and the wealth,if used solely to promote idleness, would serve a better purpose if itlay a thousand fathoms deep on the bed of the ocean."
"If ever I take my share back to my home, I trust I'll use it to a goodpurpose," said Ellerton.
"I trust so, too," added Mr. McKay. "Now, let us see if there'sanything else of interest here. I am anxious to examine thesemurderous devices. Ah!"
Mr. McKay pointed in the direction of the shattered door. On eitherside, but separated from the entrance tunnel by a massive wall composedof the solid rock, was a narrow and lofty passage, both runningparallel with the tunnel.
Lantern in hand, Mr. McKay stooped down and entered the right-handrecess, and to his surprise he found no fewer than six steel lances,each accompanied by a tightly coiled spring, while a seventh haduncoiled itself, the spiral spring stretching from wall to wall.
"Great heavens!" he exclaimed with thankfulness. "We've had afortunate escape. Each of these fiendish contrivances is set to launchitself into the tunnel on the outside of the door. The one we releasedis the nearest."
"Then we must have passed them?" asked Andy.
"Yes, and by the intervention of Providence they failed to act. Watch!"
And touching a slender steel rod that passed from the front of one ofthe springs to the floor, Mr. McKay gave it a sharp upward jerk.
Instantly the hidden coil released itself, and the dread weapondisappeared through the rock which separated the cave-like recess fromthe tunnel.
"The whole contrivance, though deadly, is comparatively simple,"explained Mr. McKay. "Underneath the floors of both chambers are anumber of levers. The weight of a person treading in the tunnel wouldcause the lever to move a rod, which in turn releases a finely settrigger which controls the springs. Owing to years of idleness thelevers failed to act, and only Andy's continuous exertions as he lay onthe ground in front of the door caused one of the springs to bereleased. I bargained for one, but not a dozen or more, by Jove!"
"A dozen?" echoed Terence.
"Aye, a dozen at least. We'll find six or seven more on the other sideof the tunnel."
One by one the remaining springs were released, and on entering theleft-hand cavity a similar state of things was revealed.
"I don't think we need fear these any longer," continued Mr. McKay, asthe sound of the releasing of the last spring vibrated in the confinedspace. "Now the question is, what is to be done with the stuff?" andhe indicated the coffers with a wave of his hand.
"Leave it here," suggested Andy.
"I would but for one reason. If we are taken off the island by apassing ship, the captain would not feel inclined to waste time whilewe were bringing these chests from here to the shore, for, of course,we could not reveal the nature of their contents. No; I propose tocart the whole of the treasure back to the house, stow it away in smallboxes that are convenient to handle, and bury the boxes a few feetunder the floor."
Each member of the party thereupon filled his haversack with as muchgold as it would hold, until the stout canvas straps cut into theshoulders of the wearers; and thus laden they retraced their steps,arriving on the surface in a breathless and exhausted condition.
Here the loads were redistributed, and making better progress, thewearied adventurers arrived at their dwelling just as the sun dippedbeyond the lofty peak of the island.
The Nameless Island: A Story of Some Modern Robinson Crusoes Page 22