Part 30 (1/2)
”Never mind what it is!” answered Andrew Geswick, sharply. ”Did you read what was on it?” he demanded, an instant later.
”We saw it was a chart,” answered Dave, and looked knowingly at his chums, to make them keep silent.
”It-er-it belongs to Mr. Pardell and he is very particular about it,”
went on the Englishman. And then without another word he walked away.
”My, isn't he sweet!” muttered Phil.
”Just as sweet as a can of sour milk,” answered the senator's son.
”Dave, I guess you wish you had allowed that map to blow overboard.”
”Not exactly that, Roger. But he might have been a little more thankful for saving something that he thinks so valuable.”
”Do you think there is anything in this treasure idea?” questioned Phil, after a pause.
”No, Phil. That is, there may be some lost treasure, secreted by the pirates and buccaneers of old, but I doubt if anybody will ever find it-excepting by accident.”
”If there was a treasure on this Cave Island, we might hunt for it,”
went on the s.h.i.+powner's son.
”Phil, don't let that bee get into your bonnet!” cried Roger. ”Many a man has gone crazy looking for pirates' gold. Better drop it, and think of how we are to round up Merwell and Jasniff.”
”Well, I'd like to go to Cave Island anyway,” said Phil. ”We might--”
And then he stopped short, as he saw Geswick and Pardell near by. The Englishmen had been listening to part of the conversation.
”So you'd like to go to Cave Island, would you?” cried Andrew Geswick, his face red with rage. ”You take my advice and keep away from that place!”
”Say, do you own that island?” demanded Phil, getting angry because of the other's dictatorial manner.
”No, we don't own the island. But we--” Andrew Geswick stopped short as his companion plucked him by the sleeve. ”Never mind, you keep away from it, that's all,” he growled.
”We'll go there if we want to,” called out Phil.
”If you do you may get into trouble,” called back Pardell. Then he and his companion disappeared in the direction of the cabin.
”They are touchy enough,” was Roger's comment. ”Phil, you had better drop Cave Island after this.”
”I'll talk about it as much as I please,” grumbled the s.h.i.+powner's son. ”Those fellows make me tired. They act as if they owned the earth!”
Sunday was a quiet day on s.h.i.+pboard. The Englishmen did not show themselves excepting at meals, and the boys were content to leave them severely alone. They told Captain Sanders of the chart and of the talk that had occurred.
”Let them alone, lads,” said the commander of the _Golden Eagle_.
”I'll venture to say that sooner or later they'll find out they are on a wild goose chase.”
”The only one that seems to be anyway nice is the fellow named Giles Borden,” said Dave. ”He is rather quiet. The other fellow, Rumney, is almost as bad as Geswick and Pardell.”
”So I've noticed, Dave. And the queer part of it is, Borden paid for the pa.s.sages. He appears to be the only one with money.”
”Maybe he is backing the expedition,” suggested Roger.