While they were examining the wallet and the half-rotten banknotes. Clay stood with the key in his hand, looking at it thoughtfully. In a moment he walked over to the iron box and began an inspection of that. He felt over every part of the surface several times before his fingers came to a little perturbance.
Then, in a moment he had the key pushed into a slit of a hole which had been brought to view by the removal of a small plug-like piece of metal which had been set into the body of the box. He moved the key this way and that for a moment, and then there came a sharp click. The top of the box, working on rusty springs, flew back, revealing a mass of papers, with a sealed envelope lying on top.
They all gathered around while Don, to whom the letter was addressed, opened the message from his dead uncle. The writing was very brief. It said:
“If you find this the bonds belong to you and Tom. There are more bonds in the strong room at the old house in Yuma. I have given you all the trouble I could think of, my boy, before delivering my property into your hands. I don’t think it good for boys to get money easily. If this box is never found until the bonds have rotted, then so much of the government debt will have been paid. If you should ever get locked in the Yuma treasure room, the key to the iron door is in the wall-safe with the bonds. From your cranky uncle.”
“That is all!” Don said, slowly. “And we might have gotten out of that cellar if we had only looked closer into the wall-safe!”
“A strange old man!” mused the banker. “He never provided for Don and Tom, personally, yet he interested me in them. He trusted Trumbull instead of me—unless Trumbull stole the two papers which were in the handbag with the money!”
“He did steal them!” King declared. “Don knew he had stolen them, for his uncle had, in a measure, told him about them. When Trumbull mentioned papers revealing the location of a mine in the Grand Canyon, Don knew of course. I presume, however, that David thought Don would have the two papers, so he gave me the third one, which Trumbull stole and afterwards returned!”
“It has been a great muddle!” Clay laughed, “and we came along with the Rambler just in time to get mixed up in it.”
“Look in the packages,” the banker advised, “and see how much of a fortune you have. The letter speaks of bonds.”
There were in the iron chest government bonds to five times the value of those found in the treasure room at Yuma, so Don and Tom were very wealthy boys.