Part 75 (1/2)

”Come back,” I said with a look full of delight. ”He ought to come back, eh, Big?”

Bigley nodded and smiled, and then I eagerly told him all.

”It was Bigley's doing, father,” I exclaimed. ”He found it out.”

”My lad,” said my father huskily, ”you have saved me, for I could only have sold my property at a terrible loss.”

”And you will come back with us, father,” I said.

”Come back, my boy? Of course. Why, Bigley, my lad, you have always looked at me as if I felt a grudge against you for being your father's son; now, my boy, I shall always have to look at you as a benefactor, who has saved me from ruin.”

Bigley tried to say something about that dreadful night, and the attack on the mine premises, but my father stopped him.

”Never mind about all that,” he said; ”let's get back and see if you are right, and that it is not a solitary chest which the Frenchmen have left us.”

”No fear of that, sir,” cried Bigley. ”I was down long enough to see that there was quite a lot of them.”

”Or of pieces of rock,” said my father smiling. ”I'm older than you are, my lad, and not so sanguine.”

”But I feel so sure, sir,” cried Bigley.

”That's right, my lad. I'm glad you do; but you have seen them, I have not.”

”But Sep saw them too.”

”I saw the box we hauled up,” I said; ”but I could not be sure about what was at the bottom amongst the rocks and weeds.”

Bigley looked so disappointed that my father smiled.

”Come,” he cried; ”you think I am ungrateful, and throwing cold water upon your discovery, when there is plenty over it as it is. So come, let us a.s.sume that the treasure is there, and begin to make our plans about how to recover it.”

At the last moment we had been obliged to leave the pony at the little inn, and we were walking steadily back as this conversation went on.

”Well, sir, it will be very easy,” said Bigley eagerly.

”Not so easy,” said my father. ”We shall want a couple of men who can dive.”

”Oh no, you will not, sir,” replied Bigley. ”I have thought it all out.

All we shall want will be a clear day with the sea smooth.”

”Yes, highly necessary, Bigley,” said my father.

”Then we should want a very long smooth pole, and if we could not get one long enough two poles would have to be fished together.”

”And then you'd fish for the boxes?” I said.

”No,” said Bigley seriously; ”you would have to sink the pole just down to where the chests lie, and rig up a block at the top, run a rope through it, hold one end of the rope in the boat to which the pole is made fast, and at the other end have a thick strong bag made of net.”