I stared at him with sudden interest.
“What do you mean, Joe?”
He stepped to my bunk and drew back the curtains. Then he threw aside the blanket and disclosed the berth heaped full with glittering jewels and golden ornaments that sparkled brightly under the clear rays of the lamp.
My cry brought the others running hastily into the room, but as their gaze followed my own and fell upon the mass of treasure they stood mute and still, filled with a wonder that fairly dulled their senses.
At last Uncle Naboth tumbled into a chair and began mopping his forehead with his red silk handkerchief, and I awoke far enough to ask, in an awed whisper:
“How did it happen, Joe?”
“Why, it was dead easy, Sam,” he replied with a laugh. “As soon as that infernal gunboat fired at us I knew something had to be done to save the treasure. So I ran down here and ripped open the seams at the bottom of all those canvas sacks, and dumped about three-quarters of the contents of each one of ’em into your berth. I left some of the stuff in the ends of the sacks that were tied and sealed, so if the Egyptians opened any of ’em they’d think they were still loaded all the way down with jewelry. Then I had to fill up the spaces, and that was harder than you’d think. I first chucked in all the old bits of iron and brass I could find in the junk-chest; but that wasn’t near enough. So I ran to the galley and got Bry to give me a lot of potatoes and a bag of beans. With these I filled up the treasure sacks and then sewed up all the seams again. It took some time to do this, and the only way I could hide the treasure was to cover it up with this blanket and draw the curtains. Mebbe I wasn’t scared stiff when the officers came down here! But they never thought to search the bunk in this cabin, though they went through all the others. I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t empty the bags entirely, for they never opened any of ’em; but I thought it was best not to take too many chances, and I guess we’ve saved about two-thirds of all the treasure we brought from the desert—except, of course, the rolls of writing, and those we didn’t care so much for, anyhow.”
By the time the boy had finished this speech he was the focus of all our admiring eyes.
“Don’t worry about what’s lost, Joe,” said Uncle Naboth, earnestly. “There’s enough left to make us all rich; an’ we owe it to your pluck and wit—an’ to nothin’ else.”
“Three cheers for Joe!” yelled Archie, joyously.