Then they abandoned that particular cabin and took up their quarters in another as far removed as possible from the treasure trove. Here they got out their food and prepared a rough meal while awaiting Mooloo’s return.
It was not long before he came trudging back, dragging behind him a seal which had fallen a victim to his spear. His success had made him so well content with himself that he was less gruff and surly than usual, and even unbent so far as to tell them something of his morning’s adventures. The boys laid themselves out to be enthusiastic about his skill as a hunter. The more they could keep his mind on himself the less likely he was to be inquisitive about them.
The Eskimo was hungry after his hunt and fairly gorged himself at his meal. Then with a grunt of satisfaction he rolled himself in skins and stretched out on the floor, and the boys knew that he would be dead to the world for several hours.
Nothing could have pleased them better, and they took advantage of his slumber to make a thorough search of other parts of the ship, taking care to give a wide berth to the cabin in which they had found the treasure.
What they found, however, was of no value. The remorseless hand of Time had worked its will on the ship. Everything was covered with mold and mildew and rust. The sailors’ chests had long ago been broken open and everything of value removed. They came across fragments of letters, some in foreign tongues and most of them illegible from age. Even if they could have read them, the boys would have shrunk from doing so, as it appeared too much like trenching on the privacy of the dead.
One or two gold pieces that had escaped the prying eyes of the Eskimos were gathered up as the boys went through piles of debris.
“This explains why the Eskimos got the idea that this was a treasure ship, I suppose,” remarked Bobby. “Doubtless there were a lot of gold pieces in the sailors’ chests that represented their wages or savings. Different parties came back with these from time to time, and the story spread that where there was so much there must have been more. And it’s barely possible that old Takyak made the same discovery that we did of the treasure chest and meant some time to get it away either in driblets or at some time in a mass. Maybe there was some superstition of his that prevented his taking it before.”
In one of the cabins they came across a number of large books. Some of them were scattered volumes of an encyclopedia. Others were huge ledgers with brass clasps in which the trader’s accounts had evidently been kept. Still others were bound volumes of old magazines designed no doubt to relieve the tedium of the nights of the Arctic winter.
“Quite a library here,” commented Fred, as he handled one of them. “Why is it that they used to make books so big and thick that it was hard to lift them!”
Bobby was glancing over one of them when suddenly an idea struck him with such force that he fairly jumped.