From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER TEN.

  DISCOVERY OF THE SMUGGLERS' TREASURE.

  Bill waved his torch on one side and peered forward. "It looks like aman, but it doesn't move. It's only a figure, Jack," he answered. "I'mnot afraid of it. Come on! we'll soon see what it is."

  Jack was ashamed of lagging behind, and accompanied him.

  The object which had frightened Jack was soon discovered to be merely astalactite--a mass of hardened water. Similar formations now appearedon both sides of the cavern, some hanging from the roof, others in theform of pillars and arches; indeed, the whole cavern looked like theinterior of a Gothic building in ruins.

  Other figures still more strange were seen, as if starting out fromrecesses or doorways on both sides.

  "Well! this is a strange place. I never saw or heard of anything likeit," exclaimed Jack, when he found how harmless all the ghosts reallywere.

  In many places the roof and sides shone and glittered as if covered withprecious stones. Even Bill began to fancy that they had got into someenchanted cavern. The ground was covered in most places with the samesubstance, and so rough that they could make but slow progress.

  They were about to turn back for fear of their torches going out whenthey reached a low archway. Curiosity prompted them to enter, whichthey could do by stooping down. After going a short distance they foundthemselves in a still larger cavern, almost circular, like a vast hall,the roof and sides ornamented by nature in the same curious fashion,though still more profusely.

  "It won't do to stop here," said Bill, "but we'll come back again andhave another look at it with fresh torches. Hallo! what's that?"

  Jack started as he had before done, as if he were not altogethercomfortable in his mind. He had never heard anything about enchantedcaverns, but a strange dread had seized him. He had an idea that theplace must be the abode of ghosts or spirits of some sort, and that Billhad seen one.

  Bill hurrying forward, the light of his torch fell on a pile composed ofbales and chests, and casks, and various other articles.

  The place had evidently been used as a store-room by persons who musthave considered that it was not likely to be discovered.

  As their torches were by this time nearly burnt out, they could notventure to stop and examine the goods, but had to hurry back as fast asthey could. They had managed to get through the narrow passage, and hadmade some progress in their return, when both of them were obliged tolet their torches drop, as they could no longer hold them withoutburning their hands. They might have lighted their candles, had theybeen in any difficulty, but their fire enabled them to find their wayalong, though they stumbled frequently over the inequalities of theground, and once or twice Jack clutched Bill's arm, exclaiming, "Sure!there's some one! I saw him move! Can any of the soldiers have come tolook for us?"

  "Not with such a storm as there is now raging outside," answered Bill."It was only one of the marble figures."

  Presently Jack again cried out, "There! I saw another moving. I'm sureof it this time. It's a ghost if it isn't a man."

  "Well! if it is a ghost it won't hurt us," answered Bill; "but the onlyghosts hereabouts are those curious figures, which can't move from theirplaces. For my part, I don't believe there are such things as ghosts atall going about to frighten people. The only one I ever heard tell ofwas `The Cock Lane Ghost', and that was found out to be a sham longago."

  Jack regained his courage as they approached the fire, and both beingpretty well tired, they were glad to sit down and talk about thewonderful store of goods they had discovered. Jack was afraid that theowners might come back to look for their property and discover them, butBill was of opinion that they had been placed there by a party ofsmugglers, who had gone away and been lost without telling any one wherethey had stowed their goods.

  From the appearance of the bales and chests he thought that they hadbeen there for some time. Another visit would enable them to ascertainthis, and they resolved to make it without delay.

  They were becoming very sleepy, for they had been many hours on foot andthe night was far advanced. Before lying down, however, Bill said hewished to see how the storm was getting on.

  It was making a dreadful uproar in the cavern, and he wanted toascertain what chance there was of the waves washing in. There was notmuch risk, to be sure, of their reaching as far as they then were, butit was as well to be on the safe side, and if there was a likelihood ofit they would move farther up and carry their provisions and store offuel with them, the only property they possessed.

  They set out together, Jack keeping a little behind Bill for though hewas as brave as any lad need be in the daylight, or out at sea, he didnot somehow, he confessed, feel like himself in that dark cavern, filledwith the roaring, howling, shrieking noises caused by the gale.

  They got on very well till they rounded the rock, when they met a blast,driving a sheet of fine spray in their faces, which well-nigh blindedthem, and forced them back. They notwithstanding made their way forsome distance, till Bill began to think that it would be wise to go nofarther.

  Every now and then a bright glare filled the cavern, caused by theflashes of lightning darting from the clouds; while, as each sea rolledin, the whole mouth was filled as it were by a sheet of foaming water,part of which, striking the roof, fell back into the ocean, while aportion rushed up the floor, almost to where they were standing.

  "It's bad enough now," shouted Jack, for they could only make each otherhear by speaking at the top of their voices. "What will it be when it'shigh tide?"

  "Perhaps it won't be much worse than it is now," answered Bill. "Weshall be safe enough at our hiding-place, and if it gets up much higherit will give us notice of its coming, and allow us to retreat in goodtime."

  They accordingly got back to their fire, the embers of which enabledthem to dry their clothes. They then lay down, and, in spite of thestorm and the hubbub it was creating, were soon fast asleep.

  Had it not been for feeling very hungry, they might have slept on tillpast noon of the next day. Awaking, they found their fire completelygone out. What o'clock it was they could not tell. They were in totaldarkness, while the tempest roared away as loudly as ever.

  They, however, lighted a candle, and ate some breakfast. To wash itdown they had to get water from the spring, which was so much nearer theentrance of the cavern. They accordingly put out their candle, andgroped their way round the rock. On seeing light streaming through theentrance, they knew that at all events it was no longer night.

  The sea was rising over the ledge at the mouth, tossing and tumblingwith foam-topped billows, and rolling up along the floor of the cavernin a seething mass of froth.

  They saw how high it had come, and had no reason to fear that it wouldrise farther.

  They now made their way to the spring, and drank heartily.

  "We ought to be thankful that we are in so snug a place," observed Bill;"but I tell you, we must take care not to eat up all our food in ahurry, or we may find it a hard matter to get more. The wind appears tohave driven the sea over on this shore, and I doubt whether we shall beable to make our way along the beach even at low water."

  Jack did not at all like the idea of starving, but he saw that it wouldbe wise to follow Bill's advice.

  They had food enough to last them for three days, as Jeannette had putup a double allowance; but the gale might blow much longer than that,and then what should they do?

  "It's no use troubling ourselves too much about the matter till the timecomes," observed Bill; "only we must be careful not to eat more than isnecessary to keep body and soul together."

  As they had found a fire very useful and pleasant, they went down asclose as they could venture to the water, and employed themselves incollecting all the driftwood and chips they could find. They agreedthat they would do the same every day, so as to have a good stock offuel. They wanted also to secure some pieces which might serve astorches, so that they could examine the smugglers' store as
they calledit, which they had discovered.

  They carried their wood and placed it on the soft warm sand, where itwould dry more rapidly, for in its present state it would not serve tokindle a fire. They had, however, some dry pieces which would answerthat purpose, and they judged rightly that they might place the dampwood on the top of their fire, when it would burn in time.

  Most of the day was employed in this manner. Even after the tide wentout they found a number of pieces washed up along the sides of thecavern. The seas, however, rolled so far up the beach that they wereafraid of descending, or they might have obtained much more.

  When it grew dark they returned to their camp, lighted the fire, andmade themselves comfortable.

  It was difficult to keep to their resolution of eating only a verylittle food, and Bill had to stop Jack before he thought he had had halfenough.

  "I don't want to stint you," he said, "but recollect you will be cryingout when our stock comes to an end, and wishing you had not eaten it."

  As they had had so long a sleep, neither of them was inclined to turnin; and Bill proposed that they should examine the smugglers' store.

  They had several pieces of wood which they thought would burn as thefirst had done, and each taking three, with a candle to be used in caseof emergency, they set out.

  They found their way easily enough; but Jack, as before, did not feelquite comfortable as he saw the strange figures, which seemed to beflitting about the sides of the cavern; sometimes, too, he fancied thathe detected faces grinning down upon him from the roof, and more thanonce he declared positively that he had caught sight of a figure robedin white stealing along in front of them.

  Bill each time answered with a laugh.

  "Never mind. We shall catch it up if it's a ghost, and we'll make itcarry a torch and go ahead to light us."

  As they moved on more rapidly than before, they were able to reach theinner cavern before either of their torches was much more than halfburned through. They thought it wiser to keep both alight at a time, incase one should accidentally go out, and they should be unable to lightit again with a match.

  With feelings of intense curiosity they approached the smugglers' store.Both agreed, as they examined it, that the goods must have been therefor some time; but the place being very dry (probably it was chosen onthat account), they did not appear to be much damaged. The goods, asfar as they could judge, were English.

  There were many bales of linen and cloth. One of the cases which theyforced open contained cutlery, and another was full of pistols; and fromthe weight of several which they did not attempt to open, they judgedthat they also contained firearms.

  There were two small chests placed on the top of the others. They werestrongly secured; but by means of a sharp stone, which served as achisel, and another as a hammer, they managed to break one of them open.What was their surprise to find the case full of gold pieces! They hadlittle doubt that the other also contained money. They, neither ofthem, had ever seen so much gold before.

  "What shall we do with it?" cried Jack. "There's enough here to letmother live like a lady till the end of her days, without going to sellfish at the market."

  "It is not ours, it belongs to somebody," said Bill.

  "That somebody will never come to claim it," answered Jack. "Depend onit, he's gone to the bottom, or ended his days somehow long ago, or hewould have come back before this. These goods have been here formonths, or years maybe, by the look of the packages; and depend on itthe owners would not have let them stay where they are, if they couldhave come back to fetch them away."

  "But gold pieces won't help us to buy food while we are shut up in thecavern. A few Dutch cheeses, with a cask of biscuits, would have beenof more value," observed Bill.

  "You are right," said Jack. "Still, I vote that we fill our pockets, sothat if we have to hurry away, and have no time to came back here, wemay carry some of the gold with us."

  Bill could not make up his mind to do this. The gold was not theirs, ofthat he felt sure, and Jack could not persuade him to overcome theprinciple he had always stuck to, of not taking, under anycircumstances, what was not lawfully his own. If the owners were dead,it belonged to their heirs.

  Jack did not see this so clearly. The money had been lost, and they hadfound it, and having found it, they had a right to it.

  They must not, however, lose time by arguing the point. Jack put ahandful or two of the money into his pocket.

  Bill kept his fingers out of the box; he did not want the money, and hehad no right to it.

  There were several other articles they had not examined, among whichwere some small casks. Jack, finding that his torch was almost burninghis fingers, was obliged to let it drop. Before he lighted another,however, Bill's torch affording sufficient light for the purpose, hemanaged to knock in the head of one of the small casks, which he foundfilled with little black grains. He tasted them.

  "Keep away, Bill--keep away!" he shouted, in an agitated tone, "This isgunpowder!"

  Had Jack held his torch a few seconds longer in his hand, he and Billwould have been blown to atoms--the very cavern itself would have beenshattered, to the great astonishment of the neighbouring population, whowould, however, never have discovered the cause of the explosion,although Jeannette Turgot might have guessed at it.

  "It's a mercy we didn't blow ourselves up," said Jack. "I was justgoing to take my torch to look at these casks."

  He hunted about for all of the same description, and rolled them into aplace by themselves.

  "We must take care what we are about if we come here again withtorches," he said.

  Bill agreed with him.

  After all, of what use to them was the treasure they had discovered.The cloth and linen were much more serviceable, as they could makebedding of them.

  "I don't see why we should not try to make jackets and trousers forourselves," observed Bill. "This cloth will be fine stuff for thepurpose, and as the cold weather is coming on we shall be glad of somewarm clothing."

  "But how are we going to make them?" asked Jack.

  "The linen will serve us for thread, and I must see about making someneedles of wood if we can't get anything better," answered Bill."However, we'll think about that by-and-by; it's time to return to ourcamp, we may be left in the dark."

  They accordingly loaded themselves with as much of the linen and clothas they could carry, cutting off pieces with their knives. They couldreturn, they agreed, for more if this was not enough.

  Bill was not quite consistent in taking the cloth when he would nottouch the money, but it did not occur to him for a moment that he waswrong in appropriating it, or he would have refused to do so. Had heargued the point, he would have found it very difficult to settle. Onething was certain, that the owners were never likely to make anycomplaint on the subject.

  They got back to their fire without much difficulty, and having raked ittogether, and put on fresh wood, they made their beds with the cloththey had brought, said their prayers in a thankful spirit, and slept farmore comfortably than they had done since they had taken possession ofthe cavern.