And when the moonlight shone upon us in the yard!—oh, the delicious freedom of it! We hopped for joy.
In the alley we awaited our leader. Between the houses we could see the low half-moon, hanging like a tilted bird’s nest in the dark-blue sky, while a group of stars fluttered near it like young birds. The cathedral chimes sounded the hour of midnight.
Soon we heard the stealthy steps of Captain Pegg, and we gasped as we saw him; for in place of his flowered dressing-gown he wore breeches and top boots, a loose shirt with a blue neckerchief knotted at the throat, and, gleaming at his side, a cutlass.
He smiled broadly when he saw us.
'Well, if you aren’t armed—every man-jack of you—even to the bantling!' he cried. 'Capital!'
'My sword, she’s weal,' said The Seraph with dignity. 'Sometimes I fight giants.'
Captain Pegg then shook hands with each of us in turn, and we thrilled at being treated as an equal by such a man.
'And now to work!' he said, heartily. 'Here is the plan of the yard as sent by Jenks.'
We could see it plainly by the moonlight, all neatly drawn out, even to the ash-barrel and the clothes-dryer, and there, on the fifth plank from the end, was a cross in red ink, and beside it the magic word—'Treasure'!
Captain Pegg inserted the crowbar in a wide crack between the fourth and fifth boards, then we all pressed our full weight upon it with a 'Yo heave ho, my hearties!' from our chief.