CHAPTER XXIX--THE HIDDEN GOLD
The breeze was light at daybreak, and while the island still loomedshapeless and shadowy across the leaden water the yacht's gig broughtClay's diver and an excellent set of pumps. As soon as they were riggedthe diver and Moran went below and took their turn with the othersduring the first half of the day, for there was still a good deal to bedone before they could clear a passage into the hold. They sent Clayword of their progress and at noon Aynsley was rowed across to thesloop.
"Although you refused last night, I hope you'll come on board to lunch,"he said, after greeting them pleasantly.
"We have too much on hand," Jimmy replied. "In fact, we're not going tostop for a meal. It's unusually fine weather and we must get into thestrong-room before dark. I expect it will take us three or four hoursyet."
"It's a good excuse," returned Aynsley. "In a way, I'm glad you're toobusy to come, because I imagine my father is very keen on finishing thejob, and I don't want him to get worrying about the delay." He paused,and added frankly: "I'm going to ask a favor. He's not well, and Igather that you and he are to some extent opposed. Now I can't expectyou to sacrifice your interest, but you might try to avoid any heateddispute as far as possible. Excitement isn't good for him."
"We can promise that," said Jimmy. "It looks as if you knew nothingabout the business."
"I don't. And, more than that, I have no wish to learn anything."
"We're not in a position to tell you much if you pressed us; but itstruck us that your father wasn't looking very fit, and it might bebetter if you stopped him from going down."
"I can't," Aynsley answered with a smile. "I'm afraid I haven't muchcontrol over him."
Early in the evening Clay came on board and sat in the cockpit while themen relieved each other below. He asked a question now and then, but forthe most part waited quietly, watching the bubbles that rose in milkyeffervescence.
At last the diver came up, and was followed closely by Bethune, bringinga rope.
"The strong-room's open," he said exultantly. "Heave on that line andsee what you get!"
Moran pulled with a will, for there was some resistance to be overcome,and Jimmy leaned down in strong excitement when a wooden case smearedwith sand broke the surface. Seizing it he came near to being draggedover the rail, and Bethune had to help him to lift it on board. Clayexamined the case coolly, studying the half-washed-out marks.
"You ought to get something handsome for salvage on that, and I won'tcontest your claim," he said. "Keep it on board if you like; our diver'spaid by the day. Now, if you're ready, we'll go down."
They carefully fastened on his dress, but when Bethune gave him a fewinstructions he said his own man had told him all he needed to knowduring the voyage. Jimmy put on his helmet and went first down theladder, waiting at the bottom for Clay. It was, he felt, a strangeexperience to be walking along the sea-floor with a man who had been hisenemy; but he was now master of the situation. Indeed, he had to helphis companion when they reached the entrance to the hold and he did notthink that Clay could have crept up the dark passage between the shafttunnel and the hanging weed on the ship's crushed side without hisassistance. Their lamps glimmered feebly through the water that suckedin and out, and it was no easy matter to keep signal-lines and air-pipesclear. Clay, however, though awkward and somewhat feeble in hismovements, showed no want of nerve.
When they crawled into the strong-room he stood still, moving his lamp.The pale flashes wavered to and fro, searching the rough, iron-boundplanks, until they stopped, fixed upon one spot. Clay beckoned Jimmytoward it, and then, losing his balance, lurched and swayed in aludicrous manner before he could steady himself. Jimmy thought the manmust be mistaken, for he had indicated a plank in the deck between twoiron plates, although, as the wreck had fallen over, the plank was onone side of them, instead of being overhead. He turned to Clay with aquestioning motion of his hands, but the flicker of light was stillfixed upon the same spot. Jimmy raised the crowbar he had brought anddrove it into a joint nearly level with his head, and Clay indicatedthat he was doing right.
Jimmy knew that he had no time to lose. Clay was not in good health, andhad already been under water as long as was safe for a man unaccustomedto the pressure. If he broke down, it would be difficult to get him outof the hold. For all that, Jimmy was reluctant to abandon the search amoment before it was necessary. It was getting dark, the stream wasgaining strength, and it did not seem probable that any one could getdown again that night. Jimmy wanted to finish his task.
The beam he attacked was soft, but two bolts ran through it and an ironstrap was clamped along its edge. The rotten timber tore away in flakes,but Jimmy could not break out a large piece, and the iron fasteningsdeflected his bar. He glanced at his companion, who encouraged him by agesture; and then fell to work again with determined energy. He did notknow how long he continued, but he was disturbed by a movement of thewater and saw Clay swaying slackly to and fro. It looked as if he wereabout to fall, but his heavy boots and buoyant dress kept him upright.Still he might go down, and Jimmy knew that it is hard to recover one'sbalance in a diving dress. Clay must be got out at once. Jimmy seizedhis arm and made his way toward the opening, thrusting his companionalong the side of the shaft tunnel.
It was with keen relief that he dragged him clear of the splinteredbeams at the entrance to the hold and stepped out on the level bottom ofthe sea. No light came down through the water, even the shadow of thesloop above was no longer discernible; but Jimmy had his signal-line forguide and followed it with his hand on Clay's shoulder, until hedistinguished the ripple of the tide about the ladder.
Pushing his companion toward it, he watched his clumsy ascent and thenclambered up. When he got on board Clay was sitting on deck, but he sankback limply against the cabin top as they took his helmet off. It wasnearly dark, but they could see that his lips were blue, and that hislivid face was mottled by faint purple patches. He gasped once or twice,and then began to fumble awkwardly at the breast of the diving dress.
"I know what he wants!" cried Aynsley. "Get these things off him asquick as you can! Somebody bring me a spoon!"
They hurriedly stripped the canvas covering from the half-conscious man,and, taking a small bottle from his vest pocket, gave him a few drops ofthe liquid. It took effect, for in a few moments Clay feebly raisedhimself.
"Better now; not used to diving," he said, and turned to Jimmy asAynsley and a seaman helped him into the waiting gig. "We'll get thecase next time."
The gig pulled away, and the three men watched it disappear into thedarkness.
"It's lucky you were able to bring him up," Bethune observed.
"I was scared at first," Jimmy confessed. "Perhaps I should have come upsooner, but he seemed determined to stop."
"What about the case?"
"We hadn't time to get at it. You see, it's not in the strong-room. Hemade me start cutting out the underside of the deck."
"The deck!" exclaimed Moran. "Then they must have put the stuff in thepoop cabin!"
"I don't think so. I expect there's a shallow space between the mainbeams and the cabin floor."
"And that's where the case is? It strikes me as curious; distinctlycurious!"
"I dare say; I didn't think of that. The most important thing is that weought to reach the case in about an hour."
"It's too risky. The tide's running strong now, and it's going to bevery dark. We have kept clear of serious trouble so far, and I see nosign of wind."
Jimmy reluctantly agreed to wait until the morning and Bethune wentbelow to get supper ready.
At daybreak Aynsley pulled across in the yacht's small dinghy, and hisface had an anxious look as he entered the _Cetacea's_ cabin, whereJimmy was cleaning some of the pump fittings by lamplight.
"How is Mr. Clay?" Jimmy asked.
"He looks very ill. I left him getting up and sculled across as quietlyas I could to have a talk with you. Can you do anything to prevent hisgoing down? I don't
think he's fit for it."
"I'm afraid not. You see, we're at variance, in a way, and if we madeany objections he'd get suspicious."
"You couldn't play some trick with the diving gear? I'm worried abouthim; the pressure and exertion might be dangerous."
"We might put our own pump out of action, but we couldn't meddle withyours, and he might insist on going alone."
"That wouldn't do," said Aynsley. "I wouldn't hesitate to smash ouroutfit, but he'd get so savage about it that the excitement would domore harm than the diving."
"Then you'll have to reason with him."
Aynsley smiled.
"I've been trying it ever since we dropped anchor, and it hasn't been asuccess; you don't know my father." He gave Jimmy a steady look. "Hemeans you to be his companion, and although I've no claim on you, I wantyou to promise that you'll take care of him."
Everything considered, it struck Jimmy as curious that he should be therecipient of this request; but he sympathized with Aynsley, and imaginedthat his anxiety was justified. Clay had treated them harshly, but hewas ill and apparently powerless to injure them further.
"Very well," he promised. "I'll do the best I can."
"Thanks!" responded Aynsley in a grateful tone. "I can trust you, andI've a notion that my father feels safe in your hands; though he's notconfiding, as a rule."
"If you'll wait a minute we'll give you some coffee," Bethune saidhospitably.
"No, thanks!" replied Aynsley. "I must get back before I'm missed.There'd be trouble if my irascible father guessed why I'd come here."
He jumped into the dinghy and sculled her silently into the mist thatdrifted between the vessels; and half an hour later Clay came off withthe diver in the gig. His face had a gray, pinched look, and Jimmynoticed that he breathed rather hard after the slight effort of gettingon board the sloop.
"I think you had better let me finish the job, sir," he said. "You'd bemore comfortable if you waited quietly on board until we brought up thecase."
"I'm going down," Clay answered shortly. "You might not be able to getat it without my help."
"Anyway, you can wait until we break through the deck. It will shortenthe time you need stay below."
After some demur, Clay agreed to this; but he suggested that Moran andBethune should clear the ground instead of sending his own diver, and ina few minutes they were under water. It was some time before they cameup, and when they had undressed Clay looked hard at Bethune.
"Have you cut the hole?" he asked.
"Yes," said Bethune; "I think it's big enough."
"You didn't go through?"
"No; we'd been down quite long enough."
"Give me that brandy," Clay said to a steward in the waiting gig, andturned to Jimmy when he had drained a small wineglass. "Now we'll get towork as soon as we can."
Jimmy went down the ladder and Clay followed him steadily across thesand. The tide was low, the stream slack, and the dim green water wasfilled with strange refractions of the growing light above. The slooprode overhead, a patch of opaque shadow, and the wreck loomed up, blackand shapeless, in front. They reached her without trouble, and Jimmyswitched on his lamp and carefully cleared Clay's air-pipe and linebefore he crawled into the dark gap. The man seemed to move with greaterease and confidence than he had shown on the previous day, and Jimmyfelt reassured as he guided him along the side of the shaft tunnel.Glancing at the long streamers of weed that wavered mysteriously throughthe gloom, he remembered the sense of fear and shrinking he had had toovercome on his first few descents. It looked as if he need not beanxious about his companion.
It was more difficult to get him into the strong-room, but they enteredit safely and Jimmy saw that Bethune and Moran had thrown up a bank ofsand under the hole between the beams. This would make it easier toreach, but as he was arranging his air-pipe preparatory to entering Claymade an imperative sign. Jimmy felt surprised, because the man obviouslymeant that he was going first. Though it would not be hard to scrambleup after seizing a timber, the feat would require some exertion, andJimmy tried to make this clear, but Clay disregarded his signaledobjections. It was impossible to explain himself properly in pantomime,and, as Clay seemed determined, Jimmy let him go. He might growsuspicious and perhaps combative if force were used to detain him.
Jimmy helped him up, and then felt anxious as Clay's swollen legs andheavy boots disappeared through the hole. The space above must be low,and was probably cumbered with wreckage, but Jimmy saw that Clay'sair-pipe and signal-line ran steadily through the gap, which impliedthat he found no difficulty in moving about. Faint flashes of light,broken up into wavering reflections, came out of the hole and Jimmyswitched off his lamp so that he could see them better. Though he meantto keep his promise to Aynsley, he admitted that the tension he felt wasnot solely on Clay's account. The recovery of the case was of greatimportance to his party, and if they failed to secure it now a change inthe weather might frustrate the next attempt or perhaps place the goldaltogether out of reach.
After a while it struck Jimmy that Clay ought to come out. The man wasunaccustomed to diving and was in precarious health; moreover, if hecould not get at the case, Jimmy meant to try. He pulled the line, andgot a signal in answer that gave him no excuse for interfering; so hewaited until the pipe and line began to run backward. Then a lightflashed sharply as if in warning, and as Jimmy turned on his lamp a darkobject fell from the gap. It was large and square and, striking the sandwith its edge, darkened the disturbed water.
Thrilled with a sense of triumph, Jimmy turned to help Clay, who wascoming out of the hole; but as Clay's legs dangled he lost his grip andfell backward. He did not come down violently, but sank until one foottouched the sand, and then made fantastic contortions. His buoyant dresssupported him and he looked a grotesque figure as he lurched about.Jimmy, however, was alarmed, for it dawned on him that this was not theresult of inexperienced clumsiness. Clay had lost control of his limbs:he was too weak to keep the balance between his heavy helmet and hisweighted boots. Indeed, he was obviously helpless, and it would be adifficult task to get him out of the wreck; but it must be set about atonce.
Jimmy dragged him through the opening into the hold and felt keen reliefwhen he saw that both pipes ran clear; then he guided him to the tunneland, letting him lean on it, pushed him along. Clay was a big, heavyman, but his weight was counteracted by the air in his dress, and hecould be moved with a push almost like a floating object. Sometimes hemoved too far and fell away from the tunnel. Jimmy long afterwardremembered with a shudder the time they spent in reaching the outlet. Hecould not use his lamp, because he needed both hands; and he washorribly afraid that the pipes and lines might get foul. He believedthat he threw Clay down and dragged him out into the open water by hishelmet, but he had only a hazy recollection of the matter.
When they reached the level sand, Jimmy signaled urgently with his line,and got a reply. Then the rope he looped round Clay's shoulderstightened and he guided and steadied him as they were drawn toward theladder. A few moments later Clay was lifted on to the _Cetacea's_ deck,and Jimmy sat down on the cabin top, feeling very limp.
When somebody took off his helmet he saw Clay lying on the deck, withAynsley bending over him holding a spoon to his mouth. Jimmy thought hecould not get him to take the restorative, but he was too dazed andexhausted to notice clearly, and shortly afterward Clay was lifted intothe gig. It headed for the yacht, the crew pulling hard, and Jimmyturned to Bethune.
"I was afraid I couldn't get him up," he said weakly. "He seems prettybad."
"I think he is; but you don't look fit yourself."
"The dizziness is the worst," murmured Jimmy. "I'll go below and liedown. But I'm forgetting; we found the case."
Bethune helped him into the cabin, and made him comfortable on a locker.He had a bad headache and a curious sense of heaviness which grew worsewhen the pain lessened. In a short time, however, he had fallen into adeep sleep.
And while he slept, Moran went b
elow and brought up the case.
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