_ CHAPTER XXVI. FINDING OF THE TREASURE
By the time we reached the scene of our gold digging operations the greater portion of the heat of the day was passed, and we felt refreshed and ready to commence work with a will. Steel Spring, who had promised his valuable aid in searching for the treasure, in consideration that we would befriend him and save his neck from the grasp of the police, had led the way with immense strides, and a confident air that inspired us with renewed hope and bright anticipations of success.
Upon reaching the ground we found that our shovels and picks were undisturbed, and it was evident that no visitor had intruded during our
lengthy absence.
"Come, Steel Spring," I said, addressing that worthy personage, "point out the right spot for us to dig, and then we will go to work
without delay."
"But I can't do that vithout some calculation and study. All great hengineers has to investigate before vorking, and I'm no exception to the rule."
"Why, you miserable scamp," cried Fred, angrily, "didn't you say that you could lead us to the very spot where the treasure was buried?"
"Vell, vot if I did? Can't a man make 'stakes--and vouldn't you 'ave said that you knew something, if a rifle vos placed agin your brains, and a feller threatened to blow 'em hout?"
"Then you mean to say that you have imposed upon us?' I asked, coolly, seeing that Fred was likely to get into a passion.
"No, I don't say that, 'cos tain't so; and I should but tell a lie if I spoke in that way. A falsehood is an abomination vich I can't stand, and I was never guilty of one," answered the fellow, with a grin which proved how well he liked to stretch the truth.
"Explain your meaning," said Fred, "or I will hang you on a gum tree, and use you as a scarecrow." "Vell, didn't I tell you I saw the money buried from a distance? You don't s'pose that I would be very near when Jim Gulpin was doing secret things, does you?"
I made no answer, and he continued,--
"I took good care to be hoff so far that he couldn't even smell me, 'cos I knew that if I had but vinked once vithin ten rods he would have seen me, and then vot would 'ave been the consequence?"
Fred replied that he supposed he would have been kicked in a summary manner, and he was not sure but he deserved it.
"Had it only been kicking I could 'ave taken it very comfortably and thought nothing of it--but no, sir, it would have been nothing of the kind. It would 'ave been after this fashion."
He made an expressive motion with his hand across his throat, and judging from the habits and antecedents of the illustrious bushranger, there is but little doubt that he did wisely in placing a great distance between them.
"Well, point out the spot which you think contains the money," I said.
"Vell, I can do that, although I'm not to be 'bused and deprived of my supper if I don't happen to hit right."
"You shall be treated according to your merits," cried Smith, who had listened patiently to his woes, and was amused at his impudence.
"Vell, if I is treated according to my merits it's all I vants, 'cos I'se certain to get 'nuff to heat and drink without vorking very hard--and vot can a gemman 'spect more in this vorld?"
We returned no answer to his suggestion, and finding that we were disposed to be serious, and not likely to stand any more of his nonsense, he requested permission to occupy the same place where he had secreted himself when the bushranger buried his gold; and while one of us walked over the clearing he thought he could tell when we reached the exact spot. He gave as a reason that he had taken the bearings of the place by a tree which stood on a line with the bushranger while digging.
We gratified his humor, but to prevent trickery Fred was despatched to watch his movements and prevent escape. Steel Spring vowed and protested that he meant honestly by us; but he was too notorious a liar to be believed, and when he found that we would not trust him, he appeared to be highly pleased, and considered it a proof of his sagacity and cunning.
We watched them as they walked to the spot which Steel Spring indicated--a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile from the clearing; and when the fellow announced that he was ready for the test, I slowly passed over such portions of the ground as I thought contained the money.
Three or four times did I pass over the ashes where the bodies of the dead bushrangers were burned, and yet I heard no indications from Steel Spring. At last I set my compass, and walked in an exact south-eastern direction, about ten paces from the location of the hut, and within a dozen feet of the hole which we had already dug.
"Stop," said the long-legged biped, "don't move for your life! Vait till I comes--you've hit it for a farding."
With springs which caused Rover to howl with jealousy, the fellow bounded over the bushes towards us, and in a minute's time was beside me.
"Give me the shovel!" he cried, in an excited manner. "I is certain that you is standing on the place."
"Here is a shovel," said Smith, with a wink of mischief at us; "let us see how soon you can bring the dust in sight."
"It won't take me long, I can tell you," replied Steel Spring, throwing out a few shovels full and then pausing to rest, as though a new thought had entered his long head.
"Dig away," yelled Smith, who was wielding a pickaxe with great effort.
"I was thinkin' how much better I could direct than work," said the cunning fellow, too lazy to dig.
"Then stand aside and give me the shovel," cried Fred, impatiently.
Steel Spring willingly relinquished it, and pretending that he felt exceedingly nervous and faint, he squatted down upon the ground and watched with eager eyes every particle of dirt that was thrown from the hole.
Before we got fairly to work the sun had set, and the shades of night began to be thrown upon the dark forest of gum trees by which we were surrounded. We had wasted so much time talking and listening to Steel Spring, that the afternoon had passed away almost imperceptibly. To be caught in the woods over night was a joke which we did not care about indulging in, and we made strenuous exertions to complete our task before darkness had entirely set in.
Already had we piled up a large mound of earth, and excavated a hole big enough to bury an ox, and yet nothing was to be seen of the treasure; and as each additional shovel full of dirt was thrown up I began to grow discouraged, and felt that I had been deceived, and almost cursed the folly which led me to believe in the dying declaration of the bushranger.
"I don't see any use in digging here," said Smith, pausing, and wiping the perspiration from his heated brow; "the dirt we are removing now has not been disturbed since the formation of the island. If there is any gold dust buried in this clearing, we must search in another direction."
"But haven't I told you that you was in the right spot?" ejaculated Steel Spring.
"Keep your advice for those who ask it," returned Smith, bluntly, want of success having made him cross.
"Vell, haven't you all been haxing me, and don't I tell vere the money is? If you 'spect to get it, you must vork."
"Then take hold of this pickaxe, and see how you like it. Jump into the hole without a word, or I'll help you with my heavy hand!" cried Smith, somewhat irritated.
Steel Spring would have hesitated, but a glance at the face of his opponent decided him, and, with many a groan, he entered the hole and commenced working.
The rest of us discussed the propriety of suspending labor until morning, as the evening was so far advanced that it was impossible to see half a dozen yards from our faces. Fred and myself were opposed to cessation, as we knew that we were in a dangerous part of the country, and how soon we should be interrupted by gangs of bushrangers it was hard to tell. The forest was full of outlaws--desperate men, who would shed blood freely for the sake of gold or revenge, and should we be surprised, there was no possibility of escape.
Under these circumstances, we urged that we had better work that night, dark as it was, than remain there two or three days, and expose our lives needlessly.
During the time that we were debating the question, Steel Spring was apparently busy at work, although I noticed that he paid considerable attention to what was going on, and listened to every word uttered with an interest that appeared unaccountable. I thought it was from curiosity, and did not call any one's attention to it; but when I suggested that a small fire should be made, so that its light would enable us to work to more purpose, to my surprise he urged the advantage of the scheme, and was clamorous for the privilege of tending it.
The project was dismissed as soon as formed, for I recollected that the light of a fire would attract visitors that we were not anxious to see.
As a last resort, however, we resolved to go over the whole ground, and endeavor to detect the spot, by discovering if the earth had been recently removed.
We no longer placed confidence in the story of Steel Spring, yet we thought it better to keep him at work in the hole, which was now even with his neck, than permit him to mingle with us in the dark, for somehow, we began to have strange suspicions that he was not dealing fairly by us.
Luckily, the sky was cloudless, and the stars shone with uncommon brilliancy, as though the constellations wished to afford us every facility for carrying our designs into effect.
The clearing was sufficiently large to enable the light to penetrate the open space, and with no other guide, we commenced striking our shovels and picks into the earth, in hopes of reaching the right spot.
I still clung to the idea that the money was buried under the ashes of the burned bushrangers, and with this impression, carefully scraped them aside, and felt with the point of my shovel, until I touched earth which I considered had been disturbed.
I said nothing to my companions, but worked diligently for a few minutes, until I became convinced that the ground had been moved at no distant day.
Wishing to be convinced that I was on a track which corresponded with the last words of Gulpin, I set the compass, and by the light of a match, noted its bearing.
The place where I had been at work bore in a south-west direction, and on pacing off the distance where the hut stood, I found it to be exactly ten paces.
"Hurrah, boys!" I shouted, commencing work with renewed energy, "I think that I have discovered the spot!"
My comrades hurried to my side, and all of us concentrated our energies upon that particular spot, and none worked harder than the aged convict, who appeared, since his recovery from the effects of too intense an application to my flask, to be desirous of making amends for his weakness.
"You are not vorking in the right place!" shouted Steel Spring, from his excavation, stopping his labors to watch our movements; "you will find nothing there, I gives you varning. Come and hassist me, and we shall find all the gold!"
"Cease your cries," said Smith, sternly; "do you wish to bring a band of bushrangers upon us in this lonely spot, where they can murder us without opposition?"
"There's no fear of 'um," retorted the fellow, raising his voice to an unnecessary pitch; "but listen to my varning--you'll find not a bit of gold there."
We paid no attention to his words, but worked with energy, and while Smith examined with his hands every shovelful of dirt that was thrown out, so that we should not miss any thing, Fred and myself dug along the edges of the ground, carefully, yet rapidly.
Still Steel Spring persisted in calling to us that we were wasting time, and that we should find nothing; and just as he echoed his words for the third or fourth time, my shovel struck upon some tough substance. Breathless with hope, I stooped and felt of it with my hands, and to my joy I discovered a small canvas bag, which appeared to be stuffed with a heavy substance, for I found some trouble in lifting it.
"I have found it!" I cried, so excited that I could hardly stand; "here--feel of it, lift it, and see if its contents are not gold!"
I was about handing the bag to Fred, when a wild, shrill scream, apparently proceeding from our very midst, was heard, startling us by its unnatural character.
Fred dropped the bag, and sprang for his rifle, which was lying near him, ready for use, while Smith and the stockman appeared paralyzed with terror.
"For God's sake what noise was that?" asked the stockman.
Before we could reply, we heard an answering yell, which appeared to be distant about a quarter of a mile, while near at hand, the rustling of the bushes showed that either an enemy or a wild beast was regarding our movements.
"Who goes there?" cried Fred, bringing his rifle to his shoulder.
There was no reply, but I thought I detected a chuckling laugh which sounded familiar. Before I could interpose, Fred had fired at the moving bushes, and for a brief second the clearing was lighted up with the flash of his rifle. I glanced towards the hole in which Steel Spring had been at work; it was empty; that notorious liar and singular genius had made himself scarce.
Hardly had the echo of the rifle died away, before another yell, more searching and protracted than the first, again started our party, for it seemed to proceed from a tree not more than a rod distant; even the hound appeared disconcerted at the noise, and seemed undecided whether to attack or wait for more decided manifestations.
"God be with us," cried the stockman, suddenly grasping his long-barrelled gun; "let us make the best of our way from the forest, or by morning we shall not be alive."
"Of what are you afraid?" demanded Fred. "A wolf cannot harm you, and at the worst, a wildcat or two are no match for us well-armed men."
"There are no wolves on the island, and wildcats are unknown," replied the stockman, calmly.
"Then name the animals which produced those screams," cried Fred.
"I wish that they were animals," rejoined the stockman, "for then there would be hope for us miserable sinners. The screams which we have heard are produced by men bent upon destruction."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that we have been duped by Steel Spring to reveal the burial place of the treasure, and that now, in answer to his signal, a band of murderers are already enclosing us in their meshes, and in a few minutes, unless we act with promptness and prudence, we shall be in their power."
"We will sell our lives dearly, at all events," muttered Fred, "and sooner than their blood-stained hands shall grasp this gold, we will lose it forever."
Again we heard a chuckling laugh amid the bushes, and angry at the imposition of the long-legged scamp, I raised my rifle, and guided by the noise, let drive its contents. A yell of agony, such as is often uttered by a wounded man, met our ears, and I rejoiced to think that I had punished his treachery.
"God be merciful to him a sinner," exclaimed the pious old stockman.
"You have punished him for his tricks," said Fred; but almost before he had finished the sentence, a scream of sardonic laughter, in a different direction, proved that he was uninjured.
Again did we hear shrill, prolonged yells from several parts of the forest, and from their distinctness we knew that the bands of bushrangers, or whoever were the utterers, were gradually closing in upon us, and to stay where we were for half an hour was certain destruction.
The light was not sufficient to see each other's faces, but I had but little doubt, from the manner in which my friends grasped their weapons and examined their contents, that they were determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible.
"I am an old man," sighed the stockman, "and of little use on earth, and were I but certain that my child would be cared for, feel that I should be content to die."
"Die?" repeated Fred, cheerfully; "your sight is still good, and your hand does not tremble. A bushranger at forty rods is as good as slain when you draw a bead on him, and yet you talk of yielding up your life because we have been caught in a trap by a crafty spy."
"Man's destiny is like--"
"Spare your proverbs," exclaimed Fred, impatiently, "until we are in a place of safety. I feel like making my way out of these woods as fast as possible, and if I have got to cut through a line of robbers I shall leave my mark before completing the job."
"Then let us lose no time," Smith said, speaking after a profound silence. "I can hear the devils calling to each other as they make their way through the forest, and if we wait for their arrival we shall be hemmed in on every point."
Even while Smith was speaking, we could hear the calls of Steel Spring, repeated in rapid succession, as though urging his comrades to renewed exertion. I raised the heavy bag of gold to my shoulder, and away we went, tramping through the bushes, stumbling over decayed trees, and bumping heavily against growing ones. Every few minutes we halted and listened attentively; yet strange to say, not a sound was to be heard except quick breathing and beating of hearts. The stillness seemed worse than the noise, for during the latter we were enabled to define the position of our opponents, and knew that they were at arm's length; but now, when every thing was quiet around us, we knew not but our next step might bring us under their fire, and then farewell to life and fortune.
"Forward," whispered Fred; and on we struggled, the forest apparently growing more dense at every step, and at length we seemed so surrounded with impenetrable thickets that we were obliged to halt and consult as to the best route to the team, which we were anxious to reach.
Suddenly the cracking of a twig beneath the foot of a man who appeared to be making his way in the direction from which we came, started us. Rover uttered a short growl, and would have sprung upon him, but Fred held the brute with hands of iron and whispered a word of caution, and then the dog became mute as stone.
The invisible robber continued on his way towards the clearing, passing so near us that it seemed as though we might have touched him, had we been so disposed. He evidently was on the lookout for our party, for he would stop and listen attentively, and then proceed with careful and certain steps.
We waited until he was beyond hearing, and then extricated ourselves from the thicket and continued our course. For more than two hours we toiled and worked, until at length we saw an opening through the trees. With eager but careful steps we moved towards it, thinking that the worst part of our expedition was over, and I was just about to throw the gold to the earth and thank God for our escape, when I looked up and saw that we were at the very point from whence we started--that we were standing on the edge of the clearing, and that directly in front of us were twenty or thirty bushrangers, with levelled muskets, evidently taking our bearing with great familiarity. _