"The first thing is to make out what's written on this other paper,"

said the captain, handling it gingerly.

The three bent over and studied the doc.u.ment closely.

"Why, it's some foreign lingo; Spanish probably!" exclaimed Grimshaw.

"Not a word of English anywhere, as far as I can make out."

"That's so," agreed the captain, a little dismayed at the discovery.

"We've struck a snag right at the start. If we have to call in any one to translate it, we'll be taking the whole world into the secret, if there is any secret worth taking about."

"Don't let that worry you," Drew intervened. "I think I know enough Spanish to be able to make out the paper."

There was an exclamation of delight from Captain Hamilton and a snort of surprise from Tyke.

"Why, I never knew that you knew anything about that lingo!" the latter e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed.

"I don't know any too much about it," returned Drew, modestly. "But the South American trade is getting so big now that I thought it would be a good thing to know something of Spanish; so I've been studying it at night and at odd times for the last two years."

"Well, don't that beat the Dutch!" cried Tyke delightedly. "Now if I was superst.i.tious"--he stared truculently at the suspicious working of Drew's mouth--"I'd be sure there was something in this that wasn't natural. We want to look into the box, an' it busts open in front of us. We want to read that Spanish lingo, an' you know how to do it.

I'll be keelhauled if it don't make me feel a little creepy. That is,"

he corrected himself quickly, "it would if I believed in them things."

"Well, now that we know you don't believe in them," said Captain Hamilton, with the faintest possible touch of sarcasm, "and since our young friend here is able to read this paper, suppose we go to it."

"You bet we'll go to it!" cried Tyke eagerly. "You jest take a pencil an' write it down in English as Allen reels it off."

"There won't be any 'reeling off'," warned Drew, as with knitted brow he pored over the doc.u.ment. "In the first place, the Spanish used here is very old, and some of the words that were common then aren't in use any more. I can see that. Then, too, the ink has faded so much that some of the words can't be made out at all. And where the paper has been folded the lines have entirely crumbled away."

"Sort o' Chinese puzzle, is it?" queried Tyke dismally.

"A Spanish puzzle, anyway," smiled Drew. "I need something to help out my eyes. I wish we had some microscopes in our stock, as well as telescopes."

"We'll get the best there is in the market if necessary," declared Tyke. "But jest for the present, here is something that may fill the bill."

He reached into a drawer and brought out a reading gla.s.s that could be placed over the paper as it lay on the desk.

"The very thing!" exclaimed Drew as he applied it. "That helps a lot."

There was a tense air of expectancy over all three as he began to read.

Tyke kept nervously polishing his gla.s.ses, and Captain Hamilton's hand was the least bit unsteady as it guided the pencil. Drew's voice trembled, though he tried studiously to keep it as calm as though he were reading off the items on a bill of lading in the ordinary course of business.

But if the work was exciting, it was none the less very slow. Once in a while there would be a word that was wholly outside Drew's vocabulary. In such cases the captain put it down in the original Spanish for Drew to study out later by the aid of his dictionary. Then at the points where the story seemed most important, there would be a crease in the paper that would eliminate an entire line. Other words had faded so completely that the magnifying gla.s.s failed to help.

But at last, despite all the tantalizing breaks, the final word was reached, and the captain sat back and drew a long breath while the younger man refolded the paper.

"Well now," said Tyke, "lets have it all from the first word to the last. An' Cap'n, read mighty slow."

Amid a breathless silence, Captain Hamilton commenced reading what he had taken down.

"Trinidad, March 18, 17--.

"In the name of G.o.d, amen.

"I Ramon ...... rez unworthy sin .......... ...... fit .... ......

name ...... .... lips .... ...... ...... knowing ..... .... .... ....

.... mercy ........ ...... ...... shown none, expecting .... .... ....

.... .... .... deepest h.e.l.l yet .... .... .... .... .... Mary .... ....

.... .... saints .... shriving .... .... Holy Church .... .... ....

confess .... .... .... life.

".... .... .... wild .... .... .... .... .... .... .... Tortugas ....

French .... _Reine Marguerite_ .... .... .... .... .... .... death.

From there we ran to Port au Spain .... .... .... plundering .... ....

.... .... city, .... many men and boys and .... .... .... women and ..... Off one of Baha .... Cays .... .... .... galleon .... .... ....

.... fought stoutly .... .... .... .... walk .... plank. Other ships .... .... .... .... .... forgotten. We took great spoils .... ....

.... .... accursed ... ... spent .... .... living,

"I .... .... .... captain. Down in the Caribbean Sea we .... ....

caravel .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... one hundred and twenty. Lost ship in tornado .... .... .... .... got another.

"Many more .... .... .... .... .... .... .... weary .... .... telling we .... .... .... G.o.d .... man.

"At last .... .... ten .... .... .... butchery .... frigates .... ....

ch ..... Fled to one of the .... islands .... careened. Tired knowing .... .... sooner or later I made up my mind .... .... .... .... one more rich prize .... .... wickedness.

"We captured the .... Guadalquiver ..... Desperate .... .... blood ..... thousand doubloons .... pearls .... .... price.

"I knew of an island off the beaten track where there was good hiding .... .... found, night. Cutter .... .... ash.o.r.e, mutiny .... ....

killed them both. And there the booty is still .... .... .... ....

.... forbid.

"Now standing .... .... .... .... .... h.e.l.l, I have made .... drawing .... .... island where .... buried. I give it freely .... Mother ....

.... .... .... cand .... .... .... altar and .... .... ma.s.ses .... ....

unworthy soul.

his (X) _Al_ .... ....

mark

"Attest _Pablo Ximenes_, notary."

The captain laid the paper on the desk and glanced at the intent faces of his companions.

"Now, what do you make of that?" he asked.