"There must be something inside!" Walter cried excitedly, "for no one would have taken so much trouble to put such stuff away. Cut it open!"
Jim was soon chopping at the black mass with his pocket-knife, and but a few strokes were necessary to show that the tar simply covered a cunningly-plaited net-work of stout cord fashioned somewhat like an envelope.
"Be careful when you stick the knife through!" Harry cried warningly. "There must be something precious inside, sure!"
Jim did not intend to run any risk of ruining the contents by a hasty stroke. After scraping the tar off sufficiently to expose the cords straight across both ends, he cut them carefully apart until the envelope was divided like an open wallet, exposing to view two thin sheets of wood.
"It's nothing but paper!" Walter exclaimed in a tone of most intense disappointment as Jim separated this inner covering, showing what appeared to be the attempt of some amateur to draw a diagram on a soiled piece of stout paper.
At the top of the sheet, which was yellow and time-worn, were two lines, as follows:
XLI. fathoms N. N. E. from this timber to palmetto tree.
XII. fathoms S. E. by E. to coral-head.
This information, if such it could be called, was jotted down in fanciful letters instead of writing, and immediately beneath it appeared the rude drawing of a hut, a crooked tree, and a rock or piece of coral. From one to the other arrows were placed to mark the probable direction as given above, while below was what looked like a representation of an island or key.
Then was written, in angular penmanship, the following:
We solemnly swear not to disturb the treasure buried by us this
day, except in the presence of all the owners, or after
receiving proof that one or more are dead.
(Signed)
BARTH MEADOWS.