when the disappointed jokers reached the camp, jerry was found in the big tent, his head covered with a blanket, moaning and beseeching mercy from the spirit of the incensed black pirate. deciding that their joke had gone far enough, the boys persuaded the colored lad to withdraw his head and cease his lamentations. then bob explained how the paper had been manufactured and how jerry had been sent on his wild goose chase as an object lesson on the evils of telling falsehoods.
“dar wa’n’t no ghoses?” exclaimed the agitated lad. “an’ dar wa’n’t no blood writin’?”
he was reassured that there was no reality to the alleged directions, that all would be forgiven, and that he would be allowed to remain in camp on his promise to abstain from romancing in the future. the boy promised, even crossing his heart. then, as if ashamed to speak of it before, bob said:
“you didn’t find anything, did you, jerry?”
the colored boy, considerably bolder by this[232] time, scratched his head and looked at the tent opening.
“don’t be afraid to tell,” added bob, laughing. “i was your partner, but i didn’t go with you. anything you found is yours.”
“ah done did fine a li’l box,” answered jerry, hesitatingly, “but ah reckon ’tain’t no gold in it. an’ wen dat ghos’ come at me, ah frowed it—” at that point, jerry paused, while the other boys looked at each other curiously. the colored boy remembered his vow to tell the truth. “ah frowed it hyah,” added jerry. signing his companions to follow him, he passed out of the tent, advanced with a candle into the scrub palmetto behind the camp and reappeared with a small black box resembling a glove case. the hearts of the four boys thumped with astonishment. one glance told that the box was old and protected with metal strips. a wave of chagrin swept over jerry’s tormentors.
“but dat ain’t all,” volunteered the bolder growing jerry. “de lid o’ de big box done cave in, an’ ah grabbed de li’l box. dar’s a big box!”
“probably some fisherman’s lost kit,” suggested hal.
but, when bob took the little box from[233] jerry’s hands, heard the sound of metal within it, pointed to the hard black wood and the oxydized metal keyhole, bands and corners, all the boys knew it was no common find. with a sigh, the romantic-minded bob handed the box to its discoverer, and the confused colored boy began the task of opening it.
now the opening of what may be a real treasure box is no common incident. the keyhole was filled with rust, and while mac brought the hatchet, a blanket was spread on the ground and extra candles lit. the metal ornamentation did not restrain the colored boy. before the other boys could stop him, he had smashed the top of the box. as its contents tumbled out on the blanket, there was a groan of disappointment from jerry. instead of a shower of money—golden doubloons and silver pieces-of-eight, there was but a confused heap of odds and ends.
“some woman’s truck,” exclaimed hal. it was. but when, ten minutes later, the “truck” had been laid out in order, even imaginative bob was trembling with astonishment. from one of the first articles examined, a little oblong silver card case, it was easily understood that[234] the box was no pirate loot. the case was inscribed: “marie ducroix, new orleans, 1807.”
with trembling fingers, and bulging eyes, the articles in the case, mildewed and discolored but not the less valuable on that account, were examined in turn with feverish eagerness. the next morning, a list was made including these items:
1. card case and chain, silver, marked: “marie ducroix, new orleans, 1807.” eight indecipherable cards in the case.
2. plain gold ring, inscribed within: “j. d. to m. d.”
3. unset cameo, 1? inches by 1 inch; figure, girl with vase.
4. miniature portrait, 2 inches by 1? inches; head of man with pompadour hair, smooth face, high collar and frilled shirt; set in a gold frame with rim of diamond brilliants.
5. child’s gold ring with garnet set.
6. woman’s gold ring with 3-carat diamond setting.
7. woman’s gold ring, small diamond surrounded by six rubies.
8. gold five-franc piece, worn smooth and with hole in edge.
9. six gold waistcoat buttons.
10. two slipper buckles, gold.
11. woman’s brooch in a circle of pearls.
12. tiara, small but elaborate pattern of gold, with central figure of bird outlined with small diamonds and rubies.
13. belt buckle containing six half-carat diamonds.
while the boys knelt, their eyes reveling in the glint of the jewels, mac sprang up.
“you don’t mean that this coon gets all that stuff?”
jerry, never opposing mac very strongly on any proposition, shrank back.
“that’s my idea,” remarked bob. the other boys nodded their heads approvingly.
“ah ain’t reckon dat’s all mine,” ventured jerry, in turn. “ef ah kin hab de gold crown fo’ mah ole mammy, yo’ all kin hab dem rings an’ sich.”
this was manifestly unfair. for a long time, the question was debated. the colored boy insisted that the little box was only a part of the treasure—that a larger box remained untouched. what might be in this box was unknown, but if it was of considerable value, there was a feeling that the other members of the expedition had some sort of a claim on it. finally,[236] and partly at captain joe’s suggestion, it was agreed by all that, of the treasure already found and yet to be examined, jerry would be liberally compensated with a share equal to one-third.
this decision reached, captain joe called attention to the fact that it was half past one o’clock. but the hour meant nothing to the gold frenzied lads. with extra candles, an impetuous cavalcade made its way at once toward oak tree point, captain joe protesting but following. securing jerry’s abandoned lantern, there was a rush over the smooth sand to the colored boy’s excavation.
the moon was low, a stiff breeze was blowing in from the sea and sweaters were not out of place. jerry was not mistaken. there was a larger box or chest, part of which had been uncovered. no attempt was made to free the box, but mac, with the shovel, soon removed the top.
the jeweled contents of “marie ducroix’ glove case” were for a time forgotten as the articles in the old chest were lifted out and laid on the white sand. above all, was the unmistakable odor of mildewed and decayed clothing. in a few moments, the sand was littered with an[237] assortment of things such as no pirate ever dreamed of concealing.
“it’s certainly a woman’s trunk,” exclaimed tom, “a big cypress chest.”
“must have belonged to this same madame ducroix,” suggested hal.
“then, it wasn’t buried intentionally,” declared bob. “i’ll bet there was a shipwreck. like as not marie ducroix was on her way to europe from new orleans. this box must have been washed up here by the sea. the ship may be out yonder beyond the keys.”
the possessions of marie ducroix came to light in two layers. the bottom of the box was filled with discolored and rotted garments, not one of which was worth preservation, although all gave signs of one-time richness. these included silk dresses, gossamer shawls and veils, silk slippers and hose, dainty handkerchiefs (all enclosed in what had been tissue paper until the dampness had resolved it into a gray coating) and a package of laces, a few inches of which now and then showed the pattern.
on top of these, were other articles, each covered with a thin shell of dissolved paper:
a hand beaten silver sugar urn and a tall hot-milk pitcher of the same material; a silver coffee[238] pot with a rotted ebony handle; a long handled silver dipper (the handle eighteen inches long); two dozen each of small silver coffee and dessert spoons; one dozen each of silver fruit knives with ivory handles and forks. each of these pieces was marked with an engraved “d”.
packed carefully in what had been a pasteboard box, were thirty crystal pendants, and in fairly well preserved linen cloth, a crystal and silver epergne and a crystal compote or fruit dish. the latter was broken. alongside these articles was a thin malacca cane with a gold head, marked “j. d”.
but beneath these articles, came the prize that set each youngster on edge—gold money—the only real valuable that a boy wants to dig out of the sand. secreted in a corner of the chest, was a small leather bag, heavy as lead and intact.
“here she is!” yelled mac, as his greedy fingers fell on this article. “if it ain’t gold, i’m a goat.”
with one stroke of a knife, the leather thong tied about the mouth of the sack was cut away and out on the sand, rolled the jingling climax of the great discovery—nearly a thousand dollars in yellow gold coins. silks and laces might[239] crumble into dust; silver might coat itself with a leaden pall, but the royal metal had held its sunny sheen through its long entombment. not until pensacola was reached again, did the club members know just what they had found, but in time the values were set down as:
eleven english sovereigns $ 53.35
two peruvian piastres .96
three louis-d’or 25.00
twenty-three u. s. gold eagles 230.00
450 french five-franc pieces 450.00
————
$759.31
even captain joe forgot the waning hours. even to the last scrap of silk and crumbled lace, the full contents of the cypress chest was carried to the camp. hal was inclined to think that some one should stand guard, but captain joe ridiculed the idea. faint traces of dawn were already in the east when, piling the new found treasure in the middle of the tent and covering it with a blanket, the first full day in camp came to a glorious end.
the boys had planned a week of lazy fishing, daily flights in the aeroplane and “slathers of sleep” as mac put it. but the camp the next[240] morning was more like the office of some hotel. it did not seem possible to crowd in even the necessary things. there was to have been an early morning excursion in the anclote; then a noon rest and a long afternoon of tarpon fishing.
these plans were upset. tom, hal, jerry and captain joe decided to sail to tarpon springs with the valuables; to pack them securely and forward them by express to pensacola in care of mrs. allen. a strong new trunk was to be bought for this purpose, and mrs. allen notified by special letter to look out for the coming fortune.
the following week, when the grand appraisement and division took place in mrs. allen’s little parlor, a jeweler estimated the value of the silver and jewelry—attaching no value to the thirty crystal pendants, which had undoubtedly once ornamented a chandelier in some spacious plantation home—at two thousand and sixty-two dollars. jerry’s share of that and one-third of the money was nine hundred and forty dollars. the colored boy still stuck to the tiara, valued at five hundred dollars, but his more practical mother dismissed jerry’s fancy and voted for money—as far as that would go.
mrs. blossom and her son were, therefore,[241] given seven hundred and fifty-nine dollars in gold; the two dozen dessert spoons, estimated at thirty dollars; the crystal and silver epergne and the crystal compote dish at forty dollars; the pearl brooch, said to be worth one hundred dollars for mrs. blossom and the gold waistcoat buttons for jerry at twenty dollars. the crystal pendants were thrown in for good measure for mrs. blossom, and the cane was voted to jerry.
of that which remained, captain joe was persuaded to accept the silver fruit knives and forks, worth forty dollars, and then the four members of the club divided the balance, estimated to be worth eighteen hundred and forty-one dollars, in four portions. the chief prize, of course, was the diamond and ruby tiara for the hair, put down by the appraiser as worth five hundred dollars. when there was some hesitation about who should take this, mrs. balfour offered to accept it as bob’s share, which was four hundred and sixty dollars, and to pay the difference.
mac came out of the division with the three-carat diamond ring, hal drew the belt buckle with the six diamonds and tom’s prize was the[242] ring with the single diamond and six rubies, the three boys dividing between them, the various small articles remaining. mrs. allen was given the scraps of lace and other relics.
but all this came later. no sooner had the “treasure fleet” departed on its way to the mainland than bob and mac hurried to the long idle aeroplane. readjusting the plane coverings and cleaning and oiling the engine, the two boys prepared for an excursion. when the light framework had been lifted on the starting wheels once more, mac began to rub his chin.
“i kin shin up a mast all right,” he said, a little doubtfully, “but i ain’t never been much of a hand fur steeples an’ sich like.”
bob looked at him and laughed.
“we’re only goin’ a little ways—just over to tampa for the papers and mail—only twenty-five miles or so. we can be back in about an hour, if you like,” explained bob. “i thought you might want to drop a postal to your folks.”
“well, what do you think o’ that?” exclaimed mac. “fifty miles or more to spend a cent. say, bob,” he asked suddenly, “do you reckon everybody is a goin’ to have one o’ them things after while—jes’ like automobiles?”
“unless they have something better,” answered bob. “they are pretty crude now.”
in three quarters of an hour, the anclote had landed in the rear of the cigar factory in tampa; mac had gone into the city and bought the morning papers—even mailing a postcard to make bob’s joke good—and sometime before eleven o’clock, the airship was on the island beach again.
“ain’t you goin’ to the hotel to see your mother?” asked mac, when bob prepared to set out on the return. bob winked his eye.
“not while the telegraph is working between here and chicago,” he laughed. “my father has funny ideas sometimes.”
this was monday. that afternoon, there was a fishing cruise, the three sisters having returned, and mac remained behind to keep camp and prepare supper. tuesday, wednesday and thursday passed in a series of new delights. aeroplane flights were made seaward and landward—with bob or tom in charge, for the other boys never quite reached the point of attempting to direct the airship, and between these there were excursions by schooner to the other islands, the mainland far to sea.
friday was the momentous day. on that day, bob and tom were to attempt the crowning event of the week’s outing—the flight by aeroplane over the everglades. the eventful morning broke with signs of a perfect day.
