Young Hunters in Porto Rico/Chapter 30
CHAPTER XXX.
FINDING THE SPANISH TREASURE.
"Has he been killed?"
"What shall we do next?"
"I can't see or hear anything of him."
One and another stared at his companions. Robert Menden was gone, and there was no telling what had become of him:
"I'll go down and find out," said Dick, determinedly.
"But the danger, lad—" began old Jacob.
"I'll be very careful, Jacob. I have no wish to lose my life. But we must do something, you know."
The old sailor shook his head doubtfully.
"If you lose your life, lad, I'll never be able to face your folks—not me!"
Nevertheless, he allowed Dick to tie the end of the jagged rope around him, and then the boy was lowered over the brink of the fissure, also with a lighted torch in his hand.
Down and down he went, and still down, until he felt as if he was entering the very bowels of the earth. His heart beat violently, and several times he could hardly keep from calling to those left behind to pull him up. But he was grit, and kept on descending until the ledge upon which Menden had stood was gained.
All was uncertain about him. The jagged rocks loomed up all around him, and to one side was the vast opening the Englishman had mentioned. Dick waved his torch over it and concluded it was a bottomless pit.
Several tons of rocks had fallen, but most of the mass had gone over the edge of the ledge. There was a heap of small stones close at hand, and looking down among these the youth saw Robert Menden's body, partly covered up.
"Can he be dead?" he asked himself. "Oh, I pray God he is alive!" And then he heard the Englishman utter a short groan.
"He's alive!" he shouted. "But he's badly wounded."
"Better send him up, then," returned Leander. "Do you want another rope?"
"Yes."
It was speedily forthcoming, but, alas! it proved too short by a dozen feet.
"Let down some more," called Dick.
"We can't. That's all we have."
"It won't do."
"Can't you tie him on the rope you have?" asked Bob.
Yes, Dick could do that. But such a proceeding would leave him on the ledge without a safeguard. He shivered at the thought. Then he grated his teeth. "I must do it," he muttered. "It's the only way." He slipped down on his knees, and extricated the body from the stones and dirt that held it.
"Oh, my head!" groaned Robert Menden, and replased into unconsciousness.
With extreme caution Dick untied the noose about him, and adjusted it under Menden's arms. Then he braced himself on the ledge, and called to those above to haul away, and they did so. As the body swung upward, the canvas bag slipped on Dick's head, and he let it fall to his feet.
It was no mean task to get the unconscious man to the top of the fissure and to a place of safety. But this accomplished, old Jacob set to work to bind up his wounds and restore him to himself. In the meantime the boys lowered the rope once more for Dick.
His first feeling of horror over, Dick began to gaze around him curiously. He hardly dared to move, for fear of pitching headlong into the pit; but he brought the torch low, and by its flames made out what looked to be a portion of some boards just beyond where he was standing.
"Dick, the rope is coming!" called Leander.
"All right—I have it,"—and with a sigh of relief the boy adjusted the end of the coil once more under his arms. He now felt free to move, and advanced upon the boards with caution.
The nearest came up with ease, and he saw it was of cedar and varnished upon one side. Then he looked further, and saw—shining gold!
There was a regular heap of it—Spanish doubloons and other coins of the realm—enough to fill his canvas bag three times over. At the sight he could scarcely contain himself.
"Hurrah!" he yelled.
"Have you found it?" came from above.
"Yes; a regular heap of gold, boys, all tumbled out of the chest, which has gone to pieces. We're in luck, and no further doubt of it."
There was a hurrah from those above, and Danny and Don executed a jig of delight. In the midst of the uproar, Robert Menden sat up and stared about him.
"Whe—where am I?"
"You are safe," replied old Jacob. "An' the treasure is found!" he added with a happy smile.
"Found! Good! But the rock fell"
"And you went down under it, sir. But you'll be all right. Dick went down for you, and he's just passed up word that the gold is there."
"He must be careful. I—I—oh, my head!" and Robert Menden fell back again, too weak to go on. Yet he, like all the others, was supremely happy.
Without waiting, Dick began to fill the canvas bag, doing so with care, that none of the golden coins might become lost. Then he tied the bag to the rope.
"Haul away on the first load!" he cried, and they hauled away with vigor. At the sight of so much shining gold Danny nearly had a spasm.
"Well, if dat don't beat de nation!" he gasped. "Dare must be most a fortune dare!"
"It's a fine pile!" burst out Leander. "Tell you what, fellows, it was worth coming for, eh?"
"Any more down there?" yelled Bob, to Dick.
"Yes, two bagfuls," came the muffled reply. "Send down the bag again.
"Two bags!" ejaculated old Jacob. "Boys, we'll be rich—that is, you'll be."
"You shan't be forgotten," answered Don, hastily. "Nor Danny neither."
Again the canvas bag was lowered and Dick began the task of filling it a second time.
He had to work with extreme care, for the ledge slanted considerably, and at one point it ran almost directly downward and was shaky besides, and he could scarcely keep his footing.
Up came the second bagful, and then the third followed.
"Keep it up there, now," called out Dick. "I'll bring the rest in my pockets."
"Don't miss any," shouted Don. "These doubloons are worth sixteen or eighteen dollars each."
"I don't intend to miss any," answered Dick; "but it's no mean work to move around down here—I can tell you that."
"Be careful," cried old Jacob. "If you have the most on it, better come up."
"Yes; leave the odds and ends of coin go," shouted Don.
A cry from Dick interrupted him. "Here's something else; boys—a little bag full of stones."
"Diamonds?" queried Leander.
"I can't say, for the bag is sealed up, and it's marked M. M. M. I'll be up soon now."
Dick continued to hunt around, in the meantime adjusting the rope under his arms, that a slip might not prove too dangerous.
Three more Spanish gold pieces were sighted, also a curious golden cross set with rubies.
At last it looked as if he had secured everything of value, and he called to those above to haul him up.
The others were busy counting up the gold pieces, but responded without delay, and in a minute he was swinging clear of the ledge and moving upward slowly but steadily.
His torch had almost gone out, and threw out far more smoke than flame.
Suddenly, when he was midway between the top of the opening and the edge, something caught his eye which filled him with horror.
In some manner the torch had set fire to the rope at a point two feet over his head. The strands were burning freely, and it looked as if in a few seconds more the rope would be burnt through.