Part 7 (1/2)
CHAPTER V
GRAVE SUSPICIONS
Tom's announcement took them all by surprise. For a moment no one knew what to say, while the young inventor looked more closely at the parchment map.
”Do you really think he has dared to make a copy of it?” asked Mr.
Swift.
”I do,” answered his son. ”That ink spot wasn't there when Abe gave him the map; was it?”
”No,” replied the miner.
”And it couldn't get on in Andy's pocket,” went on Tom. ”So he must have had it open near where there was ink.”
”His fountain pen might have leaked,” suggested Mr. Jackson.
”In that case the ink spot would be on the outside of the map, and not on the inside,” declared Tom, with the instinct of a detective.
”Unless he had the map folded in his pocket with the inside surface on the outside, the ink couldn't have gotten on. Besides, Andy always carries his fountain pen in his upper vest pocket, and that pocket is too small to hold the map. No, I'm almost positive that Andy or his father have sneakingly made a copy of this map!”
”I'm sorry to have to admit that Mr. Foger is capable of such an act,” spoke Mr. Swift, ”but I believe it is true.”
”And here is another thing,” went on the young inventor, who was now closely scanning the parchment through a powerful magnifying gla.s.s, ”do you see those tiny holes here and there, Mr. Jackson?”
”Yes,” answered the engineer.
”Were they there before, Abe?” went on Tom, calling the old miner's attention to them.
”Nary a one,” was the answer. ”It looks as if some one had been sticking pins in th' map.”
”Not pins,” said Tom, ”but the sharp points of a pair of dividers, or compa.s.ses, for measuring distances. Andy, or whoever made a copy of the map, used the dividers to take off distances with. This clinches it, in my mind.”
”But what can you do?” asked Tom's father.
”I don't know,” answered the young inventor. ”It would be of little use to go to Andy. Naturally he would deny having made a copy of the map, and his father would, also. Even though I am sure they have a copy, I don't see how I am going to make them give it up. It's a hard case. There's only one thing I see to do.”
”What's that?” asked Abe.
”Start for Alaska as soon as possible, and be first on hand at the valley of gold.”
”Good!” cried the miner. ”That's the way to talk! We'll start off at once. I know my way around that country pretty well, an' even though winter is coming on, I think we can travel in th' airs.h.i.+p. That's one reason why I wanted t' go in one of these flyin' machines.
Winter is no time to be in Alaska, but if we have an airs.h.i.+p we won't mind it, an' it's the best time t' keep other people away, for th' ordinary miner or prospector can't do anythin' in Alaska in winter--that is away up north where we're goin'.”
”Exactly where are we going?” asked Tom. ”I have been so excited about discovering Andy's trick that I haven't had much time to consider where we're bound for nor what will be the best plan to follow.”
”Well, we're goin' to a region about seven hundred an' fifty miles northwest from Sitka,” explained the old miner, as he pointed out the location on the map. ”We'll head for what they call th' Snow Mountains, an' th' valley of gold is in their midst. It's just over th' Arctic circle, an' pretty cold, let me tell you!”
”You'll be warm enough in Tom's airs.h.i.+p, with the electric stoves going,” commented Mr. Jackson.
”Well, we'll need t' be,” went on the miner. ”Th' valley is full of caves of ice, an' it's dangerous for th' ordinary traveler. In fact an airs.h.i.+p was the only way I saw out of th' difficulty when I was there.”
”Then you have been to the valley of gold?” asked Tom.
”Well, not exactly TO it,” was the reply, ”but I was where I could see it. That was in th' summer, though of course the summer there isn't like here. I'll tell you how it was.”