Jenkins’ face disappeared from the aperture, and while he was absent the boys had a good opportunity to survey the singular place. In addition to what has already been spoken of, they noted with no small degree of surprise, that the remains of a stone stairway occupied one corner of the chamber, and immediately above it was a portion of a wooden hatch or trapdoor set in the earth by iron bands.
It was directly in the center of this, where the wood had decayed, that Gil fell, and the wonder was that he did not strike on the steps, in which case the mishap might have had a more unpleasant ending.
“All I can say is that the pirates must have had a lot of spare time on their hands, if they went to all the trouble necessary to make a place like this just to bury their treasure, when it would have been safer buried in the earth where a fellow couldn’t fall through by mistake, as you did,” Nelse said, laughingly. “It looks as if some one had the idea of living here.”
Before Gil could reply Jenkins arrived with the spade, and he said, as the implement was dropped on the loose earth:
“Better make a thorough search, boys, an’ if you think the work is likely to be too hard, come back, an’ I’ll go down.”
“We’ll attend to it. It can’t take such a very long time to get at the bottom,” Gil replied, as he began the task.
During five minutes of rapid work nothing was disclosed; but at the end of that time Gil unearthed a bench which had been crushed by the falling earth, and after that the discoveries came thick and fast.
Fragments of chairs, a mass of decaying matter which appeared to have been wearing apparel, rusty cooking implements, and, finally, in one corner, a low writing desk was found.
As the last-mentioned article was unearthed the boys gave vent to a cry of triumph, and Gil shouted excitedly:
“Here’s where we shall find the gold that the sailors overlooked.”