CHAPTER XXX
THE RADIUM TREASURE--CONCLUSION
“Bless my soul!” exclaimed Professor Snodgrass.
Bob, with a catching of his breath, and a nervous tremor, started torun in a panic. But Jerry caught him by the shoulder.
“Hold on!” the tall lad cried. “It’s only a man.”
“A--a man!” gasped the fat lad. “I thought----”
“Stop thinking!” commanded Jerry.
The man in the cave advanced, and the boys and the professor saw thathe carried a torch made from some resinous wood that burned with muchsmoke.
“Who are you?” again demanded the man, holding his torch on high. “Whocomes here to disturb me? Why can’t you let me die in peace?”
The professor took a sudden resolve. Afterward he said he did not knowwhy he did it.
“Hartley Bentwell!” cried the scientist, “we have come to save you.You are not going to die. We have come to take you away from SnakeIsland!”
The effect of these words on the unfortunate man was indescribable. Hefairly leaped forward, and a cry came from his lips.
“You know me!” he exclaimed. “You have come to save me? Oh, the dearLord be thanked! Yes, I am Hartley Bentwell, but in a few days more Iwould not have known myself. I--I fear I was going mad. It was almostthe end. Oh, what a life I have lived on this island! Unable to escape!Menaced by the snakes! Not a soul to speak to! In fear of the floods!Oh, even now, my mind is not right!”
“There, there!” exclaimed the professor soothingly, as he would havetalked to a child. “You are with friends. You will soon be away fromhere, and in your own home. We are going to restore you to the worldagain. You have seen the last of Snake Island.”
“The last of Snake Island! Oh----” but the unfortunate castaway couldsay no more, for he had fainted, and would have fallen, had not Jerryand Ned caught him.
“Quick! Carry him to the _Comet_,” directed the professor. “When hecomes to, he must find himself in brighter surroundings.”
This was quickly done, and, as the rain soon stopped, and the sun cameout, when Mr. Bentwell became conscious, he found himself in a pleasantcabin, surrounded by his new friends. A look of wonder came over hisface, and the wild, half-insane stare faded from his eyes.
“Here, drink this,” commanded Uriah Snodgrass, and he held out a bowlof nourishing soup.
And, following a refreshing sleep, that afternoon, while seated inthe airship cabin, Mr. Bentwell told his story. He had been with thescientists who, about a year before, had come to search for the radiumon Snake Island. There had been an accident, one boat was wrecked,and the unfortunate man was cast alone on the island. His companionsescaped, and got back to civilization, believing him drowned.
The cargo of the boat, consisting of a considerable quantity ofprovisions, stores and tools, was washed up on the island.
He built the hut, and rudely furnished it. Then, having nothing else todo, being unable to escape from the island, he began a search for theradium, as told in his torn notebook. But he could not find it.
Then floods came, there were several visitations of snakes, and, interror, he fled to the hill, where he found the cave that he made hishome, only going occasionally to the hut. He had been away from itfor several days when Noddy and his companions took up their abodethere. So despondent and gloomy was Mr. Bentwell over his plight thathe withdrew to the cave altogether, and stayed there, living on scantyfood. He did not come out, and so did not see the airship making tripsover the island.
“But now I am saved!” he cried. “Let us get away from this awful place!”
“I am willing,” agreed the professor. “I have my valuable toad.”
“But we haven’t the radium,” said Jerry.
“I do not believe it is here,” said Mr. Bentwell. “I searched all overfor it, and found not a trace.”
“Yes, we saw your notes,” spoke the professor. “I saved what were leftof them for you.”
The weather soon became pleasant again, and the river went down. Butthe boys in their airship remained on the hill, as they liked it betterthere. Jerry asked for three days more in which to search for theradium treasure, and the others agreed to this.
“Well, I give up,” admitted Jerry, on the afternoon of the third day,when, after a wearying search, he and his two chums were returning tothe _Comet_. “We’ll start for home to-morrow morning. Mr. Bentwell iswell enough to travel now.”
“I sort of hate to go back empty handed,” spoke Ned regretfully. “It’sthe first time we ever had a real failure.”
“We can’t always be successful,” commented Bob. “Whew! I’m tired. I’mgoing to have a rest.”
He sat down on a grassy spot. Just below them was the _Comet_, whichhad been fully repaired, and was all ready for the homeward trip. Nedand Jerry walked on a little way, and then took a seat on a log, forthey, too, were weary. They talked over their adventures, agreeingthat, even though they had not found the radium treasure, they had hada good vacation.
Bob suddenly jumped up, and rubbed his thigh.
“What’s the matter; sit on a thorn?” asked Ned with a laugh.
“Something like that,” answered the stout lad. “Or else a bee stung me.Well, come on. It’s all over.”
They were packing up that night, ready for the trip home in themorning, when Bob complained of a burning sensation in his leg.
“Better let me look at it,” suggested the professor, who knew somethingof medicine. “You may have been poisoned by some insect.” But, when hehad looked at a peculiar red spot on Bob’s leg he cried out:
“Boys, that’s the most wonderful thing I ever heard of! Bob has solvedthe riddle for us!”
“What riddle?” demanded Jerry eagerly.
“The radium riddle! That’s a blister caused by emanations from radium!”went on the professor. “Look at it, Mr. Bentwell, and see if you don’tthink so!”
The castaway, who had had his hair cut, and who had shaved himself,being attired in a spare suit of the professor’s, looked at the redspot.
“That is undoubtedly a radium burn,” he said quickly. “How did ithappen?”
“It must have been when I sat down to rest,” explained Bob. “On thehill out there. I felt something sting me, and----”
“It was the radium!” cried Mr. Bentwell. “Where is the place? Let us goto it at once!”
“We can’t find it in the dark,” objected Jerry, but the professor andthe castaway hurried out on the deck of the airship leading Bob withthem.
“Point out, as nearly as you can, where it was,” begged Uriah Snodgrass.
Bob raised his hand, and, as he did so, he uttered a cry.
“Look! Look!” he gasped. “The ghosts! The ghosts again!”
There, floating down toward the airship, were tall whitish objects,wrapped in a bluish haze, like the tall forms of willowy beingsshrouded in mist.
“The ghosts!” cried Bob.
“Yes, radium ghosts!” fairly shouted Professor Snodgrass. “I understandit now. I wonder I didn’t guess it the first time. The ghosts we sawbefore were vapors, caused by radium. It is the same now. Boys, we haveat last found the radium treasure! We will get it in the morning!”
They were up at dawn, after an almost sleepless night. Bob pointed outthe spot where he had rested, and digging there, under a thin layer ofsod, was found the peculiar hornblende rock mixed with pitchblende,which contained the radium. It needed but a simple test to demonstratethis.
“And the peculiar thing about it is this,” said Professor Snodgrass.“Usually it takes tons of rock to produce even a grain of radium, butin this case there is almost pure radium in this sample. We must becareful of it, for, not only is it very valuable, but it may seriouslyharm us if left exposed.”
Accordingly the first sample was put in the lead receptacle preparedfor it, and the work of digging the rock for more was begun.
But if our friends hoped to find an enormous fortune of radium onSnake I
sland they were disappointed. For, after they had dug a littledistance down, the rock disappeared, and there was no more of it.Search as they did, there was only a comparatively small quantity. Butthat was of great value, sufficient to more than compensate them forthe trip, for the radium, being almost pure, commanded an exceptionallyhigh price.
“But there must be some where we first saw the strange ghosts,”suggested Bob. They went to the place, but found nothing. As there wasa deep hollow, where before there had been none, they concluded thatthe flood had washed the precious radium away.
“But we have enough to satisfy almost anyone,” said Jerry, one eveninga few nights later.
In the days following Bob’s unexpected discovery of the precious stuffthey had searched diligently, but no more was located.
“I think we have all there is here,” was the professor’s opinion, andMr. Bentwell agreed with him. There was no longer any use in remainingin that desolate place, and so they arose, and left behind SnakeIsland, and the rushing river cutting its way through the mighty chasm,a mile below the surface of the earth.
Then, with her nose pointed toward Denver, the return trip began.Little worth mentioning occurred on it. Mr. Bentwell continued toimprove and after a short stay in Denver, at the Montrose home, nearlyall traces of his terrible year on the lonely island disappeared.Of course the story of the boys caused much comment, and they wereregarded as heroes.
They received many offers for their radium, but they refused nearly allof them, giving a share of the stuff to Mr. Bentwell, some to ProfessorSnodgrass, and a portion to Mr. Montrose. The latter was interested ina Denver hospital that very much wanted some of the precious metal formedical purposes.
As for their portions the boys kept some for themselves for future use,and some they gave to the academy they attended. The rest they sold fora large sum.
Nothing more was heard from Noddy Nixon, save that he and Bill gotsafely home, after much hardship. As for the renegade professor he andNoddy quarreled, and separated.
“Let’s go all the way home by airship,” proposed Bob as they were aboutto leave Denver. “We can have the auto shipped to Cresville, and it’smuch easier to get meals in the _Comet_ than at hotels.”
“Bob, if you mention eating again, until we get home, we’ll put you ona bread and water diet,” threatened Ned, and Bob went off to the galleyin a huff. But he was soon heard whistling as he made himself somesandwiches.
The airship trip was voted the best, and accordingly, it wasundertaken. All went well, and in due time they were near their hometown. At his request, Mr. Bentwell was allowed to leave the ship at aplace where he could get a train to his home, for he did not want totake his new friends out of their way. He had telegraphed, at the firstopportunity, to his relatives, telling them of his rescue. To say thatthey, and the world at large, were surprised by his wonderful story, isputting it mildly.
“Well, we got the radium treasure, after all,” remarked Jerry, one daya week or so later, when they were all assembled at his house.
“And I caught the two-tailed toad,” added the professor. “My collegehas conferred additional honors upon me for that. I am indeed a luckyindividual.”
“I wonder what you’ll look for next?” spoke Bob.
“And I wonder what we’ll do?” added Ned.
Those of you who care to know, may learn by reading the next volume ofthe series, which will be called “The Motor Boys on the Border; Or,Sixty Nuggets of Gold,” a strange tale of the Far West and of Canada.
“Well,” remarked the professor, “I think I will----” He stoppedsuddenly, sprang to a small table, and clapped his hand down on it sosuddenly that he upset a pitcher of lemonade, which spilled all overBob.
“Ouch! Ugh!” gasped the fat lad. “What’s the matter?”
“I just caught a most rare specimen of a red-winged fly,” answered theprofessor, pulling out a specimen box and imprisoning the lucklessinsect.
“But--l-l-look at me!” gasped Bob. “I’m all wet!”
“Never mind, it’s a hot day, and you aren’t the only lemon in thehouse,” laughed Jerry, as he helped his chum dry himself.
Of course Professor Snodgrass apologized, and made amends by helpingsqueeze more lemons. And then, sitting about, he and the boys discussedtheir adventures on the trip after the radium treasure. And now, for atime, we will say good-bye to them.
THE END
The Motor Boys After a Fortune; or, The Hut on Snake Island Page 31