by Ross Kay
CHAPTER XVIII
IN THE WATER
John, Fred and Grant sat and looked at one another and at the two goldpieces which lay glittering in John's hand. Then they looked at thethird copy of the code which had turned up so strangely.
"I wish Pop were here," remarked Grant grimly.
"Why so?" inquired Fred.
"I'd like him to see those gold pieces and I'd like him to see what iswritten across the top of this parchment. I think after that he wouldn'tbe so sure there was no treasure on this island. We'll convince him nowquick enough."
"Let me see one of those coins," said Fred. "What are they, anyhow?"
"Spanish, I should say," replied John. "They're old ones."
"I should think so," exclaimed Fred. "They're worn, too, and the date isgone from this one."
"This says seventeen something," remarked John, examining the piece ofgold which he held in his hand. "I can't make out the rest of it."
"They must be a couple of hundred years old, all right," said Grant.
"Do you suppose they've been here all that time?"
"I can't tell you, Grant," said John. "I do wish we could decipher thatcode though. This makes it look better than ever."
"It surely does," Grant agreed heartily. "I've thought of abouteverything under the sun, but nothing seems to work for a cent. I'd liketo catch the fellow who made up that set of figures. He must have been afiend."
"Not necessarily," laughed Fred. "He was only trying to protect hisproperty."
"Well, I guess he did that all right," exclaimed Grant. "He certainlydid as far as I am concerned."
"The joke of it is," said John, "that probably the whole thing is assimple as rolling off a log. All we need is the key."
"Yes," cried Grant, "but if we can't find the key what good does it dous?"
"None, I'll admit," replied John, "but we must find it."
"Oh, it's easy enough to say that," exclaimed Grant bitterly. "I don'tnotice anybody doing it, though."
"You're not going to give it up are you, Grant?" asked Fred in surprise."Why this is the best encouragement we've had yet."
"Give it up! Of course I'm not going to give it up. I don't see muchencouragement here though. I think it's only more maddening. What we'vefound to-day only goes to prove that this code does tell where treasureis buried, but it doesn't tell us how to read the code, does it? It onlytantalizes us, but you can make up your mind that I'm not going to giveup, even for a second."
"What Pop said was probably true," remarked John.
"What was that?" asked Grant.
"Why, that all of a sudden somebody would get an idea and the wholething will be solved. I think that's what will happen myself."
"I hope so," exclaimed Grant. "I wish it would be soon, too."
"Maybe Pop already has an idea," laughed Fred.
"I doubt it," said John. "Where is he anyway?"
"He went for a walk."
"Where?"
"I don't know. He just said he was going for a walk."
"Well, let's go down and take a swim," exclaimed Fred. "It's awfully hotand a little water certainly wouldn't hurt me."
"I should say not," laughed John. "I never saw so much dirt on any man'sface in all my life. You're a sight."
"I know it," Fred agreed. "Still," he added, "I found a couple of goldpieces, didn't I? And I'm always willing to get dirty under thoseconditions."
"I guess you are," agreed John. "How much do you suppose they're worth?"
"Well," said Grant, "they look to me about the size of a twenty-dollargold piece. They ought to be worth thirty-five or forty dollars easilyenough."
"Just imagine finding a whole chest full of them," exclaimed Fred, hiseyes shining. "Why, we'd never have to do any work as long as we lived."
"We'd soon get tired of doing nothing, I'm afraid," said Grant. "Anywaywe haven't found them yet."
"Don't talk about it," exclaimed John. "That code is the most maddeningthing I ever saw."
The three boys now were walking down towards the shore. Their favoritespot in which to swim was the little ledge from which they had watchedthe many colored fish and the various forms of sea-life the first daythey had landed on the island. Here the water was deep and the ledgemade an excellent place from which to dive.
A few moments later the three friends were puffing and blowing about inthe water enjoying themselves immensely. Their bodies from long exposureto the rays of the tropical sun were tanned until they might have beeneasily mistaken for South Sea islanders or some other natives of the hotclimates. Their hair, too, had grown long, for it had been many weekssince they had seen a barber. What few clothes they wore were beginningto hang in rags so that altogether they presented a strange appearance.Any chance visitor to their island might have thought he had run acrossthe remnants of some wild race of savages.
"Well, that was pretty good, I should say," said John luxuriously as hestretched himself out on the rocks alongside his two companions.
"It surely was," agreed Fred. "This is about the best part of it,though."
"What is?"
"Lying out in the sun this way. Doesn't it feel good?"
"It couldn't be better," agreed Grant. "Isn't this a lazy life?"
"It's a good one, though," said John. "Just think, we haven't a thing toworry about. All we have to do is swim and sleep and lie around in thesun."
"I should say we had plenty to worry about," said Fred.
"Getting home, you mean?"
"Yes. We can't stay here all our lives, you know."
"Of course not," John agreed. "We'll be picked up some day though, sure.We can't do anything in the meantime that will help us to leave here, sowhat's the use in worrying about it? That's the way I feel."
"That's all right, too," exclaimed Fred. "Still, it's a very strangething that we don't ever see any boats. We may be here for years."
"What if we are? That doesn't make anything to worry about either."
"How about the treasure?" demanded Grant. "Doesn't that worry you?"
"Sometimes it does," admitted John. "I'm principally worried for fearsome boat will come along and take us away before we find it."
"Let's all go back to the cave and make another try at that code,"exclaimed Grant, springing to his feet.
"I've got to go in that water again before I do anything else," saidJohn. "It certainly is wonderful to-day."
"All right," agreed Fred. "One more dive."
Three bodies flashed through the air and disappeared beneath the waterwith a resounding splash. A moment later and three heads came to thesurface.
"Coming out?" demanded Grant, blowing the water from his nostrils andshaking the hair out of his eyes.
"I think I'll take a little swim," said John. "I'll be out in a minute."
"We'll wait for you," said Fred. "Don't be long."
"I'll be right out," exclaimed John as he struck out with long powerfuloverhead strokes in the direction of the open sea.
Grant and Fred clambered out upon the little ledge and began to put onthe few pieces of clothing that they possessed.
"I certainly do feel fine," exclaimed Fred as he took in a deep breathof the pure air that was blown upon them straight up from the waters ofthe sea. "The air is fine to-day."
"Well, it ought to be, every day," laughed Grant. "After it has traveleda couple of thousand miles across the water it ought to be pretty nearlypure."
"And have no dust in it," added Fred.
"That's right," said Grant. "Where's John?"
"I don't see him," said Fred, turning to look for his companion. "I hopehe didn't try to swim out very far. That's always a fool trick, Ithink."
"Where is he?" exclaimed Grant, somewhat alarmed at not discovering hisfriend.
"There he is," cried Fred suddenly.
"Where?"
"Why out there. Don't you see him?"
"He's crazy," said Grant angrily. "Why does he want to go so far out? Hecan swim just as we
ll along shore and not take half the risk. Supposeanything should happen to him now, we couldn't help him a bit."
"Look!" cried Fred suddenly, "there's a shark."
"Where?"
"Right behind John. He's a goner now," and Fred almost sobbed aloud.
"John! John!" shouted Grant at the top of his voice, but he knew it washopeless to think of making himself heard at that distance.
"He's gone. He's gone," moaned Fred distractedly.
The great black fin moved steadily along in back of the daring youngswimmer. To the boys on the shore it seemed as if it approached nearerwith every passing moment. Suddenly there was a great splashing in theimmediate vicinity of where John was swimming.