"Have to be very careful—very careful," he said in a whisper. "If any one knowed I had this map they'd rob me of it."
He pulled down the shades of the windows, and then carefully locking the door he went to another room. Bob heard him fumbling about, and soon the old man came out with a yellowish piece of paper in his hand.
"Feel of it," he said to Bob.
Bob did so. It was stiff and crackly.
"Parchment—parchment," whispered Captain Obed. "The map is drawed on parchment—that's sheepskin instead of paper. He wanted it to last for years and years."
"Who did?"
Once more Captain Obed looked around to see if by chance any one had stolen into the room. He made Bob rather nervous.
"Captain Kidd," he answered in a lower whisper than he had yet used. "Captain Kidd drawed that map. It gives the real secret of his buried treasure. I'm the only one that knows where it is. There's lots of maps of Captain Kidd's treasure, but I've got the only real one. All them others was jest drawed so as to fool folks. An' they did fool 'em. 'Cause why? 'Cause nobody ain't never yet found the captain's treasure. But you'll find it, an' you'll bring it home to Captain Obed, won't you, Bob? Of course you will. You're a good boy, and if you bring it home safe, why, I'll give you"—he paused and seemed to make a great effort—"yes, I'll give you a hundred dollars, or maybe a hundred and fifty. There! What do you say to that?"
"How much treasure is there?" asked Bob, hardly knowing whether to laugh at the old man or take him seriously.
"How much? It must be near a million dollars. O h, there's lots of treasure!"