“While our friends here stand guard over the captives, how would it do for you and I to do a little investigating on our own hook?”
Little Hickory and his father willingly assented, when the three returned to the cellar.
“I thought it might be as well to keep our business to ourselves in part,” said the doctor, as soon as they were alone. “I have reason to think that we are about to make important discoveries.
“I do not think it good policy to say so now to every one, but I am ready to say to you that one of these precious fellows upstairs is the murderer of Timothy Bayne. They have said enough to let us know that they were here after a buried treasure. Do you know anything about this, Mr. Bayne?”
“Only that uncle was supposed to be very wealthy, but eccentric. He was killed for his money, as it was supposed, by a man who had been working for him. I am sure the ruffian upstairs is the man. Whether he got uncle’s money is more than I know. They were seeking for something of the kind here to-night.”
“Well, we will do a little digging ourselves.”
Mr. Bayne then took the shovel, and in a few minutes a skeleton of a man was divulged to their sight. Nothing more.
“It is probably that of Mr. Bayne,” said the doctor. “I do not believe we had better dig any more, and we will leave the bones just as we found them.”
“I thought the shovel struck something that was not a rock. Let me take it,” said Little Hickory.
Beginning to dig a little to one side of the exposed skeleton, he soon unearthed an iron box of considerable size, and which proved to be of great weight.