They were still looking over the coins in the chest when the bit of candle spluttered up and went out.
“Never mind! I don’t care how dark it is now,” said Andy. “We’ve found the treasure, and that’s enough.”
“We’ll have to stay here all night,” returned Jack. “We’ll never be able to find our way out in the darkness.”
“What do we care?” put in Randy, lightly. “I don’t believe any wild animals are going to bother us in this out-of-the-way hole. Those pirates certainly buried their gold in a spot where it was hard to find,” he added.
Sitting around in the darkness, the boys and the old sailor discussed the situation from every possible angle. They could make only a wild estimate of what the contents of the chest was worth, but knew it would run into many thousands of dollars.
Their exertions that day had worn them out completely, and presently all were glad to make themselves as comfortable as possible on the rocks and go to sleep. They set no guard, and such a precaution would have been unnecessary, for no wild animals came to disturb them.
In the morning they took another look at the contents of the chest, and then, while it was still early daylight, set out for the passageway under the cliff. It took them two hours to clamber to this place and two hours more to get out to the clumsy scow and rig up a hawser so that they could haul the chest on board.
“Now we’ve got it we don’t want to lose it,” said Ira Small anxiously, and so the ancient box was handled with care.
Once aboard the clumsy scow, they set out upon the return to the wrecked steam yacht.