"It's gone!" came from Oliver.
"Gone—what, your money?"
"Worse!"
"Worse? How?"
"The map—description, everything, the original and the tracing. Between this and what Merkin took I haven't a thing left by which to trace the tre" He stopped short as he noticed the captain watching him. "Oh, but this is—is simply awful!"
"Something else of value gone?" queried Captain Steingard.
"Yes, some papers of importance—papers locating a certain parcel of land."
"Humph! Well, perhaps you can duplicate them."
"It's impossible, sir."
"Then we'll have to find them—and the money, too. It's extraordinary! extraordinary! Never had it happen before; never, sir!"
The captain was as excited as everybody, and quickly called in several other officers and the head porter, who called in some other men and two girls under him. In the end all the hands were searched, but nothing was found. Presently, however, one of the deck hands returned, carrying my wallet and that belonging to Dan. Both were empty.
"Found them on the forward deck behind a
