Part 11 (2/2)
”The professor said,” smiled the girl, a trifle anxiously, ”that the writing was in very, very old Spanish and for that reason he might not have understood every word of it correctly but that taking it all in all he thought he had made the meaning clear.”
”We'll have a look,” said Curlie, unfolding the paper.
”He said it was the photograph of a very unusual ma.n.u.script, rare and valuable.” There was something about the way the girl said this which led Curlie to guess that she might know who was in possession of the original. He was, however, too much excited over the first lines of the translation to ask her any questions.
”The Island of Lagos.” He read the t.i.tle to himself. Beneath this in brackets were the words:
”Being the account of how the good s.h.i.+p Torence was cast ash.o.r.e on an unknown island in the midst of the great sea; an island whereon there are many barbarians having much gold.”
Curlie caught his breath. Save for one word the translation was the same as that he had read in the book. That word was of no consequence.
”It's the same map!” he told himself. ”The very same!”
The girl, leaning over the table, watched him eagerly. She was both excited and elated over the find.
”Isn't it wonderful?” she exclaimed, clasping her hands. ”I think it's great! And to think that my brother and his chum were the ones who found it!”
”Haven't read it all,” Curlie mumbled.
”Then read on. Read it all. Please do.”
CHAPTER XI
”MANY BARBARIANS AND MUCH GOLD”
Curlie, obeying her instructions, read on and with every line his conviction grew stronger that the conclusions he had come to were well formed.
This is what he read:
”Having spent Good Friday with his family, our captain, deeming further delay but loss of time, determined to cast anchor and sail for the coast of Ireland. Here he hoped to do a brisk business at barter with the peasants and fisher-folk who inhabit the sh.o.r.es.
”But Providence had determined otherwise. Hardly had we been from sh.o.r.e a half day's journey, when, without warning, from out the night there rose a great tumult. This tumult, coming as it did from the sh.o.r.e, grasped us in its mighty arms and hurled us league by league in directions that we would not go. And being exceedingly tossed with the tempest we lightened the s.h.i.+p. On the fourth day we, with our own hand, cast out the tackle of the s.h.i.+p. And when not sun nor moon nor stars had appeared for many days, we counted ourselves for lost; for, having been carried straight away these many days, we expected nothing but that we would come soon to that dark and dreadful place which is the end of all land and all seas.”
”Isn't it wonderful?” whispered the girl.
Curlie was too much absorbed to answer her.
”When we had given up all hope,” he read on, ”Markus Laplone, a very old seaman, said we were nearing some land.
”We took soundings and found it forty fathoms. Then again it was thirty.
Then with hopeful hearts we looked for that land. But when at last it broke through the fog it was no land that any of the men had seen, no, not the oldest seaman.
”But fearing to be cast upon rocks, we kept a good watch that we might find some harbor. At last we were rewarded, for to the right of us there was a river flowing into the sea.
”The storm having somewhat abated, we took oars, such as had not been broken by the storm, and some with two men to the oar and some with but one, we made s.h.i.+ft to enter this river; having accomplished which, we dropped anchor and gave thanks to G.o.d for the preservation of our lives.
”Now, on coming on sh.o.r.e we found this to be indeed a strange land. Not alone were the trees and all vegetation of a sort unknown to us, but the barbarians who came about us were of a complexion such as not one man of us had ever before beheld.
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