"That's so," admitted Teddy, his enthusiasm a little dampened.

"Don't be too sure that there's nothing else," said Fred. "It's so dark in here that we can't see anything but the rough outlines. Who has some matches?"

"Here you are," replied Lester, producing an oilskin pouch from an inside pocket.

Fred struck one, and as it flared up, five eager pairs of eyes scanned the wall in front.

But while it brought into greater distinctness the main features that they had already seen, the map seemed to reveal nothing more and there was a general sigh of disappointment.

"Why didn't that fellow go a little further while he was about it?" groaned Teddy.

"If he had only told us not only what it looked like, but where it was," mourned Lester.

"It's maddening to get so close and yet miss the one thing that would clear it all up," complained Bill.

"I can understand now how Tom Bixby felt, when Dick was just on the point of telling him where the gold was hidden," said Lester.

"I'm not giving it up yet," declared Fred with determination, "and I'll not, until I have used up every match we have with us. Even after that, I'll get a torch somewhere and keep on looking."

But several more matches struck in quick succession were of no more value than the first, and the boys' hearts went down.

Just as the fifth match was burning low, Bill gave utterance to a sharp exclamation.

"I saw something down in the corner that time," he declared. "It looked like figures of some kind."

The boys had a deep belief in Bill's sharp eyes, and it was with renewed hope that Fred struck another of the precious matches and held it with fingers that trembled.

"I was right!" exulted Bill. "See there," and he pointed to some scarcely legible marks in the lower right-hand corner.

"They're figures, all right," he confirmed. "I can make out a 'four' and a 'seven' and, yes, a 'six.' But they're very faint and I can't make sense of them."

"Try again, Bill," begged Teddy.

"Wait a minute," cried Ross. "I've got a small magnifying glass in the cabin of the Sleuth. I'll get it in a second."

"That's the stuff!" gloated Fred. "Now, we'll make it out, sure."

It was less than two minutes, but it seemed a long time to the impatient boys before Ross dropped into the forecastle, holding a small but powerful convex glass.

Bill snatched it eagerly and held it in front of the faintly outlined figures.

"All over but the shouting!" he jubilated. "Take them down, you fellows, while I read them aloud to you."

Three pencils were all the boys could muster, but these fairly leaped from their pockets.

"I don't know what they mean," was Bill's prelude, "but here they are. Forty-four, then a space, then thirty-two. That's what's on the first line. Then under that is another lot, sixty-seven, then a space, then forty-one."

"Hurrah!" yelled Lester, jumping up and clicking his heels together. "Latitude! Longitude! We'll find it now!"

"Do you think that's what the figures mean?" inquired Bill, his caution still in evidence.

"I don't think at all, I know," jubilated Lester. "It means longitude sixty-seven degrees forty-one minutes, and latitude forty-four degrees and thirty-two minutes. Look again and see if there's anything about seconds."

But further search failed to reveal anything more than had already been detected.

"Never mind, that's near enough," concluded Lester. "That will give it to us within a few miles, and it's up to us to find the exact spot."

"Have you got the instruments to take the observations with and find out just where the spot is?" asked Teddy.

"Sure I have," was the answer. "I've a sextant stowed away in a locker on board the Ariel and father has shown me how to use it."

"I have one, too," put in Ross.

"So much the better. We can take independent observations and then compare them. But come along, boys. We're on the right trail at last."

They all hastened out of the forecastle, wildly excited by this latest and most important clue.

It was the work of only a moment to throw off the lines, and the boats were off at the fastest speed of which they were capable. Teddy had gone aboard the Sleuth, so as to run the boat while Ross took his observations, and the other boys took the Ariel off Lester's hands for the same purpose.

In a few minutes this had been done, and the boats ran alongside each other, so that the skippers could compare notes.

"It's somewhere within five miles from here," declared Lester, at the end of the conference. "Now, fellows, keep your eyes peeled for the first big rock you see standing at the right of any opening and we'll put in there so quick it will make your heads swim."

"Trust us to keep a close watch," said Fred emphatically. "We won't let any guilty rock escape."

"You bet we won't!" echoed Bill.

Their excitement chased away from the boys' minds any idea of getting a regular meal, and they contented themselves with hasty bites of whatever was found at hand, while they kept their eyes glued to the irregular coast line.

It was late in the afternoon when a shout came from Bill.

"There's a big rock, the biggest that we've seen," he cried, pointing to the right.

Both boats turned in the direction indicated. Ross, in his eagerness, made his engine hum and came first in sight of a cove that opened out beyond the rock, and a shout went up that thrilled the hearts of those in the Ariel ploughing on behind.

"Here it is!" yelled Teddy exultingly. "Three trees standing together and two more a hundred feet away. Now for the chest of gold!"



CHAPTER XXX

A DISCOVERY—CONCLUSION

As the boys were unfamiliar with this part of the coast, and did not know what depth of water they might expect to find, they had to moderate their speed, a tantalizing proceeding when every impulse prompted them to rush ashore.

However, "better to be safe than sorry," was the maxim that had been dinned into Lester by his father, and despite the urgings of the others, he felt his way, foot by foot, until he found a good place to drop anchor a hundred feet from shore. Ross followed suit. Then they packed the supplies and implements they had brought into the small boat, and rowed to the beach. Several trips were necessary, but at last everything was safely landed, just on the verge of dusk.

"Oh, if it were only morning!" groaned Teddy.

"We can't do much more than take a look around to-night, for a fact," said Fred. "Perhaps it's just as well, though, that we have time to rest a little before we tackle the job."

"It'll be a man-sized job, all right," warned Bill.

"But we'll have a week to do it in if necessary," said Lester. "And what we won't know about this place in a week won't be worth knowing."

"What's the name of this place, anyway?" asked Fred.

"I don't know that it has any name," was the reply.

"Suppose we christen it, then. What's the matter with calling it Treasure Cove?"

The suggestion met with unanimous approval, and all hoped that what they should find would justify the name.

In the waning light the boys examined curiously the five trees that had helped them to locate the place. But there was nothing cut into the bark that gave them any clue. Nor were there any hollow places in any of them that were large enough to contain the box they sought.

"Well," said Fred, as they retraced their steps to the sheltered place they had picked out as a camping spot, "we can't do any more to-night. But I think we can be well content to call it a day's work and let it go at that."

"Think of the difference between the way we felt this morning and the way we're feeling now!" exulted Teddy. "Then we didn't know that we'd ever get within a hundred miles of it. Now, we may be within a hundred feet of it for all we know."

Now that the strain of the chase for the Cove was over, the boys' appetites returned, and were all the keener because of the abstinence through the day. The lads set to work at once and in less than half an hour they had a steaming, savory meal prepared in the best style known to Lester and Bill, who were the acknowledged leaders in the culinary line. They ate as only hungry, healthy boys can eat, with digestions that asked no odds of any ostrich. Not until the last crumb had vanished did they settle back with a feeling of absolute physical content.

For an hour or more afterward, they sat around the blazing fire they had made, discussing eagerly ways and means for the morrow's search. All of them were keyed up to the highest pitch. They had no definite plans except to hunt and dig until their strength gave out, but there was not one of them, even including cautious Bill, who did not feel sure that victory was within their grasp.

They found it hard to get to sleep, but nature would not be denied and they did sleep at last, to be awakened at the first sign of dawn.

They made a hasty breakfast and then got out their picks and spades, of which they had brought enough along for each member of the party. There was no shirking or holding back. They were like so many young hounds eager to slip from the leash when the signal should be given.

"Suppose we divide the space within easy reach from the shore into five separate sections," suggested Fred. "Each of us can take one and go over it a foot at a time, as though he were looking for a needle that he had dropped. If there's any opening that might lead to a cave or any place where the ground's heaped up as if something had been buried there, then we'll all go to that spot and dig."

But half the morning spent in this way showed nothing that was at all unusual.

"Nothing doing on the first try, but we can't expect to win the game in the first inning," said Fred cheerily. "Now, what's next?"

"I tell you what," suggested Teddy. "Perhaps these trees have something to do with it. Isn't it natural to think that if they buried it in the earth at all, they'd do it somewhere on a line between the two clumps? Let's draw a straight line from one clump to the other and dig along that line."

"That's a good idea," said Lester approvingly. "But instead of starting at one end and digging up every foot of the way, what's the matter with dividing it into lengths of ten spaces each and digging at those points? Wouldn't the minds of those men work in that way? Instead of choosing distances of seven feet, nineteen feet, twenty-three feet, wouldn't they first think of ten, twenty, thirty and so on? It's the simplest way, and they were rough, simple-minded men."

"Lester, you're a dandy," laughed Bill. "We'll have you elected a professor at Rally Hall for the first vacancy."

But though the plan was good, it yielded no results up to the time the boys stopped work at noon to eat and rest.

They were not depressed, but it was only natural that their failure should have taken some of the fine edge off their first elation. Into the mind of each had crept the hint of the smuggler that the gold was not buried, but hidden. They did not accept this as conclusive, but it helped somewhat to dampen their enthusiasm.

"I'm hot and tired," remarked Teddy, after they had eaten dinner, "and I'm going in for a swim before I start in again."

A moment later he was in the water and the others were not long in following his example. All were good swimmers and they sported about indulging in all sorts of fancy practices.

"How far can you fetch under water, Teddy?" called out Bill.

"Watch me," said Teddy, drawing in a long breath and plunging beneath the surface.

He swam with all the vigor of his sturdy young arms, helped by the current that was running strongly with him. He stayed under until his lungs felt as though they were bursting and he was forced to come up.

He was astonished to find himself in an atmosphere of twilight instead of the brilliant sunshine he expected. His first thought was that the sun had gone under a cloud. He shook the water from his eyes and looked up.

He could see neither sun nor sky!

For a moment panic seized him. Then he pulled himself together. He could hear the shouts of his companions, alarmed because they had not seen him come up.

"I'm all right," he shouted, to quiet their fears. Then he looked around him and realized what had happened.

He had passed under a projecting shelf of rock into what seemed to be a cave. The water was shallow and he found that he could stand on the sandy bottom.

His first feeling was that of relief. His second was one of amusement at the involuntary trick he had played on his mates. His third came to him so suddenly that it nearly took him off his feet.

What was it that Mr. Montgomery had said? "It's where the water's coming in." In a moment of sanity, had the robbed and wounded man seen the place where the robbers had hidden his money?

"It's where the water's coming in."

With legs that trembled, Teddy waded forward. He soon struck dry ground. He went up a slight slope, feeling his way until he was above high-water mark. He felt rough ledges as he steadied himself against the rough side of the cave and suddenly a shock went through him that thrilled him to the finger tips.

On a ledge at the right, his hand rested on a box! He tried to lift it. It was too heavy.

He turned and raced for the entrance, plunged into the water and reappeared among his comrades.

"I've found it! I've found it!" he sputtered incoherently.

"Found what?" they yelled in chorus, already anticipating the answer.

"The money!" he repeated. "Ross' money! I've found the chest of gold!"

None of them could remember very clearly just what followed. Like so many young otters the other boys swam after Teddy. They brought the chest to the water's edge, and got it into the boat that Bill had swum back to fetch. They reached the beach, broke open the rusted lock with blows of a pick, and there before them in the sunlight was the gold. Golden sovereigns, golden eagles, golden twenty-franc pieces, gold that gleamed, gold that dazzled, gold that mirrored back their own delighted faces! A great wrong had been righted, and their persistent search had been crowned with a glorious success.

There were three triumphal journeys during the days that followed. The first was to Oakland, where a widow wept happy tears because her husband's name was to stand clear before the world and her son's future was provided for. The second was to Bartanet Shoals, where the kindly keeper of the lighthouse had his part in the general jubilee. The third, and to the Rushton boys the most important of all, was to Oldtown, where Ross, who accompanied Fred and Teddy, had the proud delight of putting into the hands of Mr. Aaron Rushton the gold that paid his father's debt.

"I wonder what Uncle Aaron will say when he finds out the money has been found," remarked Teddy, when the three youths were on the way to Oldtown.

"I'll wager he'll hardly be able to believe his ears and eyes," returned Fred.

During the journey Ross was unusually thoughtful. His eyes showed his deep delight over the mission he had undertaken.

"You can't realize what this means to me," he said to the Rushton boys with much feeling. "It has taken a wonderful load off my shoulders."

"Take it from me, Teddy and I feel just as happy as you do, Ross," responded Fred affectionately.

"I'm mighty glad that I took that swim," remarked Teddy, with something of a grin. "It was worth while, wasn't it?"

"The most wonderful swim in the whole world!" declared Ross, emphatically.

"Say! I'd like to take a swim like that again and find another treasure," continued the fun-loving Rushton boy.

When the Rushtons arrived at their home they found that their parents had gone out on a short errand. Their Uncle Aaron, however, was on hand, sitting in the library reading a book.

"Well, well! Home again, eh?" said their uncle, looking at the boys. Then he gazed questioningly at Ross.

"This is Ross Montgomery," said Fred, by way of introduction. "Ross, this is my Uncle Aaron."

"Hum!" came from Uncle Aaron. He gazed fixedly at the youth, who was smiling broadly. "You look rather happy."

"Yes, Mr. Rushton, I suppose I do, for I never felt happier in my life," returned Ross. "We've got good news."

"The lost treasure has been found!" burst out Teddy, unable to control himself. "Every dollar of it, Uncle Aaron! What do you think of that?"

"Found!" repeated the man. "Do you really mean it?"

"Yes, Uncle Aaron, it's true. The lost Montgomery fortune has been found," added Fred.

"And I am here to pay you all that is coming to you," announced Ross.

The picture that Uncle Aaron presented at that moment was one that his two nephews were likely never to forget. He stood as if transfixed to the spot, while his eyes grew larger and larger. He clutched the back of his chair as if to support himself.

"What is that I hear?" he demanded, in a strangely unnatural voice. "You have come to pay me back all that money?"

"Yes, Mr. Rushton, every cent of it."

"And he's going to pay it to you in gold, too," added Teddy eagerly.

"Well! Well! Well!" murmured the man. "I—I can scarcely believe it. Why, boys, this is wonderful news!" he continued, warming up. "Got every bit of the money, have you? Well now, isn't that wonderful!" His face began to beam. "And so you've come to pay me what is due me, have you? Very fine of you, young man! Very fine, indeed!"

Thereupon Uncle Aaron sunk back in his chair and demanded that the three youths give him all the particulars of the finding of the treasure. They were in the midst of a graphic recital of these happenings when Mr. and Mrs. Rushton arrived.

"Hullo!" cried the boys' father. "I hardly expected to see you yet."

"Oh, we've found the treasure! We've found the treasure!" burst out Teddy, rushing up to shake hands with his father and then to hug his mother.

"Teddy, Teddy, don't crush me to death!" panted Mrs. Rushton, as the youth drew her closer and closer. "Why, I declare, I can't breathe!"

"But isn't it grand news?" cried the elated boy.

"Indeed it is!"

"This is Ross Montgomery, father," said Fred. "He, you know, is the owner of the treasure."

"And so you actually found it?" returned the father, with a smile of satisfaction. "I didn't think you'd be able to do it."

"Wonderful boys! Wonderful boys!" murmured Uncle Aaron. "When they first came in and told me, I thought they were putting up some sort of job on me. Say! It isn't a joke, is it?" he queried quickly and with sudden suspicion.

"You don't think we'd play a joke like that, do you?" demanded Teddy.

"Well, I've known you to play some pretty hard jokes," said their uncle dryly. "But never mind that now, my boy," he continued, almost affectionately. "I'll forgive you for all of 'em, now that this money has come to light. I had about made up my mind that I'd never see a cent of it."

"You'll have to tell us all the particulars," said Mr. Rushton.

"That is just what we had started to do when you came in," answered Ross.

"Teddy is the hero of this story," broke in Fred. "He's the one who found the box that contained the gold pieces."

"Oh, come now! Don't put it that way," returned Teddy modestly. "We all had a hand in finding that box. Didn't we all search for it day in and day out?"

"Never mind, you are the one who really found it, and you ought to have the credit," said his brother firmly.

"That's right!" broke in Ross. "If Teddy hadn't made that wonderful dive and come up into the cave, that box might still be where it was."

"It is queer to me that some one else didn't find it in all these years," was Fred's comment.

"Well, I'm mighty glad somebody else didn't find the money box!" cried Uncle Aaron. "But go ahead and tell the story. I want to hear every word of it."

"All right, then," answered Ross. And sitting down with the others he told his tale in full, aided by Fred and Teddy.

It goes without saying that the older Rushtons were tremendously interested in the recital. When Mrs. Rushton heard how Teddy had made his wonderful dive she shuddered.

"Oh, my son, what a risk to take!" she murmured. "What if you had never come up to the surface again!"

"Oh, don't worry, Momsey," he answered affectionately. "I know how to take care of myself."

"I'll wager that the folks at Bartanet Shoals were surprised to hear the news," was Mr. Rushton's comment.

"Yes, indeed," answered Fred.

"But you should have seen my mother when she heard the great tidings," came from Ross, and his voice choked a little when he spoke. "Why she was the happiest woman in the whole world!"

"I have no doubt of it," answered Mrs. Rushton, "and she had good cause for her happiness."

That their parents were proud of the part that Fred and Teddy had played in the finding, goes without saying. Their Uncle Aaron was so delighted that he gladly wiped off the slate all his past grievances against his nephews. He even went so far as to claim some share in what they had done.

"Wasn't it through me they went to Rally Hall?" he demanded. "If they hadn't gone there, they wouldn't have met Lester or gone to Bartanet Shoals, and I'd have been twelve thousand dollars to the bad."

Ross had insisted on a share of the recovered money going to the Rushton boys and Lester. The friendship between the boys had grown very strong and they were delighted when in answer to their urging, Ross agreed to go with them to Rally Hall. They little knew at the time that they were destined to take part in fresh and stirring adventures before the fall term was over.

"Well," remarked Fred, when he was talking it all over with his brother, "we've had some exciting times together, but this has been ahead of anything yet!"

"Yes," agreed Teddy, "but I have a feeling that we're in for something better yet when we get back to Rally Hall."

And here let us say good-bye to the Rushton boys.

THE END