Chapter XXIV
Lost Treasure
When the expedition returned, following their fruitless endeavor tosuccor D'Arnot, Captain Dufranne was anxious to steam away as quicklyas possible, and all save Jane had acquiesced.
"No," she said, determinedly, "I shall not go, nor should you, forthere are two friends in that jungle who will come out of it some dayexpecting to find us awaiting them.
"Your officer, Captain Dufranne, is one of them, and the forest man whohas saved the lives of every member of my father's party is the other.
"He left me at the edge of the jungle two days ago to hasten to the aidof my father and Mr. Clayton, as he thought, and he has stayed torescue Lieutenant D'Arnot; of that you may be sure.
"Had he been too late to be of service to the lieutenant he would havebeen back before now--the fact that he is not back is sufficient proofto me that he is delayed because Lieutenant D'Arnot is wounded, or hehas had to follow his captors further than the village which yoursailors attacked."
"But poor D'Arnot's uniform and all his belongings were found in thatvillage, Miss Porter," argued the captain, "and the natives showedgreat excitement when questioned as to the white man's fate."
"Yes, Captain, but they did not admit that he was dead and as for hisclothes and accouterments being in their possession--why more civilizedpeoples than these poor savage negroes strip their prisoners of everyarticle of value whether they intend killing them or not.
"Even the soldiers of my own dear South looted not only the living butthe dead. It is strong circumstantial evidence, I will admit, but itis not positive proof."
"Possibly your forest man, himself was captured or killed by thesavages," suggested Captain Dufranne.
The girl laughed.
"You do not know him," she replied, a little thrill of pride settingher nerves a-tingle at the thought that she spoke of her own.
"I admit that he would be worth waiting for, this superman of yours,"laughed the captain. "I most certainly should like to see him."
"Then wait for him, my dear captain," urged the girl, "for I intenddoing so."
The Frenchman would have been a very much surprised man could he haveinterpreted the true meaning of the girl's words.
They had been walking from the beach toward the cabin as they talked,and now they joined a little group sitting on camp stools in the shadeof a great tree beside the cabin.
Professor Porter was there, and Mr. Philander and Clayton, withLieutenant Charpentier and two of his brother officers, while Esmeraldahovered in the background, ever and anon venturing opinions andcomments with the freedom of an old and much-indulged family servant.
The officers arose and saluted as their superior approached, andClayton surrendered his camp stool to Jane.
"We were just discussing poor Paul's fate," said Captain Dufranne."Miss Porter insists that we have no absolute proof of his death--norhave we. And on the other hand she maintains that the continuedabsence of your omnipotent jungle friend indicates that D'Arnot isstill in need of his services, either because he is wounded, or stillis a prisoner in a more distant native village."
"It has been suggested," ventured Lieutenant Charpentier, "that thewild man may have been a member of the tribe of blacks who attacked ourparty--that he was hastening to aid THEM--his own people."
Jane shot a quick glance at Clayton.
"It seems vastly more reasonable," said Professor Porter.
"I do not agree with you," objected Mr. Philander. "He had ampleopportunity to harm us himself, or to lead his people against us.Instead, during our long residence here, he has been uniformlyconsistent in his role of protector and provider."
"That is true," interjected Clayton, "yet we must not overlook the factthat except for himself the only human beings within hundreds of milesare savage cannibals. He was armed precisely as are they, whichindicates that he has maintained relations of some nature with them,and the fact that he is but one against possibly thousands suggeststhat these relations could scarcely have been other than friendly."
"It seems improbable then that he is not connected with them," remarkedthe captain; "possibly a member of this tribe."
"Otherwise," added another of the officers, "how could he have lived asufficient length of time among the savage denizens of the jungle,brute and human, to have become proficient in woodcraft, or in the useof African weapons."
"You are judging him according to your own standards, gentlemen," saidJane. "An ordinary white man such as any of you--pardon me, I did notmean just that--rather, a white man above the ordinary in physique andintelligence could never, I grant you, have lived a year alone andnaked in this tropical jungle; but this man not only surpasses theaverage white man in strength and agility, but as far transcends ourtrained athletes and 'strong men' as they surpass a day-old babe; andhis courage and ferocity in battle are those of the wild beast."
"He has certainly won a loyal champion, Miss Porter," said CaptainDufranne, laughing. "I am sure that there be none of us here but wouldwillingly face death a hundred times in its most terrifying forms todeserve the tributes of one even half so loyal--or so beautiful."
"You would not wonder that I defend him," said the girl, "could youhave seen him as I saw him, battling in my behalf with that huge hairybrute.
"Could you have seen him charge the monster as a bull might charge agrizzly--absolutely without sign of fear or hesitation--you would havebelieved him more than human.
"Could you have seen those mighty muscles knotting under the brownskin--could you have seen them force back those awful fangs--you toowould have thought him invincible.
"And could you have seen the chivalrous treatment which he accorded astrange girl of a strange race, you would feel the same absoluteconfidence in him that I feel."
"You have won your suit, my fair pleader," cried the captain. "Thiscourt finds the defendant not guilty, and the cruiser shall wait a fewdays longer that he may have an opportunity to come and thank thedivine Portia."
"For the Lord's sake honey," cried Esmeralda. "You all don't mean totell ME that you're going to stay right here in this here land ofcarnivable animals when you all got the opportunity to escapade on thatboat? Don't you tell me THAT, honey."
"Why, Esmeralda! You should be ashamed of yourself," cried Jane. "Isthis any way to show your gratitude to the man who saved your lifetwice?"
"Well, Miss Jane, that's all jest as you say; but that there forest mannever did save us to stay here. He done save us so we all could getAWAY from here. I expect he be mighty peevish when he find we ain'tgot no more sense than to stay right here after he done give us thechance to get away.
"I hoped I'd never have to sleep in this here geological garden anothernight and listen to all them lonesome noises that come out of thatjumble after dark."
"I don't blame you a bit, Esmeralda," said Clayton, "and you certainlydid hit it off right when you called them 'lonesome' noises. I neverhave been able to find the right word for them but that's it, don't youknow, lonesome noises."
"You and Esmeralda had better go and live on the cruiser," said Jane,in fine scorn. "What would you think if you HAD to live all of yourlife in that jungle as our forest man has done?"
"I'm afraid I'd be a blooming bounder as a wild man," laughed Clayton,ruefully. "Those noises at night make the hair on my head bristle. Isuppose that I should be ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth."
"I don't know about that," said Lieutenant Charpentier. "I neverthought much about fear and that sort of thing--never tried todetermine whether I was a coward or brave man; but the other night aswe lay in the jungle there after poor D'Arnot was taken, and thosejungle noises rose and fell around us I began to think that I was acoward indeed. It was not the roaring and growling of the big beaststhat affected me so much as it was the stealthy noises--the ones thatyou heard suddenly close by and then listened vainly for a repetitionof--the unaccountable sounds as of a great body moving almostnoiselessly, and the knowl
edge that you didn't KNOW how close it was,or whether it were creeping closer after you ceased to hear it? It wasthose noises--and the eyes.
"MON DIEU! I shall see them in the dark forever--the eyes that yousee, and those that you don't see, but feel--ah, they are the worst."
All were silent for a moment, and then Jane spoke.
"And he is out there," she said, in an awe-hushed whisper. "Those eyeswill be glaring at him to-night, and at your comrade LieutenantD'Arnot. Can you leave them, gentlemen, without at least renderingthem the passive succor which remaining here a few days longer mightinsure them?"
"Tut, tut, child," said Professor Porter. "Captain Dufranne is willingto remain, and for my part I am perfectly willing, perfectlywilling--as I always have been to humor your childish whims."
"We can utilize the morrow in recovering the chest, Professor,"suggested Mr. Philander.
"Quite so, quite so, Mr. Philander, I had almost forgotten thetreasure," exclaimed Professor Porter. "Possibly we can borrow somemen from Captain Dufranne to assist us, and one of the prisoners topoint out the location of the chest."
"Most assuredly, my dear Professor, we are all yours to command," saidthe captain.
And so it was arranged that on the next day Lieutenant Charpentier wasto take a detail of ten men, and one of the mutineers of the Arrow as aguide, and unearth the treasure; and that the cruiser would remain fora full week in the little harbor. At the end of that time it was to beassumed that D'Arnot was truly dead, and that the forest man would notreturn while they remained. Then the two vessels were to leave withall the party.
Professor Porter did not accompany the treasure-seekers on thefollowing day, but when he saw them returning empty-handed toward noon,he hastened forward to meet them--his usual preoccupied indifferenceentirely vanished, and in its place a nervous and excited manner.
"Where is the treasure?" he cried to Clayton, while yet a hundred feetseparated them.
Clayton shook his head.
"Gone," he said, as he neared the professor.
"Gone! It cannot be. Who could have taken it?" cried Professor Porter.
"God only knows, Professor," replied Clayton. "We might have thoughtthe fellow who guided us was lying about the location, but his surpriseand consternation on finding no chest beneath the body of the murderedSnipes were too real to be feigned. And then our spades showed us thatSOMETHING had been buried beneath the corpse, for a hole had been thereand it had been filled with loose earth."
"But who could have taken it?" repeated Professor Porter.
"Suspicion might naturally fall on the men of the cruiser," saidLieutenant Charpentier, "but for the fact that sub-lieutenant Janviershere assures me that no men have had shore leave--that none has been onshore since we anchored here except under command of an officer. I donot know that you would suspect our men, but I am glad that there isnow no chance for suspicion to fall on them," he concluded.
"It would never have occurred to me to suspect the men to whom we oweso much," replied Professor Porter, graciously. "I would as soonsuspect my dear Clayton here, or Mr. Philander."
The Frenchmen smiled, both officers and sailors. It was plain to seethat a burden had been lifted from their minds.
"The treasure has been gone for some time," continued Clayton. "Infact the body fell apart as we lifted it, which indicates that whoeverremoved the treasure did so while the corpse was still fresh, for itwas intact when we first uncovered it."
"There must have been several in the party," said Jane, who had joinedthem. "You remember that it took four men to carry it."
"By jove!" cried Clayton. "That's right. It must have been done by aparty of blacks. Probably one of them saw the men bury the chest andthen returned immediately after with a party of his friends, andcarried it off."
"Speculation is futile," said Professor Porter sadly. "The chest isgone. We shall never see it again, nor the treasure that was in it."
Only Jane knew what the loss meant to her father, and none there knewwhat it meant to her.
Six days later Captain Dufranne announced that they would sail early onthe morrow.
Jane would have begged for a further reprieve, had it not been that shetoo had begun to believe that her forest lover would return no more.
In spite of herself she began to entertain doubts and fears. Thereasonableness of the arguments of these disinterested French officerscommenced to convince her against her will.
That he was a cannibal she would not believe, but that he was anadopted member of some savage tribe at length seemed possible to her.
She would not admit that he could be dead. It was impossible tobelieve that that perfect body, so filled with triumphant life, couldever cease to harbor the vital spark--as soon believe that immortalitywere dust.
As Jane permitted herself to harbor these thoughts, others equallyunwelcome forced themselves upon her.
If he belonged to some savage tribe he had a savage wife--a dozen ofthem perhaps--and wild, half-caste children. The girl shuddered, andwhen they told her that the cruiser would sail on the morrow she wasalmost glad.
It was she, though, who suggested that arms, ammunition, supplies andcomforts be left behind in the cabin, ostensibly for that intangiblepersonality who had signed himself Tarzan of the Apes, and for D'Arnotshould he still be living, but really, she hoped, for her forestgod--even though his feet should prove of clay.
And at the last minute she left a message for him, to be transmitted byTarzan of the Apes.
She was the last to leave the cabin, returning on some trivial pretextafter the others had started for the boat.
She kneeled down beside the bed in which she had spent so many nights,and offered up a prayer for the safety of her primeval man, andcrushing his locket to her lips she murmured:
"I love you, and because I love you I believe in you. But if I did notbelieve, still should I love. Had you come back for me, and had therebeen no other way, I would have gone into the jungle with you--forever."
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