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From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure, a novel by William H. G. Kingston |
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Chapter 10. Discovery Of The Smugglers' Treasure |
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_ CHAPTER TEN. DISCOVERY OF THE SMUGGLERS' TREASURE Bill waved his torch on one side and peered forward. "It looks like a man, but it doesn't move. It's only a figure, Jack," he answered. "I'm not afraid of it. Come on! we'll soon see what it is." Jack was ashamed of lagging behind, and accompanied him. The object which had frightened Jack was soon discovered to be merely a stalactite--a mass of hardened water. Similar formations now appeared on both sides of the cavern, some hanging from the roof, others in the form of pillars and arches; indeed, the whole cavern looked like the interior of a Gothic building in ruins. Other figures still more strange were seen, as if starting out from recesses or doorways on both sides. "Well! this is a strange place. I never saw or heard of anything like it," exclaimed Jack, when he found how harmless all the ghosts really were. In many places the roof and sides shone and glittered as if covered with precious stones. Even Bill began to fancy that they had got into some enchanted cavern. The ground was covered in most places with the same substance, and so rough that they could make but slow progress. They were about to turn back for fear of their torches going out when they reached a low archway. Curiosity prompted them to enter, which they could do by stooping down. After going a short distance they found themselves in a still larger cavern, almost circular, like a vast hall, the roof and sides ornamented by nature in the same curious fashion, though still more profusely. "It won't do to stop here," said Bill, "but we'll come back again and have another look at it with fresh torches. Hallo! what's that?" Jack started as he had before done, as if he were not altogether comfortable in his mind. He had never heard anything about enchanted caverns, but a strange dread had seized him. He had an idea that the place must be the abode of ghosts or spirits of some sort, and that Bill had seen one. Bill hurrying forward, the light of his torch fell on a pile composed of bales and chests, and casks, and various other articles. The place had evidently been used as a store-room by persons who must have considered that it was not likely to be discovered. As their torches were by this time nearly burnt out, they could not venture to stop and examine the goods, but had to hurry back as fast as they could. They had managed to get through the narrow passage, and had made some progress in their return, when both of them were obliged to let their torches drop, as they could no longer hold them without burning their hands. They might have lighted their candles, had they been in any difficulty, but their fire enabled them to find their way along, though they stumbled frequently over the inequalities of the ground, and once or twice Jack clutched Bill's arm, exclaiming, "Sure! there's some one! I saw him move! Can any of the soldiers have come to look for us?" "Not with such a storm as there is now raging outside," answered Bill. "It was only one of the marble figures." Presently Jack again cried out, "There! I saw another moving. I'm sure of it this time. It's a ghost if it isn't a man." "Well! if it is a ghost it won't hurt us," answered Bill; "but the only ghosts hereabouts are those curious figures, which can't move from their places. For my part, I don't believe there are such things as ghosts at all going about to frighten people. The only one I ever heard tell of was 'The Cock Lane Ghost', and that was found out to be a sham long ago." Jack regained his courage as they approached the fire, and both being pretty well tired, they were glad to sit down and talk about the wonderful store of goods they had discovered. Jack was afraid that the owners might come back to look for their property and discover them, but Bill was of opinion that they had been placed there by a party of smugglers, who had gone away and been lost without telling any one where they had stowed their goods. From the appearance of the bales and chests he thought that they had been there for some time. Another visit would enable them to ascertain this, and they resolved to make it without delay. They were becoming very sleepy, for they had been many hours on foot and the night was far advanced. Before lying down, however, Bill said he wished to see how the storm was getting on. It was making a dreadful uproar in the cavern, and he wanted to ascertain what chance there was of the waves washing in. There was not much risk, to be sure, of their reaching as far as they then were, but it was as well to be on the safe side, and if there was a likelihood of it they would move farther up and carry their provisions and store of fuel with them, the only property they possessed. They set out together, Jack keeping a little behind Bill for though he was as brave as any lad need be in the daylight, or out at sea, he did not somehow, he confessed, feel like himself in that dark cavern, filled with the roaring, howling, shrieking noises caused by the gale. They got on very well till they rounded the rock, when they met a blast, driving a sheet of fine spray in their faces, which well-nigh blinded them, and forced them back. They notwithstanding made their way for some distance, till Bill began to think that it would be wise to go no farther. Every now and then a bright glare filled the cavern, caused by the flashes of lightning darting from the clouds; while, as each sea rolled in, the whole mouth was filled as it were by a sheet of foaming water, part of which, striking the roof, fell back into the ocean, while a portion rushed up the floor, almost to where they were standing. "It's bad enough now," shouted Jack, for they could only make each other hear by speaking at the top of their voices. "What will it be when it's high tide?" "Perhaps it won't be much worse than it is now," answered Bill. "We shall be safe enough at our hiding-place, and if it gets up much higher it will give us notice of its coming, and allow us to retreat in good time." They accordingly got back to their fire, the embers of which enabled them to dry their clothes. They then lay down, and, in spite of the storm and the hubbub it was creating, were soon fast asleep. Had it not been for feeling very hungry, they might have slept on till past noon of the next day. Awaking, they found their fire completely gone out. What o'clock it was they could not tell. They were in total darkness, while the tempest roared away as loudly as ever. They, however, lighted a candle, and ate some breakfast. To wash it down they had to get water from the spring, which was so much nearer the entrance of the cavern. They accordingly put out their candle, and groped their way round the rock. On seeing light streaming through the entrance, they knew that at all events it was no longer night. The sea was rising over the ledge at the mouth, tossing and tumbling with foam-topped billows, and rolling up along the floor of the cavern in a seething mass of froth. They saw how high it had come, and had no reason to fear that it would rise farther. They now made their way to the spring, and drank heartily. "We ought to be thankful that we are in so snug a place," observed Bill; "but I tell you, we must take care not to eat up all our food in a hurry, or we may find it a hard matter to get more. The wind appears to have driven the sea over on this shore, and I doubt whether we shall be able to make our way along the beach even at low water." Jack did not at all like the idea of starving, but he saw that it would be wise to follow Bill's advice. They had food enough to last them for three days, as Jeannette had put up a double allowance; but the gale might blow much longer than that, and then what should they do? "It's no use troubling ourselves too much about the matter till the time comes," observed Bill; "only we must be careful not to eat more than is necessary to keep body and soul together." As they had found a fire very useful and pleasant, they went down as close as they could venture to the water, and employed themselves in collecting all the driftwood and chips they could find. They agreed that they would do the same every day, so as to have a good stock of fuel. They wanted also to secure some pieces which might serve as torches, so that they could examine the smugglers' store as they called it, which they had discovered. They carried their wood and placed it on the soft warm sand, where it would dry more rapidly, for in its present state it would not serve to kindle a fire. They had, however, some dry pieces which would answer that purpose, and they judged rightly that they might place the damp wood on the top of their fire, when it would burn in time. Most of the day was employed in this manner. Even after the tide went out they found a number of pieces washed up along the sides of the cavern. The seas, however, rolled so far up the beach that they were afraid of descending, or they might have obtained much more. When it grew dark they returned to their camp, lighted the fire, and made themselves comfortable. It was difficult to keep to their resolution of eating only a very little food, and Bill had to stop Jack before he thought he had had half enough. "I don't want to stint you," he said, "but recollect you will be crying out when our stock comes to an end, and wishing you had not eaten it." As they had had so long a sleep, neither of them was inclined to turn in; and Bill proposed that they should examine the smugglers' store. They had several pieces of wood which they thought would burn as the first had done, and each taking three, with a candle to be used in case of emergency, they set out. They found their way easily enough; but Jack, as before, did not feel quite comfortable as he saw the strange figures, which seemed to be flitting about the sides of the cavern; sometimes, too, he fancied that he detected faces grinning down upon him from the roof, and more than once he declared positively that he had caught sight of a figure robed in white stealing along in front of them. Bill each time answered with a laugh. "Never mind. We shall catch it up if it's a ghost, and we'll make it carry a torch and go ahead to light us." As they moved on more rapidly than before, they were able to reach the inner cavern before either of their torches was much more than half burned through. They thought it wiser to keep both alight at a time, in case one should accidentally go out, and they should be unable to light it again with a match. With feelings of intense curiosity they approached the smugglers' store. Both agreed, as they examined it, that the goods must have been there for some time; but the place being very dry (probably it was chosen on that account), they did not appear to be much damaged. The goods, as far as they could judge, were English. There were many bales of linen and cloth. One of the cases which they forced open contained cutlery, and another was full of pistols; and from the weight of several which they did not attempt to open, they judged that they also contained firearms. There were two small chests placed on the top of the others. They were strongly secured; but by means of a sharp stone, which served as a chisel, and another as a hammer, they managed to break one of them open. What was their surprise to find the case full of gold pieces! They had little doubt that the other also contained money. They, neither of them, had ever seen so much gold before. "What shall we do with it?" cried Jack. "There's enough here to let mother live like a lady till the end of her days, without going to sell fish at the market." "It is not ours, it belongs to somebody," said Bill. "That somebody will never come to claim it," answered Jack. "Depend on it, he's gone to the bottom, or ended his days somehow long ago, or he would have come back before this. These goods have been here for months, or years maybe, by the look of the packages; and depend on it the owners would not have let them stay where they are, if they could have come back to fetch them away." "But gold pieces won't help us to buy food while we are shut up in the cavern. A few Dutch cheeses, with a cask of biscuits, would have been of more value," observed Bill. "You are right," said Jack. "Still, I vote that we fill our pockets, so that if we have to hurry away, and have no time to came back here, we may carry some of the gold with us." Bill could not make up his mind to do this. The gold was not theirs, of that he felt sure, and Jack could not persuade him to overcome the principle he had always stuck to, of not taking, under any circumstances, what was not lawfully his own. If the owners were dead, it belonged to their heirs. Jack did not see this so clearly. The money had been lost, and they had found it, and having found it, they had a right to it. They must not, however, lose time by arguing the point. Jack put a handful or two of the money into his pocket. Bill kept his fingers out of the box; he did not want the money, and he had no right to it. There were several other articles they had not examined, among which were some small casks. Jack, finding that his torch was almost burning his fingers, was obliged to let it drop. Before he lighted another, however, Bill's torch affording sufficient light for the purpose, he managed to knock in the head of one of the small casks, which he found filled with little black grains. He tasted them. "Keep away, Bill--keep away!" he shouted, in an agitated tone, "This is gunpowder!" Had Jack held his torch a few seconds longer in his hand, he and Bill would have been blown to atoms--the very cavern itself would have been shattered, to the great astonishment of the neighbouring population, who would, however, never have discovered the cause of the explosion, although Jeannette Turgot might have guessed at it. "It's a mercy we didn't blow ourselves up," said Jack. "I was just going to take my torch to look at these casks." He hunted about for all of the same description, and rolled them into a place by themselves. "We must take care what we are about if we come here again with torches," he said. Bill agreed with him. After all, of what use to them was the treasure they had discovered. The cloth and linen were much more serviceable, as they could make bedding of them. "I don't see why we should not try to make jackets and trousers for ourselves," observed Bill. "This cloth will be fine stuff for the purpose, and as the cold weather is coming on we shall be glad of some warm clothing." "But how are we going to make them?" asked Jack. "The linen will serve us for thread, and I must see about making some needles of wood if we can't get anything better," answered Bill. "However, we'll think about that by-and-by; it's time to return to our camp, we may be left in the dark." They accordingly loaded themselves with as much of the linen and cloth as they could carry, cutting off pieces with their knives. They could return, they agreed, for more if this was not enough. Bill was not quite consistent in taking the cloth when he would not touch the money, but it did not occur to him for a moment that he was wrong in appropriating it, or he would have refused to do so. Had he argued the point, he would have found it very difficult to settle. One thing was certain, that the owners were never likely to make any complaint on the subject. They got back to their fire without much difficulty, and having raked it together, and put on fresh wood, they made their beds with the cloth they had brought, said their prayers in a thankful spirit, and slept far more comfortably than they had done since they had taken possession of the cavern. _ |
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