CHAPTER IX
BOB'S LAST LAND JOKE
Returning home, Bob said nothing to his mother about what CaptainObed had said. The boy wanted to think more about it. If he couldcombine a treasure hunt with his sea voyage it would be a finething. Besides, why should not the old man know something of hiddentreasure? He had sailed in many waters and been on many ships. Bobdecided he would visit him that night.
Accordingly, when it grew dusk, he set off for the lonely housewhere the old sailor lived. It was quite a walk, but in hiseagerness Bob covered the ground in short time. As he was passing aclump of bushes, not far from his destination, he was surprised tohear a voice calling sharply from the darkness:
"Avast there!"
"Who is it?" asked Bob.
"It's me," replied Captain Obed in his husky voice. "I hid out hereto signal you so's you wouldn't be followed."
"Followed? Who by?"
"By persons anxious to get hold of the secret map that tells of thetreasure buried on the island. Are you all alone, Bob?"
"Of course."
"Then go ahead into my house. I'll follow as soon as I've taken anobservation."
The boy thought the old man must be rather queer to imagine any onewould try to steal his secret, if secret he had. Bob was halfinclined to give the whole thing up. But he walked on, and was sooninside the rather humble home of the retired mariner. PresentlyCaptain Obed entered and quickly closed the door.
"Have to be very careful--very careful," he said in a whisper. "Ifany one knowed I had this map they'd rob me of it."
He pulled down the shades of the windows, and then carefully lockingthe door he went to another room. Bob heard him fumbling about, andsoon the old man came out with a yellowish piece of paper in hishand.
"Feel of it," he said to Bob.
Bob did so. It was stiff and crackly.
"Parchment--parchment," whispered Captain Obed. "The map is drawedon parchment--that's sheepskin instead of paper. He wanted it tolast for years and years."
"Who did?"
Once more Captain Obed looked around to see if by chance any one hadstolen into the room. He made Bob rather nervous.
"Captain Kidd," he answered in a lower whisper than he had yet used."Captain Kidd drawed that map. It gives the real secret of hisburied treasure. I'm the only one that knows where it is. There'slots of maps of Captain Kidd's treasure, but I've got the only realone. All them others was jest drawed so as to fool folks. An' theydid fool 'em. 'Cause why? 'Cause nobody ain't never yet found thecaptain's treasure. But you'll find it, an' you'll bring it home toCaptain Obed, won't you, Bob? Of course you will. You're a goodboy, and if you bring it home safe, why, I'll give you"--he pausedand seemed to make a great effort--"yes, I'll give you a hundreddollars, or maybe a hundred and fifty. There! What do you say tothat?"
"How much treasure is there?" asked Bob, hardly knowing whether tolaugh at the old man or take him seriously.
"How much? It must be near a million dollars. O h, there's lots oftreasure!"
It struck Bob that if there was that amount he would not be gettingmuch for his share.
"Now you take that map," went on Captain Obed. "It gives the exactlocation or the island, and shows where the treasure is buried onit, right in the center of a place where four trees grow. Theisland is about eighty-two degrees west longitude and twenty-onedegrees south latitude. It'll be easy to locate. Just cruise aboutin that locality for a few days and you'll find it. Then dig up thetreasure."
"But suppose Captain Spark doesn't want to cruise around there?It's his ship."
"Oh, you give him twenty-five dollars or so--out of your share, mindyou--and he'll be glad enough to do it. Now, Bob, I rely on you.You're the only one I ever told my secret to, and I want you to keepit close. Don't let 'em get that map away from you. They'lltry--oh, they'll try dreadful hard. I got it from my grandfather,who had it direct from Captain Kidd himself, so I know it's correct.Now, Bob, you'd better go. Take good care of the map and bring methe treasure."
He thrust the yellow, crackling piece of parchment into Bob's handsand opened the door.
"Put it in your pocket," he cautioned as Bob went out. "Some onemight see you."
Now Bob was quite a level-headed youth, and though he knew thatsometimes treasure might be found on islands in the ocean, where ithad been hidden by modern pirates or illegal pearl fishers, he didnot take much stock in what Captain Obed had told him.
Still he thought it would be no harm to take the parchment and showit to Captain Spark. That seasoned mariner would soon be able totell if it was worth anything. At any rate, Bob was not going tolie awake at night over the possibility--the very smallpossibility--of securing the treasure.
"Guess I'll have to make a better bargain for my share of it beforeI do much searching," he decided.
The boy said nothing to his parents about the parchment map. Hepreferred letting Captain Spark know of it first, as that seemedfairer to the old sailor who had given it to him. Then, as the timewas drawing nearer to the date of sailing, Bob's thoughts dwelt moreand more on his prospective trip.
"Don't you notice quite a change in Bob?" asked Mrs. Henderson ofher husband the next day. "He seems to have settled down, and hehasn't played a joke in a long time."
"No, he hasn't. But you know the proverb about a new broom sweepingclean. Just now Bob's mind is so full of the sea that he thinks ofnothing else. Wait a while. If he gets away with Captain Sparkwithout playing some sort of a trick before he goes I'll beagreeably disappointed."
"I think he will. I'm so glad the captain came to pay us a visitwhen he did. It was a lucky thing for Bob."
"I think it was. He was getting quite reckless in his pranks."
The subject of this conversation was, of course, not aware of it.The truth was that Bob was fairly holding himself in. He saw manyopportunities to play jokes--more, in fact, than he had ever seenbefore. It was a great temptation to indulge in pranks, but hereflected that if he got into any more trouble he might not beallowed to take the sea voyage.
"And I wouldn't want that to happen for the world," he said tohimself. "Still I know a couple of dandy jokes I could play beforeI go. Maybe I might get Ted Neefus to do 'em, but I don't believehe could do 'em as good as I can."
Bob was pondering over the rather queer fact to him that old folksdon't care half as much for jokes as boys do, when his mother askedhim to go on an errand for her. This was to take a message to Mrs.Dodson, who lived in a large house on a hill just outside thevillage. She was quite wealthy, and Mrs. Henderson used to do somefine embroidering for her.
Bob, who was always ready to oblige his mother, took the package ofsewing and the note which went with it and started off. On the wayhe passed the wagon of a certain old crusty farmer he knew. Thevehicle was in front of a house where the farmer had gone to sellsome butter and eggs. Dangling from the back of the wagon was along rope, and it was a great temptation to Bob to take the rope andtie one of the rear wheels so that it would not revolve. Thefarmer, coming out in a hurry, would not notice it, and would wonderwhat was the matter when he started to drive off.
"But I guess I'd better not," thought Bob with a sigh. "He'd be sureto tell dad, and then I'd be in more trouble. I've got a prettygood reputation since the donation supper, and I don't want to spoilit."
Bob delivered the embroidery and note to Mrs. Dodson, and was on hisway back home when he saw Susan Skipper, Mrs. Dodson's hired girl,and Dent Freeman, the hired man of the place, washing the big frontwindows of the house--that is, Dent was washing them, perched upon astep-ladder, for Susan was quite heavy and was afraid to trustherself very high in the air. However, she was doing her share byhanding up pails of warm water to Dent.
Now Dent and Susan, as Bob well knew, were what the country peoplecall "sweet" on one another. Susan was very fond of the hired man,and as for Dent, he thought there never had been a better cook thanSusan. They lost no chance
of talking to each other, and as thewindow-cleaning operations afforded them a good opportunity, theywere taking advantage of it.
All at once a daring plan came into Bob's mind. It seemed as if hecould not resist it, for he thought of what he considered a fine"joke."
As he was well acquainted with the hired man and cook he walkedtoward them. Perhaps he would not have been flattered if he hadheard what they said as he approached.
"Here comes that Henderson lad," remarked Dent. "He's allers up tosome trick. Look out for him, Susan."
"Oh, I can look out for myself. It's you that wants to be cautious.He'd just like to spill your pail of water."
So they did not look with much favor on Bob's appearance. However,Bob, once he had set his mind on a bit of mischief, knew how tocarry it through.
"Hello, Dent," he said good-naturedly. "Dad wants to know if youhave any more of that rheumatic medicine you made. It fixed him upin great shape."
This was true enough, though Mr. Henderson had not given the messageto Bob that day, having some time previously requested him todeliver it the first chance he got.
"Sure I have some more," replied the hired man. If he was open toflattery on any point, it was on his skill as a maker of rheumatismcures. He had tried several, and had at last decided that he hadhit on one that was infallible. He had a notion of setting up inthe drug business. "I'll get you a bottle if you wait a while,Bob," he said.
"I'll wait."
This was not very welcome news to Susan. She wanted to have aprivate conversation with Dent, and she could not while Bob waspresent. But the boy's plan was not completed.
As he stood idly by the step-ladder, on the top of which was Dentwashing away at the windows, with the pail of warm water beside him,Bob appeared to be toying with a bit of string.
"I don't s'pose you have any doughnuts left, Susan?" he venturedrather wistfully.
Now Susan had not forgiven Bob for a little joke he had played onher some time before, so at his hint, to show her displeasure, sheturned her back and did not answer. This was just what Bob wanted.
Looking up to see that Dent was not observing him, he passed one endof the string about the step-ladder. Tying it securely, he fastenedthe other end to Susan's apron strings in such a manner that itwould not pull off.
"I'll wait for you out in the barn," he said to Dent when it becameevident that Susan was not going to take the hint and get thedoughnuts. In fact, Bob, much as he liked them, would have beendisappointed if she had gone in for some. He wanted to get out ofthe way before a certain thing happened.
He strolled off, but instead of going to the barn he hid around thecorner of the house. Susan and Dent conversed for several minuteslonger, the man meanwhile busy at the windows. Then the cook,hearing her mistress calling her, started for the house in a hurry.
The result was disastrous. As she started off the string tied tothe ladder and her apron tightened. As Susan was a woman of heavyweight, it did not take much effort on her part to pull over theladder, together with Dent and the pail of water.
Dent came down to the ground, fortunately landing on his feet like acat. The pail of water described a graceful curve and splashed onboth Susan and the man. The cook, whose feet became tangled up inthe falling ladder, slipped and fell, knocking Dent down, and therethey were in a heap, both soaking wet.
And that was Bob's "joke." Hidden around the corner of the house,he laughed so he almost betrayed his position.
"Oh, that's too funny!" he whispered. "It was like clowns in acircus!"