CHAPTER IX
OPENING THE STRANGE BOX
"Didn't you get it, Jack?" asked Josh, carefully, as the Commodorejoined the eager group beside the tent. "We all near broke our necksa-tryin' to see; and I say you grabbed the box; but Buster here seems asset on it that you had to give up the job, because you got back so fast.Here, what d'ye think of that, Buster? See what he's a-carryin' underhis arm, would you? It takes Jack to do things with a rush, and yetnever have a breakdown!"
"Less noise, Josh!" cautioned Jack, "you forget who's so close by. Evenif the wind does rattle the new leaves on the trees, and the water churnagainst the rocks on the shore, they might happen to hear you. Lowerthat sharp voice of yours when you say 'Told you so'!"
All the same every one of his five companions seemed delighted with hissuccess. Buster had to even put out his hand and touch the box, beforehe would actually be convinced. Buster, you see, was something of aDoubting Thomas; he might take other people's word on occasion; but hepreferred to actually know that things were so, from his own experience.
"Why, it is a box, sure as you live," he was heard to mutter, as thoughsurprised that the whole thing did not turn out to be just a dream; andthat he would soon wake up.
"And is it heavy, Jack?" asked George, anxiously.
"Oh! just so-so," answered the hero of the raid, as he passed thearticle in question around, so that everybody could get the heft of it,even Buster.
It was laughable to see the way the fat boy took hold of the littlechest; but then each one firmly believed that it contained quite alittle fortune, and consequently there was something of due reverencefor wealth in his way of handling the thing.
"I bet you they'll be hoppin' mad when they find out it's been sneakedaway from them after all their bully trouble in hidin' the same,"ventured Buster.
"Yes, and to think of the cuteness of that fellow makin' out that it wasgoing to be reckoned just a regular little grave," said George, with achuckle. "Guess he thought that nobody would ever dare dig it up then,because they say, it's sure a sign of bad luck to disturb a body."
"But what are we going to do now?" demanded Josh.
"Jack, darlint, ain't we a-goin' to open the box, and say for oursilveswhat lies inside?" asked Andy. "Sure, 'tis mesilf that'd loike tell falewith me own hands all the money it must contain. 'Tis a bank cashier I'mintindin' to be some foine day, and I loike nothin' better than tohandle cash."
"Me too," echoed Josh.
In fact, that was just what every fellow must have been thinking aboutthen; for they were pressing closely around Jack, who had once moretaken the box into his charge.
"But how can we ever see anything when we ain't got a light, and don'tdare start one for fear of being discovered?" remarked doubting George,who as a rule could far excel Buster in this particular of beingskeptical.
"How about the stars; ain't they enough to let a feller see just alittle?" asked Josh.
"Jack, what do you say?" came from Herb, willing to let the Commodoredecide the question once and for all.
"First, let's sit down and try to keep quiet for a little while,"responded the boy who had been appealed to, "because, unless I miss myguess, we're going to have all the light we want to right away now."
As the others followed his example, and dropped upon the ground,pressing closely together, so that they could get their heads in a smallcircle, and be able to do some more talking, Buster was heard to say,appealingly:
"Now, just what do you mean by that remark, Jack, I'd like to know?Where would we get so much light? Anybody got a flash torch along? No,that's where we made a big mistake, you see, forgettin' so important athing. Speak up, Jack, and let's know all about it, please."
"Even if we did forget," replied Jack, "we're going to have the biggesttorch you ever heard tell of, pretty soon; and that'll give us all thelight we want, take it from me, Buster."
The fat boy moved a little uneasily.
"Whee! I hope now, Jack, it ain't anything like the woods on fire yougot in mind," he asked, with a sudden vein of alarm in his voice; forBuster had once passed through a very unpleasant experience while in ablazing forest, and often had bad dreams on that account.
Josh made a scornful sound, which was a favorite habit of his wheneverhe wished to convey the idea that he looked on some remark of the stoutboy as indicating an unsound mind.
"And us out here on a measly little old island in the middle of the oldMississippi, at that?" he observed, caustically, and then wound up withanother "Huh!"
Jack at another time would have been amused to hear these two go at it,hammer and tongs; but the present was hardly an appropriate time for anysort of a dispute or even discussion.
"Suppose you fellows take a look around," he remarked, "and perhapsafter that you won't need to ask me where I'm going to get my torch."
After all it was sharp-eyed Andy who made the discovery.
"Arrah! and sure 'tis the moon he manes!" exclaimed the Irish lad.
"The moon," echoed George, "now wherever do you see any signs of thatsame thing, I'd like to know?"
"Would you look at George, starin' as hard as he can right into thewest?" mocked Josh. "Since when has the moon taken to risin' across theriver, George? Reckon you're a little mixed in your directions, ain'tyou? Been bobbing over that engine of yours so much you get off yourbase. That's right, turn your head around, and you'll see what Jackmeans."
There, somewhere not far from in the east the sky was brightening alongthe horizon which they could manage to see beyond the tumbling water ofthe river. Without a doubt it was the coming moon, sending a few shredsof her silvery light in advance to paint the way.
"I c'n see the tip of her face right now, apeekin' above the line oftrees away over there on the shore," announced Josh, with a slight veinof exultation in his partly suppressed voice.
"That's roight!" agreed Andy.
As they stood there and looked sure enough the edge of the moon began toslowly creep into sight. At first it seemed just for all the worldlike a silver pencil marking a bright eyebrow above the horizon; butgradually this extended, growing more pronounced all the while, untileven a child could tell that it was the moon making her nightly bow tothe darkened world below.
Not another word was said until every part of her now sadly battereddisc had come into view. The moon was not near so beautiful as on thethird night previous, when full; but there was still a deal of lightshining from that yellow glove hung up there in the heavens like a hugelantern.
"She'll do the business all right, Jack--!" ventured Buster, just asthough he had been rather uncertain up to then.
"You just bet she will, bully old moon!" declared George, who waspossibly more inclined to be sentimental than any of the six boys.
"Say when, Jack," urged Josh; meaning by this that he hoped the otherwould not think the time had arrived to rip the cover off the littlebox, so that they could all have a peep at its glorious contents, beforeit was stowed safely away aboard one of the motor boats.
Jack looked a little doubtingly at the moon, just hanging above thehorizon. "Not near as much light as she'll be giving when she getshigher," he said, softly; "but then, I guess we can't wait for that. Youfellows would just die with anxiety if you couldn't see pretty soon."
But while Jack was saying these caustic words, of course he did not meananything. Why, he was just about as keen on wanting to see the contentsof the box as any one of his chums. That was only a boy's way ofexpressing himself.
Had there been no need of caution Jack could have knocked the lid off thatbox in short order, by taking the camp hatchet, and making use of it.The job was not apt to prove quite so easy when he found himselfcompelled to simply pry with the sharp edge of the said little axe.
He worked busily for several minutes, while the balance of the boyshovered over him, making various suggestions, and even wanting to showJack how it ought to be done; for of course every fellow considered thathe could accomplish the task better than any
one else.
But Jack knew what he was about, and so he declined to hand over his jobto the next one. He had managed by dint of pressure to get the edge ofthe blade inserted under what seemed to be the lid of the box, and wasnow engaged in prying it up, a little at a time.
"Don't bother Jack so, you fellows," warned Herb, who was apparentlyquite satisfied with the way things were going. "Leave him alone, andhe'll fix it all right. He always does, you know. There you c'n see thelid's coming right along. Another pry like that, and you'll have her,Jack. Eureka! there she rises, boys! He's done it!"
Jack calmly bent the lid fully back, and then pried it loose, so that itfell over on the ground. Then he took the little box up in his arms andturned to get the full light of the low moon.
"Jack first, fellers!" cautioned Josh, "don't you all crowd the mournersso. Let him take a peek, and then the rest of us c'n feast our eyes onall that bully money and stuff. Keep back, Buster, you ain't the firstin line; that's George, and me, I'm second choice. Look at the stuffJack's a-pullin' out, would you? Seems like rags or somethin' like that,to me. Reckon they just stuffed the top of the box full to keep thecoin from rattling around like. What's ailing Jack, fellers? See hima-starin' in like he seen a ghost. Gee! but it must be a great sight,all that boodle from the bank, to make our partner stare like that.George, get a move on you, and step up. You're next, you know. Nocrowdin', Buster. Keep your place in line, can't you?"
Jack was indeed standing there, and staring into the opened box asthough he had received something of a shock; but over his face therebegan to creep a semblance of a smile, or a grin, or something of thatcharacter, as he held out the box for George to take his turn next.