Part 35 (1/2)

Just before low water on the following morning, the salvage party set out for the wreck. As Mr. McKay had predicted, the weather was fine, there being no swell to speak of within the lagoon, though as usual the breakers were las.h.i.+ng themselves into milk-white foam upon the outer fringe of the reef.

Once more the slings were hove tight, and as the tide rose, the wrecked craft was again lifted from her ocean bed. Directly the yawl was ”lively,” as Ellerton expressed it, two more slings were pa.s.sed underneath her keel so as to make doubly sure of her being swung properly.

CHAPTER XXII

THE TREASURE CHAMBER

At high water the wrecked craft was moved for a distance of nearly a hundred yards towards the sh.o.r.e ere she grounded. This completed the day's work, and on the following morning at low tide the ”slack” was again taken in so as to enable the rising tide again to lift the yawl clear of the bottom.

This time, owing to the bed of the lagoon shoaling more rapidly, only twenty yards were gained.

”It will be a tiring and tedious job, I can see,” said Terence. ”How are we to manage when the hull is brought close in sh.o.r.e?”

”We'll have to be content to move her a few feet at a time,” replied Ellerton. ”It's slow work, I admit, but we are making very satisfactory progress.”

With the arrival of the neap tides, the work came to a standstill, the rise of water being insufficient to justify the time and labour spent on it; so the slings were cast off and buoyed, and the canoes brought into the little natural harbour, where they would be safe from all but an exceptional on-sh.o.r.e gale.

During the interval, the lads utilised several spare lengths of rails, and spiking them into rough sleepers, formed a temporary hauling-up slip.

Two of the wagons were dismantled, and the axles and wheels attached to a cradle, while a winch was firmly bolted to a secure foundation on the sh.o.r.e at twenty yards above high-water mark.

The rails were to be laid down at low water as far seaward as possible, and the sleepers sunk by means of heavy stones. Andy hoped to avail himself of a high spring tide to float the yawl right over the cradle, then, casting off the las.h.i.+ngs that supported her, they could haul the wreck up by means of the winch and effect the repairs at their leisure.

Unfortunately, with the return of the spring tides a strong on-sh.o.r.e breeze sprang up and continued with unremitting freshness for over a week, so that the members of the salvage party were compelled temporarily to abandon their enterprise.

”Never say die,” exclaimed Mr. McKay encouragingly. ”Another fortnight and I hope we shall be able to resume the work. In the meantime, lads, what do you say to a kind of picnic?”

”A picnic?” asked Ellerton. ”Where to?”

”I am thinking of paying another visit to the buccaneers' cave. I'm very curious to know what is on the other side of that iron-bound door, and I've no doubt you are equally so.”

”Hurrah!” shouted the lads in chorus. ”When shall we start?”

”In an hour,” replied Mr. McKay promptly.

”Bursting open the door will be a tough job,” remarked Andy. ”How do you propose to do it?”

”I hope to manage it by means of an explosive,” replied his father.

”Dynamite?”

”No, there's too much risk in carting a few sticks of that stuff through a tunnel a hundred yards in length or more. One slip and it would mean sudden death to the lot of us. I want a couple of fuses, however, so while we are getting ready you can run up to the magazine and obtain them.”

While Andy was away on his errand, Mr. McKay opened a few cartridges and extracted the cordite.

”This stuff is safe enough with reasonable precautions,” he remarked to Ellerton, who was watching Mr. McKay with no little fear. ”So long as it is not under compression cordite can be lit without the faintest danger. In the open air it merely fizzles like a damp squib.”

”Couldn't we smash the door with an axe?” asked Ellerton.