“If his wife or children are yet alive, we should be able to trace them by giving the outlines of this story to the different newspapers.”
“And we shall have no treasure after finding one,” Gil added, mournfully.
“It should be sufficient to pay you for all the labor and pain, that you will be able to relieve the wants of those who own the jewels, providing they are in distress. It is now quite important those sailors should be overhauled, for they must have carried away a reasonably large amount of gold, which must be recovered.”
“Shall I go ashore, sir?” Jenkins asked.
“Yes; but come back as soon as possible, for we want to sail while this wind holds.”
Neither the boys nor Andy cared to accompany the mate; but he had quite a large following in the crew of the schooner, all of whom were eager to join in the search.
It had been expected Jenkins would be absent a long while; but, to the surprise of all, he returned in less than an hour, bringing two packages in baskets of grass.
“Did you find the men?” Gil cried, impatient to learn the news, and not willing to wait until the boat came alongside.
“We found where they had been. The screams you heard last night while the blacks were coming through the tunnel, were their death cries.”
“Have they been killed?” Nelse asked, in tones of horror.