Part 50 (2/2)

We resumed next morning the digging for the treasure. The sh.o.r.e party was made up of Blythe, Yeager, Smith, Higgins and Barbados.

Those of us left on board had a lazy time of it. I arranged watches of two to guard against any surprise on the part of the enemy either by an attack upon the yacht or by a sally along the sh.o.r.e upon the treasure diggers.

Having divided my men into watches, I discharged my mind of responsibility. Evelyn and I had a thousand things to tell each other.

We sat on the upper deck under the tarpaulin and forgot everything except that we were lovers reunited after dreadful peril.

Youth is resilient. One would scarce have believed that this girl bubbling over with life and spirits was the same one who had been in such hopeless despair a few hours earlier.

A night's good sleep had set her up wonderfully.

Last night I had looked into tired eyes that had not yet fully escaped from the shadows of tragedy, into the sharp oval of a colorless face from which waves of storm had washed the life.

This morning the sun shone for her.

Courage had flowed back into her heart. Swift love ran now and again through her cheeks and tinted them.

She was herself, golden and delicate, elastic and vivid as a captured nymph.

”When I left the old _Argos_ I thought I never wanted to see the yacht again, but now I think I could be happy here all my life,” she confided.

”Wouldn't you prefer to have your cousin just a few miles farther away?”

She fell grave for a moment.

”Do you think he'll try to do more mischief?”

”He'll try. That's a safe bet. But I think we have him checkmated. By night we ought to have the bulk of the treasure on board. Once we get it the _Argos_ will show him her heels.”

Four bells sounded, six, eight. Dugan came down from the bridge to report to me.

”Captain Blythe's party coming down to the beach, sir.”

Two of the men were carrying a large chest. It was so heavy that every forty or fifty yards relays relieved each other. The box was brought down to the edge of the water and loaded into a boat. Smith and Higgins took their places at the oars and Blythe stepped into the bow.

The cargo seemed to call for tackle and ropes. I had them ready before the boat reached us. Blythe superintended the hoisting of the chest, arranging the ropes so as to make a slip impossible. We hauled it safely aboard.

”Have it taken to the strong room, Sam. There's another waiting for us ash.o.r.e,” Blythe explained.

”Want me to go back for it?”

”No. Keep a sharp lookout for our friend up the river.”

He was pulled ash.o.r.e again and returned two hours later with a second chest, this time leaving Yeager and Barbados on guard at the cache.

Gallagher and Alderson were sent ash.o.r.e later to join Tom's party for the night watch.

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