Part 16 (2/2)

Monday took the pick and I the shovel, and to work we went.

I must not forget to mention that I had told Alec that whatever we found I should consider it my duty to give up to M. Oudin as the real proprietor of the island, and to this he readily a.s.sented, mentioning that he at all events could say nothing to my plans, as he was simply my a.s.sistant, my Monday.

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CHAPTER XVIII.

DIGGING FOR THE TREASURE--A NOONDAY REST--THE GHASTLY TENANT OF THE TREASURE HOUSE--WE FIND THE TREASURE--AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT WE DISCOVERED.

By noon we had a well-like hole about seven feet deep, and found as we dug that the soil became drier the lower we went, which was unusual, as generally it gets more moist, so that digging at length becomes very arduous.

Although not more than seven feet deep, the earth we had piled all round made the hole look at least ten feet to the bottom, and it had now become very difficult to throw the earth over the edge of the opening above.

It was a hot August day, and the sun poured its almost vertical rays upon us, so that the perspiration broke out at every pore, and bathed us in moisture; but still we toiled on, till, as I say, noon arrived, without our finding any token of treasure trove.

Then said Monday, ”What say you now of your quest, Crusoe? Don't you think it's all moons.h.i.+ne, or rather (wiping the perspiration from his brow) suns.h.i.+ne and shadow?”

I was fain to confess that it did seem like it, but asked,

”Will you help me dig to a depth of ten feet from the surface? and if nothing gives indication of what we are in search, I will then give up.”

”What, dig down ten feet, and be buried alive in this crumbling grave?

Just look at it, it is ready even now to tumble its sides in upon us.”

”Well, but,” persisted I, ”let us sh.o.r.e it up as we go down.”

”Very well then,” he rejoined, ”but I bargain for one hour's rest before we delve further, and here goes for a swim.”

Then climbing up our improvised ladder away he went to the beach, whither ”Begum” and I quickly followed, and in five minutes we, who had been so lately in a grave, were swimming about in the deliriously cool water, dog and men thoroughly enjoying the exhilarating reaction.

Our bathe being over, we strolled up to the house, and made another attack upon Adam and Eve, and this time finished them; they were delicious. As Monday would have his full sixty minutes' cessation, just as Shylock would have his pound of flesh, we smoked the rest of the time away, and then resumed our labours.

We first took the precaution to sh.o.r.e up the sides of our pit with stout pieces of wreckage and any other wood we could find, for fear of a landslip, which might have resulted in serious if not fatal consequences to us.

Before we had dug ten minutes my spade struck on something hard and hollow, which quite startled us; but clearing the mould away from the spot, I soon discovered the impediment to be a kind of wooden floor.

This we quickly cleared, and found it covered a s.p.a.ce about four feet by three. As we lifted the first piece with great expectancy, we found it was oak, about two inches thick, and very little the worse for its long burial, as the surrounding soil was dry.

We looked into the narrow aperture left by the taking out of the oaken plank, but could see nothing, as the depth of our pit made it somewhat dark at the bottom, so I knelt down, and thrust my hand through the opening and felt about. Presently I felt something hard, like a bundle of sticks, and with a tug drew them through the opening, only to drop them the next minute with a cry of horror, for it was a skeleton's hand that came to view in my grasp.

We looked at each other in dismay, as if to say,

”How awful! what shall we do now?”

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