Adventure stories; Love stories; Treasure troves -- Fiction
As the more agile of the quartet, the young man was first on his feet.
He tenderly assisted Ruth to rise, while the others scrambled up
unaided.
"Are you hurt?" Drew asked the girl solicitously.
"Not a bit," she answered pluckily, and Drew reflected on what a
thoroughbred she was.
The others also had sustained no injury. But their forebodings as to
their safety on the island had been quickened by this striking example
of nature's restlessness. The giant in the volcano was not dead. He
was uneasy and had turned in his sleep. It was as though he resented
the coming of these interlopers, and was giving them warning to go away
and leave him undisturbed.
"Now if I was superstitious," remarked Tyke, "I should say that
something was trying to keep us from getting this treasure."
"Let it try then," said the captain grimly. "We haven't come as far as
this to turn tail and run just when we're on the point of getting what
we came for."
"Good for you, Daddy!" cried Ruth gaily. "We're bound to have that
treasure."
They quickened their steps now. This was no time for leisurely
investigation of the phenomena of earthquakes. They soon reached the
point they had attained the day before. But as they had explored that
section of the hillside already, they did not halt there, but pushed on
to the west.
"Now," said the captain, as he and Drew disburdened themselves of the
spades and mattocks they had brought along, carefully wrapped under the
guise of surveyors instruments, "we'll go at this thing in a scientific
way. We'll make a rough division of this whole section"--he included
with a wave of his hand a space half a mile square--"into four parts.
No, three parts. Tyke must rest his leg. Then each must search his
section to find some rocks that look like those beauties marked on the
map."
The three scattered promptly, and began the search. They looked
diligently, but for a long time found nothing to reward their efforts.
Drew tried as conscientiously as the rest, although at times he could
not make his eyes behave, and his gaze would wander over in Ruth's
direction. It was in one of these lapses from industry that he saw her
lift her arm and wave eagerly in his direction. He did not wait for a
second summons, but hurried over, after calling to the others to follow.
The girl was flushed and excited.
"What have you found?" Drew asked, as soon as he got within speaking
distance.
"Look!" she answered. "Doesn't that big rock over there seem to you
like a witch's head--wild and ragged locks, and all that?"
From where he was then standing, he could trace no resemblance, but
when he reached her side and looked from the same angle he raised a
shout.
"The very thing!" he cried. "There can't be any doubt of it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account