“We can’t be delayed very long,” Gil said, after they had gratified their curiosity, “for if the men are yet alive they’ll be ready to leave the key at a moment’s notice; but I suppose it will be necessary to put them ashore somewhere before we go to Hayti.”
“You are talking as if we knew exactly where to find the place marked out on the paper we found.”
“It doesn’t seem as if there could be any question about it. The piece of newspaper referred to what had taken place on the Tortuga de Mar, and the fragment of chart showed that island----”
“But the drawing represents a small body of land.”
“Look at it again, and you’ll see that only a part has been shown. How do you know it does not represent the end of some other key?”
“I don’t think so,” Nelse replied, firmly. “What we read was the story of how buccaneering first came about, and, of course, it was necessary to speak of the small key where it had its birth.”
“If that was its only use, why did the owner of the things we found keep it so carefully?”
“Probably to show his shipmates that at least a portion of his story was true.”
Until this moment Gil had had but little time to speculate upon the supposed treasure, owing to the fact of his having been taken sick so soon after the discovery in the attic was made, and now a very unpleasant doubt came into his mind.
It no longer seemed such an easy matter to find the place designated, and he began to fear the treasure hunting would be brought to an end before it had really commenced.
“I shall believe the Tortuga de Mar is the place until we have searched over it pretty well,” Gil said, after a long pause. “Then, if nothing is found, we’ll say the drawing must refer to some spot on the island of Hayti.”
“But what about the voudoos which are causing Andy so much alarm?”
“What’s that?” a voice asked from the companionway, and an instant later Captain Mansfield was in the cabin. “Where did you boys ever hear anything about voudoos?”
“Andy says they’ll kill us if we attempt so much as to anchor near where any pirate hoard is supposed to be hidden,” Gil replied, with a laugh.
“So that is why he insists on being put ashore?” the captain said, half to himself.
“Is there any real reason why he should be afraid?” Nelse asked.