Part 24 (1/2)
CHAPTER XVII
THE WONDERFUL PORTABLE FORT
On the return of the party to their home that evening the events of the day were discussed to the exclusion of everything else, and now was the opportunity for the boys to learn something about the other cave, of which John had given a meager account.
”Would you object to telling us what the wonderful things were which you saw in the cave at the western part of the island?” was Tom's inquiry.
”Not in the least. The s.h.i.+p on which we sailed from San Francisco contained the charts of several caves, one of which was that of the cave I referred to. I saw the treasure there with my own eyes, and I can direct you to it, because, notwithstanding the stress of my surroundings, I took the bearings, on the following day, and it will not be difficult to locate it.”
”Did you remember the circ.u.mstances of the visit to the place where we were being pursued by the savages?”
John looked at the Professor, and then at the boys. ”I do not remember such an occurrence,” he answered.
”But I would like to ask the Professor a question,” exclaimed George.
”What was it that made you give us that quick advice to leave the mouth of the cave when we wanted it as a hiding place?”
”I saw from the carefully hidden, but trodden, path, that some one must have used it as a place of refuge, and concluded that as it was so near the village it might have been some of the clans of the tribe, either as a place of concealment from their enemies, in case of attack, or by some of the so-called religious communities which many of the tribes have.”
”In what way did you discover that this cave had been charted?”
”First by the peculiarity, that it had two entrances, on opposite sides of a hill, and secondly, by the singular internal arrangement, which stated that within the corridors and the chambers const.i.tuted a cross, and the treasures were to be found at the extremities of the cross limbs, within the two large chambers.”
”Then you knew of the existence of this island, before you sailed?”
”No; the chart merely described the characteristics of the caverns, but stated they were located on islands in the South Seas.”
”Do you think our cave here is one of them?”
”I do not think so, as I do not recall any description which would fit this cave, except the two entrances, and that is not uncommon.”
”The chart stated that there was another cave fifteen leagues to the southeast of that cave, which also contained treasure, and that was the princ.i.p.al reason why I traveled in that direction, and thus found myself in the savage-inhabited part of the island.”
”Fifteen leagues? How far would that be?”
”Forty-five miles.”
Nothing more was needed as a stimulus for the boys. They had truly been thrown on an island of wonder.
”Why is it,” asked Ralph, ”that so much of the treasure of the world was hidden in these out-of-the-way places by the pirates?”
”I imagine,” replied John, ”that they didn't have much confidence in the rest of the world. The manner in which they got most of the money was by acts of piracy on the high seas, and it was necessary to hide the proceeds of the robberies as fast as acquired, because if they should be captured, its possession would at once seal their doom. These hidden treasures are distributed over every part of the world. As to the other part of your question, the vast h.o.a.rds of gold and silver so distributed, formed a very small part of the wealth of the old world. It is not known how vast a sum Pizarro took from the Inca in Peru, but it is estimated variously at from twelve to twenty tons.”
The boys opened their eyes in astonishment.
”How much would that be worth in money?”
”Counting it at the present value of gold, every pennyweight would be worth a dollar.”
”Let me see; twenty pennyweights in an ounce, and twelve ounces in a pound; that would be two hundred and forty dollars in a pound.”