Five On A Treasure Island Page 6

  "That's where the boxes of gold would have been kept, I expect," said Julian. But there was nothing in the hold except water and fish! The children couldn't go down because the water was too deep. One or two barrels floated in the water, but they had burst open and were quite empty.

  "I expect they were water-barrels, or barrels of pork or biscuit," said George. "Let's go round the other part of the ship again- where the cabins are. Isn't it strange to see bunks there that sailors have slept in- and look at that old wooden chair. Fancy it still being here after all these years! Look at the things on those hooks too- they are all rusty now, and covered with seaweedy stuff- but they must have been the cook's pans and dishes!"

  It was a very queer trip round the old wreck. The children were all on the look-out for boxes which might contain bars of gold- but there didn't seem to be one single box of any kind anywhere!

  They came to a rather bigger cabin than the others. It had a bunk in one corner, in which a large crab rested. An old bit of furniture looking rather like a tablet with two legs, all encrusted with greyish shells, lay against the bunk. Wooden shelves, festooned with grey-green seaweed, hung crookedly on the walls of the cabin.

  "This must have been the captain's own cabin," said Julian. "It's the biggest one. Look, what's that in the corner?"

  "An old cup!" said Anne, picking it up. "And here's half of a saucer. I expect the captain was sitting here having a cup of tea when the ship went down."

  This made the children feel rather queer. It was dark and smelly in the little cabin, and the floor was wet and slippery to their feet. George began to feel that her wreck was really more pleasant sunk under the water than raised above it!

  "Let's go," she said, with a shiver. "I don't like it much. It is exciting, I know- but it's a bit frightening too."

  They turned to go. Julian flashed his torch round the little cabin for the last time. He was about to switch it off and follow the others up to the deck above when he caught sight of something that made him stop. He flashed his torch on to it, and then called to the others.

  "I say! Wait a bit. There's a cupboard here in the wall. Let's see if there's anything in it!"

  The others turned back and looked. They saw what looked like a small cupboard let in level with the wall of the cabin. What had caught Julian's eye was the keyhole. There was no key there, though.

  "There just might be something inside," said Julian. He tried to prise open the wooden door with his fingers, but it wouldn't move. "It's locked," he said. "Of course it would be!"

  "I expect the lock is rotten by now," said George, and she tried too. Then she took out her big strong pocket-knife and inserted it between the cupboard door and the cabin-wall. She forced back the blade- and the lock of the cupboard suddenly snapped! As she had said, it was quite rotten. The door swung open, and the children saw a shelf inside with a few curious things on it.

  There was a wooden box, swollen with the wet sea-water in which it had lain for years. There were two or three things that looked like old, pulpy books. There was some sort of glass drinking-vessel, cracked in half- and two or three funny objects so spoilt by sea-water that no one could possibly say what they were.

  "Nothing very interesting- except the box," said Julian, and he picked it up. "Anyway, I expect that whatever is inside is ruined. But we may as well try and open it."

  He and George tried their best to force the lock of the old wooden box. On the top of it were stamped initials-H.J. K.

  "I expect those were the captain's initials," said Dick.

  "No, they were the initials of my great-great-greatgrandfather!" said George, her eyes shining suddenly. "I've heard all about him. His name was Henry John Kirrin. This was his ship, you know. This must have been his very-private box in which he kept his old papers or diaries. Oh,we simply must open it!"

  But it was quite impossible to force the lid up with the tools they had there. They soon gave it up, and Julian picked up the box to carry it to the boat.

  "We'll open it at home," he said, his voice sounding rather excited. "We'll get a hammer or something, and get it open somehow. Oh, George- this really is a find!"

  They all of them felt that they really had something mysterious in their possession. Was there anything inside the box- and if so, what would it be? They longed to get home and open it!

  They went up on deck, climbing the old iron ladder. As soon as they got there they saw that others besides themselves had discovered that the wreck had been thrown up from the bottom of the sea!

  "Golly! Half the fishing-smacks of the bay have discovered it!" cried Julian, looking round at the fishing-boats that had come as near as they dared to the wreck. The fishermen were looking at the wreck in wonder. When they saw the children on board they halloo-ed loudly.

  "Ahoy there! What's that ship?"

  "It's the old wreck!" yelled back Julian. "She was thrown up yesterday in the storm!"

  "Don't say any more," said George, frowning. "It's my wreck. I don't want sightseers on it!"

  So no more was said, and the four children got into their boat and rowed home as fast as they could. It was past their breakfast-time. They might get a good scolding. They might even be sent to bed by George's fierce father- but what did they care? They had explored the wreck-and had come away with a box which might contain-well, if not bars of gold, one small bar, perhaps!

  They did get a scolding. They had to go without half their breakfast, too, because Uncle Quentin said that children who came in so late didn't deserve hot bacon and eggs- only toast and marmalade. It was very sad.

  They hid the box under the bed in the boys' room. Tim had been left with the fisher-boy- or rather, had been tied up in his back yard, for Alf had gone out fishing, and was even now gazing from his father's boat at the strange wreck.

  "We can make a bit of money taking sightseers out to this wreck," said Alf. And before the day was out scores of interested people had seen the old wreck from the decks of motor-boats and fishing-smacks.

  George was furious about it. But she couldn't do anything. After all, as Julian said, anybody could have a look!

  Chapter Nine. THE BOX FROM THE WRECK

  THE first thing that the children did after breakfast was to fetch the precious box and take it out to the tool-shed in the garden. They were simply longing to force it open. All of them secretly felt certain that it would hold treasure of some sort.

  Julian looked round for a tool. He found a chisel and decided that would be just the thing to force the box open. He tried, but the tool slipped and jabbed his fingers. Then he tried other things, but the box obstinately refused to open. The children stared at it crossly.

  "I know what to do," said Anne at last. "Let's take it to the top of the house and throw it down to the ground. It would burst open then, I expect."

  The others thought over the idea. "It might be worth trying," said Julian. "The only thing is- it might break or spoil anything inside the box."

  But there didn't seem any other way to open the box, so Julian carried it up to the top of the house. He went to the attic and opened the window there. The others were down below, waiting. Julian hurled the box out of the window as violently as he could. It flew through the air and landed with a terrific crash on the crazy paving below.

  At once the french window there opened and their Uncle Quentin came out like a bullet from a gun.

  "Whatever are you doing?" he cried. "Surely you aren't throwing things at each other out of the window? What's this on the ground?"

  The children looked at the box. It had burst open, and lay on the ground, showing a tin lining that was waterproof. Whatever was in the box would not be spoilt! It would be quite dry!

  Dick ran to pick it up.

  "I said, what's this on the ground?" shouted his uncle and moved towards him.

  "It's- it's something that belongs to us," said Dick, going red.

  "Well, I shall take it away from you," said his uncle. "Disturbing me like this! Giv
e it to me. Where did you get it?"

  Nobody answered. Uncle Quentin frowned till his glasses nearly fell off. "Where did you get it?" he barked, glaring at poor Anne, who was nearest.

  "Out of the wreck," stammered the little girl, scared.

  "Out of the wreck!" said her uncle, in surprise. "The old wreck that was thrown up yesterday? I heard about that. Do you mean to say you've been in it?"

  "Yes," said Dick. Julian joined them at that moment, looking worried. It would be too awful if his uncle took the box just as they got it open. But that was exactly what he did do!

  "Well, this box may contain something important," he said, and he took it from Dick's hands. "You've no right to go prying about in that old wreck. You might take something that mattered."

  "Well, it's my wreck," said George, in a defiant tone. "Please, Father, let us have the box. We'd just got it opened. We thought it might hold- a gold bar- or something like that!"

  "A gold bar!" said her father, with a snort. "What a baby you are! This small box would never hold a thing like that! It's much more likely to contain particulars of what happened to the bars! I have always thought that the gold was safely delivered somewhere- and that the ship, empty of its valuable cargo, got wrecked as it left the bay!"

  "Oh, Father- please, please let us have our box," begged George, almost in tears. She suddenly felt certain that it did contain papers that might tell them what had happened to the gold. But without another word her father turned and went into the house, carrying the box, burst open and cracked, its tin lining showing through under his arm.

  Anne burst into tears. "Don't blame me for telling him we got it from the wreck," she sobbed. "Please don't. He glared at me so. I just had to tell him."

  "All right, Baby," said Julian, putting his arm round Anne. He looked furious. He thought it was very unfair of his uncle to take the box like that. "Listen- I'm not going to stand this. We'll get hold of that box somehow and look into it. I'm sure your father won't bother himself with it, George- he'll start writing his book again and forget all about it. I'll wait my chance and slip into his study and get it, even if it means a spanking if I'm discovered!"

  "Good!" said George. "We'll all keep a watch and see if Father goes out."

  So they took it in turns to keep watch, but most annoyingly their Uncle Quentin remained in his study all the morning. Aunt Fanny was surprised to see one or two children always about the garden that day, instead of down on the beach.

  "Why don't you all keep together and bathe or do something?" she said. "Have you quarrelled with one another?"

  "No," said Dick. "Of course not." But he didn't say why they were in the garden!

  "Doesn't your father ever go out?" he said to George, when it was her turn to keep watch. "I don't think he leads a very healthy life."

  "Scientists never do," said George, as if she knew all about them. "But I tell you what- he may go to sleep this afternoon! He sometimes does!"

  Julian was left behind in the garden that afternoon. He sat down under a tree and opened a book. Soon he heard a curious noise that made him look up. He knew at once what it was!

  "That's Uncle Quentin snoring!" he said in excitement. "It is! Oh- I wonder if I could possibly creep in at the french windows and get our box!"

  He stole to the windows and looked in. One was a little way open and Julian opened it a little more. He saw his uncle lying back in a comfortable arm-chair, his mouth a little open, his eyes closed, fast asleep! Every time he took a breath, he snored.

  "Well, he really does look sound asleep," thought the boy. "And there's the box, just behind him, on that table. I'll risk it. I bet I'll get an awful spanking if I'm caught, but I can't help that!"

  He stole in. His uncle still snored. He tiptoed by him to the table behind his uncle's chair. He took hold of the box.

  And then a bit of the broken wood of the box fell to the floor with a thud! His uncle stirred in his chair and opened his eyes. Quick as lightning the boy crouched down behind his uncle's chair, hardly breathing.

  "What's that?" he heard his uncle say. Julian didn't move. Then his uncle settled down again and shut his eyes. Soon there was the sound of his rhythmic snoring!

  "Hurrah!" thought Julian. "He's off again!"

  Quietly he stood up, holding the box. On tiptoe he crept to the French window. He slipped out and ran softly down the garden path. He didn't think of hiding the box. All he wanted to do was to get to the other children and show them what he had done!

  He ran to the beach where the others were lying in the sun. "Hi!" he yelled. "Hi! I've got it! I've got it!"

  They all sat up with a jerk, thrilled to see the box in Julian's arms. They forgot all about the other people on the beach. Julian dropped down on the sand and grinned.

  "Your father went to sleep," he said to George. "Tim, don't lick me like that! And George, I went in- and a bit of the box dropped on the floor- and it woke him up!"

  "Golly!" said George. "What happened?"

  "I crouched down behind his chair till he went to sleep again," said Julian. "Then I fled. Now- let's see what's in here. I don't believe your father's even tried to see!"

  He hadn't. The tin lining was intact. It had rusted with the years of lying in the wet, and the lid was so tightly fitted down that it was almost impossible to move it.

  But once George began to work at it with her pocket-knife, scraping away the rust, it began to loosen- and in about a quarter-of-an-hour it came off!

  The children bent eagerly over it. Inside lay some old papers and a book of some kind with a black cover. Nothing else at all. No bar of gold. No treasure. Everyone felt a little bit disappointed.

  "It's all quite dry," said Julian, surprised. "Not a bit damp. The tin lining kept everything perfect."

  He picked up the book and opened it. "It's a diary your great-great-great-grandfather kept of the ship's voyages," he said. "I can hardly read the writing. It's so small and funny."

  George picked up one of the papers. It was made of thick parchment, quite yellow with age. She spread it out on the sand and looked at it. The others glanced at it too, but they couldn't make out what it was at all. It seemed to be a kind of map.

  "Perhaps it's a map of some place he had to go to," said Julian. But suddenly George's hands began to shake as she held the map, and her eyes gleamed brilliantly as she looked up at the others. She opened her mouth but didn't speak.

  "What's the matter?" said Julian, curiously. "What's up? Have you lost your tongue?"

  George shook her head and then began to speak with a rush. "Julian! Do you know what this is? It's a map of my old castle- of Kirrin Castle – when it wasn't a ruin. And it shows the dungeons! And look- just look what's written in this corner of the dungeons!"

  She put a trembling finger on one part of the map. The others leaned over to see what it was- and, printed in old-fashioned letters was a curious word.

  INGOTS

  "Ingots!" said Anne, puzzled. "What does that mean? I've never heard that word before."

  But the two boys had. "Ingots!" cried Dick. "Why- that must be the bars of gold. They were called ingots."

  "Most bars of metal are called ingots," said Julian, going red with excitement. "But as we know there is gold missing from that ship, then it really looks as if ingots here meant bars of gold. Oh golly! To think they may still be hidden somewhere under Kirrin Castle. George! George! Isn't it terribly, awfully exciting?"

  George nodded. She was trembling all over with excitement. "If only we could find it!" she whispered. "If only we could!"

  "We'll have a jolly good hunt for it," said Julian. "It will be awfully difficult because the castle is in ruins now, and so overgrown. But somehow or other we'll find those ingots. What a lovely word. Ingots! Ingots! Ingots!"

  It sounded somehow more exciting than the word gold. Nobody spoke about gold any more. They talked about the Ingots. Tim couldn't make out what the excitement was at all. He wagged his tail and tried hard to li
ck first one and then another of the children, but for once in a way not one of them paid any attention to him! He simply couldn't understand it, and after a while he went and sat down by himself with his back to the children, and his ears down.

  "Oh, do look at poor Timothy!" said George. "He can't understand our excitement. Tim! Tim, darling, it's all right, you're not in disgrace or anything. Oh, Tim, we've got the most wonderful secret in the whole world."

  Tim bounded up, his tail wagging, pleased to be taken notice of once more. He put his big paw on the precious map, and the four children shouted at him at once.

  "Golly! We can't have that torn!" said Julian. Then he looked at the others and frowned. "What are we going to do about the box?" he said. "I mean- George's father will be sure to miss it, won't he? We'll have to give it back."

  "Well, can't we take out the map and keep it?" said Dick. "He won't know it was there if he hasn't looked in the box. And it's pretty certain he hasn't. The other things don't matter much- they are only that old diary, and a few letters."

  "To be on the safe side, let's take a copy of the map," said Dick. "Then we can put the real map back and replace the box."

  They all voted that a very good idea. They went back to Kirrin Cottage and traced out the map carefully. They did it in the tool-shed because they didn't want anyone to see them. It was a queer map. It was in three parts.

  "This part shows the dungeons under the castle," said Julian. "And this shows a plan of the ground floor of the castle- and this shows the top part. My word, it was a fine place in those days! The dungeons run all under the castle. I bet they were pretty awful places. I wonder how people got down to them."

  "We'll have to study the map a bit more and see," said George. "It all looks rather muddled to us at present- but once we take the map over to the castle and study it there, we may be able to make out how to get down to the hidden dungeons. Ooooh! I don't expect any children ever had such an adventure as this."

  Julian put the traced map carefully into his jeans pocket. He didn't mean it to leave him. It was very precious. Then he put the real map back into the box and looked towards the house. "What about putting it back now?" he said. "Maybe your father is still asleep, George."