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Old Gold; or, The Cruise of the "Jason" Brig, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 41. The Slippery Treasure |
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_ CHAPTER FORTY ONE. THE SLIPPERY TREASURE "Don't know that I am pleased," said Sir Humphrey, when his brother and Briscoe told him of the discovery; "but it is very wonderful, and I suppose we may claim the right to all we have found." "Certainly," said Briscoe. "Well, the first thing to be done is to acquaint the captain, Dellow, and Lynton." "Of course," said Briscoe, "and the men must know." "Does it not mean trouble?" said Brace. "I mean with the crew." "No," replied Briscoe; "the skipper has them all well in hand now, and they must be given to understand that every man will take a share of the gold, according to his position. I vote we tell the skipper and mates at once." Ten minutes later they were fully acquainted with the facts, and the captain screwed his face up tightly. "Hah!" he said; "I never aimed at being rich, but I'm not going to quarrel with my luck." "No," said Briscoe, "and I think we ought to take as much of it as we can carry with us." "Well, gentlemen, it's a big find, and I suppose it means half a dozen journeys here to fetch it all to the brig." "We cannot say yet," said Sir Humphrey; "but we ought to get all we can down to the brig at once." "Yes," said Briscoe, "and leave Mr Brace and me here with a couple of men to guard the rest." "No," said Sir Humphrey firmly; "we must keep together. I say: let's load the boats as far as is wise and get as much of the treasure as possible safely to the brig." "And lose all there is left," said Briscoe. "No," replied Brace. "This gold must have kept here in safety for at least a thousand years, so I daresay it will rest till we get back again." "Look here, gentlemen," said the captain; "both these plans sound well, but we can settle which we'll try afterwards. I don't feel that we've got the treasure till the two boats have their loads packed in the bottoms like ballast, well covered with leaves. Let's get as much as we can, and then perhaps it might be well for part of us to stop while the others take down the first part." "The captain is right," said Sir Humphrey: "we'll settle that afterwards: perhaps there is no more than we can take in one journey." This was put to the proof the next morning, when the men, having cheered till they were hoarse at the wondrous news, the party divided: one portion to make their way to the temple, the other to moor the two boats conveniently under the wall below, the captain and Dellow taking the latter duty, with a couple of men to stow, while as soon as Brace, Briscoe, Lynton, and the rest of the men appeared on the lower terrace communication was made with a block pulley and ropes ready for lowering the treasure, a couple of stout biscuit bags being taken from the stores for sending up and down. Brace led the way into the temple, his heart throbbing with eagerness; and, lights having been set up in convenient spots, the threatening aspect of the inanimate guardians of the treasure was soon forgotten, and all set to work to sweep the dust from the ornaments upon the altar, and then to carry them out into the broad sunshine ready for lowering down. A feeling of astonishment attacked Brace as he worked hard, and hardly a word was spoken, everyone busying himself and toiling as if there was not a moment to spare, and a whisper might bring someone to stop them from carrying the treasure away. It was wonderful indeed, for after the thick coating of dust had been shaken off they found that they were handling roughly-formed lamps, figures of gods with benevolent features, those of savage and malignant-looking demons--in fact, what seemed to be the whole pantheon of the idols who might be supposed to preside over the good qualities and evil thoughts of mankind. Most of them had been roughly cast in moulds and left untouched; but others had been hammered and chiselled with an archaic idea of art that was surprising. Then there were ornaments which obviously suggested leaves and twining vines, with rayed flowers sufficiently well executed to show that they had been copied from such as the finders had seen growing on the ledges of the canon. But unmistakeably all were of rich solid pale gold, bronzed and ruddy in places with the action of fire, and, setting aside their value as antique works of art, representing a cash value as gold that was almost startling. Every now and then a figure was attacked and left standing on account of its weight and the party of toilers busy in the weird gloom of the temple paused at last as if half-stunned by the feeling that had come upon them after two men had tried to lift the seated figure of some deity. "Yes, we can't take that," said Briscoe dismally. "We could carry it out, I daresay, but it would go through the bottom of the boat. We shall have to start that old furnace and melt these big things down." Just then two of the men who been carrying a load out on to the terrace came back, bearing a message from the captain. "He says, gentlemen," said one of the men, "that it will be as much as he dare take aboard when we've let down all we've got waiting outside." "Nonsense!" cried Brace; "why, we have ever so much more to send out yet. We can't leave all these small things." "How much weight do you think you have taken out, my lads?" said Sir Humphrey, who was working hard with the rest. "'Bout half a ton, sir, I should say," replied one of the men. "Let's go out and have a talk to the skipper," said Briscoe. "I say, chaps," he added jocosely, "fair play and fair sharing; no pocketing either of those big images while we're gone." "All right, sir," said one of the men: "we won't; but to speak square and honest, I was longing to collar that biggest one at the back there, him with the sign of the sun on his front." "We must fetch them another time," said Briscoe; and he followed the brothers out on to the terrace, where, dully gleaming in the sunshine, quite a couple of hundredweight of the strange objects connected with the ancient worship lay waiting to be lowered down. "Well, captain," said Sir Humphrey, "what does this mean--you can't take any more?" "I'm going to risk what you've got out already, sir," was the reply. "According to the men there's about three hundredweight to lower yet." "At a rough guess, yes," said Brace. "That's the very outside then, and we shall have to beat and hammer a lot of these together with the axeheads to make them take up less room. Look for yourselves." A long and earnest look was directed below, where the boats were packed beneath the thwarts and fore and aft with the treasure, and presented a strange aspect. "Yes, he's quite right," said Briscoe, with a sigh. "Oh, if we only had one of those coal-barges that I've seen lying at anchor in your Thames." "Let's be content, Briscoe, and get these figures aboard. We must not run risks and lose all." "That's wisdom, Sir Humphrey, and I've no more to say. Keep on lowering down, my lads, while we go back. Oh, dear, I wish we hadn't burned all that green stuff that hid the door." "It will soon shoot out and grow again," said Brace; "but we must come back for another load." They went back into the temple to take a look round, lanthorn in hand, and then had literally to drag themselves away from the sight of the vast treasure they were compelled to leave behind. "It's of no use," said Brace. "Come along. The more we look the more unwilling we shall be to leave." "I feel as if I can't leave it. I must stop and take care of the rest, even if I stay alone," said Briscoe. "No," said Brace; "that would be folly. It will be safe enough till we return." "But look here: suppose we build a raft, and load that? We could tow it down with the boats." "Yes," said Brace, "and end by upsetting it and sending all to the bottom." "Look here," said Sir Humphrey: "I am going to set you both a good example." He hurried out into the light, while after another glance round Briscoe said slowly: "Yes, a raft would end by shooting it all off into the river. Let's make sure of what we've got." And, rushing out, he set steadily to work helping to get the objects still waiting down to the boat, and then he was the first to lead the way and mount from terrace to terrace to the slope and by the way to the great tank, where the water was making a strange reverberating sound. "That noise is enough to keep the Indians away," he said to Brace, as he paused with him till all the men had passed. "It's as good as a safe." When all were down, the L-shaped entrance was carefully blocked with stones and covered with rubbish, earth, and growing plants, so that there was no sign of the place having been disturbed, and by that time the boats were back at their moorings, with the captain shaking his head at them. "More than we ought to take," he said; "but we'll risk it, and hope for fine weather. Now, gentlemen, as we've made our fortunes, let's have the good dinner Dan has got ready for us, and then I say: all traps aboard and down stream for the brig." "Ready to come up again for another load," said Briscoe. "Well," said the captain slowly, "if we can." The dinner was eaten, and various cooking-articles were replaced in the boat. "Now then," said the captain; "all aboard!" "Three cheers first, lads," cried one of the men; "for we shall have our gold now without washing for it." They gave three hearty cheers, and as the last was echoing from the opposite side of the canon every man stood as if petrified, for it was answered by a savage yell which seemed to come from a couple of thousand throats; and as there was a rush to where, from the water steps, they could gaze up stream it was to see quite a fleet of small canoes, each of which held four or five Indians, bearing steadily down for where the boats were moored. _ |
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