“Oh yes,” he answered, “I suppose there’s no harm in y’r touchin’ ’em, if ye wants to.”
I plunged my hand down into the heart of the compartment, turning over the pearls, and bringing others to the surface; and it appeared that they were all of pretty much the same quality and value. “Why,” said I, “here is a respectable fortune for each of you in these pearls alone, even if the ‘pebbles’ turn out to be valueless, which is scarcely likely to be the case, or they would not have been so carefully stowed away in this chest. Now, these, for example,” I continued, turning to a contiguous compartment more than half full of crystals that looked like splintered fragments of rather dull glass, “are uncut diamonds. Yes,” as I felt two or three of them between my finger and thumb, “there is no doubt about it: they have the true soapy feel; they are diamonds, and, taken in bulk, of very great value. And here, again,” as I turned to the next compartment, about as full as that containing the diamonds, “these are rubies, unless I am very greatly mistaken; while, as to these,” turning to the last compartment, “they are emeralds—and there are some beauties among them, too, apparently,” as I fished up one or two remarkably fine ones. “Why, O’Gorman,” I exclaimed, “you are rich men—every mother’s son of you—there are sixteen handsome fortunes in this chest, fortunes big enough to set you all up as gentry, or to ruin you in double-quick time, according to the use that you make of your wealth.”
“Begorra, sorr, that’s the plisintest thing I iver heard ye say!” exclaimed the Irishman, in high glee at my verdict as to the value of the “pebbles,” while the beaming countenances of the twain on guard betrayed that their delight was fully as great as that of their leader.
There were further sounds of revelry ashore, that night, intermingled, more than once, with other sounds suggestive of altercation and quarrel; and just at sunrise, while I was taking a matutinal swim round the ship, I saw all hands march out, in somewhat formal order, along the glade upon which their camp was pitched, and disappear across the sand-spit that formed one side of the loch entrance. Ten minutes later, while I was towelling myself on the fore deck, in the seclusion afforded by the position of the galley, I was startled by what sounded like a distant volley of pistol-shots; and about half an hour afterwards I saw the crowd returning to camp by the way that they had gone. As I watched them shambling along over the somewhat uneven ground I was struck by something rather unusual in their appearance; and presently I discovered what it was: there seemed to be not quite so many of them. By the time that I had slipped into my clothes the party had arrived pretty nearly abreast of the brig, and were close enough, to enable me not only to count but to identify them. They were now only fourteen in number; and the two absent ones were the men whom I had seen guarding the treasure on the previous night! Somehow, the absence of these two men instantly became associated in my mind with the volley of pistol-shots that I had heard while overboard; and I began to wonder, gloomily, whether the unearthed treasure had already brought a tragedy in its train. I was full of this idea as I sat down to breakfast; but as Miss Onslow did not make any remark or inquiry concerning the pistol volley, I concluded that she had not heard it, and was careful to say nothing whatever to her about my suspicions.
O’Gorman and his companions remained in the seclusion of their tents all the morning, not one of them, excepting the cook, showing themselves until after dinner. Then the Irishman and two hands appeared; and presently they jumped into a boat and headed for the brig. I went to the gangway to receive them—so that we might be out of ear-shot of Miss Onslow, who was sitting in the after-end of her
sleeping-tent, reading—and, even before the boat got alongside, I could see, by the sober faces of those in her, that something serious was the matter.
O’Gorman boarded the brig alone, leaving his two companions in the boat alongside. I led him for’ard, and not until we had reached the fore deck did either of us open our mouths. Then the Irishman, turning to me with a very serious face, said:
“Misther Conyers, we want y’r help again, son.”
“Very well,” said I; “I shall be pleased to help you in any way possible. What is it that you wish me to do?”