Dave felt around, but found nothing unusual. Then he lit a match and continued his search. Soon he saw where a board of the side wall had been pried loose and then shoved back into place. He pulled on the board and it came out, revealing a small compartment between two upright posts. In the compartment was something wrapped in a bandanna handkerchief. He pulled it out and crawled from under the berth.
“I think I’ve found it,” he said, in a voice he tried in vain to steady. Then he untied the handkerchief and brought to light a money belt, exactly like that taken from Link Merwell. He placed it on the steamer trunk and opened it with care. The sight that met his gaze was a dazzling one. The money-belt contained all that Jasniff had carried of the Carwith jewels.
“My, but that’s a sight!” murmured Captain Sanders.
“Going to return them, I suppose,” sneered Nick Jasniff. “You’re a big fool to do it! I’d keep them, and have a good time on the proceeds.”
“I am not built that way,” answered Dave, shortly. “I’ll put this around my waist, with the other,” he added, and lost no time in adjusting the second money-belt. It wasn’t particularly comfortable to wear those two belts, yet Dave felt a tremendous satisfaction in so doing.
Jasniff was made to march on deck, and there he was handcuffed like the other prisoners. He no longer pretended to have a toothache, but he did have a jaw-ache, from Dave’s blow.
The most surprised man was Captain Hunker, and he readily told his story of how the Englishmen had hired him to take them to Cave Island and then call for them later. When Jasniff had appeared, with the smoked glasses and the bandage on his face, he had pitied the fellow but had not paid much attention to him. When Dave had fired his gun from the shore, Geswick had explained that other fortune hunters were on the island but that they wanted nothing to do with the crowd, so the master of the Aurora had gone off without investigating.
Inside of an hour all of the interested parties had gone ashore, and the three rascally Englishmen and Nick Jasniff were marched off by the officers of the law. Roger and Phil appeared and wanted to know the particulars of the capture.
“And what are you going to do next, Dave?” asked the senator’s son.
“Get back to Crumville with the jewels, just as soon as I can get away. But I’ve got to arrange it with the police first.”