They left him, crow-bar in hand, surveying with a thoughtful frown the southwest slope of the hill. They took the launch and went out beyond The Tombstones. There Jack dropped the anchor and they put their lines over. From time to time they looked back toward the island, but Bee was not in sight from where they lay, and Hal unkindly said he was willing to bet that Bee was fast asleep in the tent. By ten o’clock the sun had grown pretty warm and, as they had three small rock-cod and seven perch flopping around in the bottom of the launch, they decided to return to the island. “Although maybe we’re better off out here,” said Hal, “for Bee may put us to work with a pick or a shovel!”
When they came within sight of the tent they saw Bee hard at it. Evidently he had reached a decision as to the locality of the cabin, for he was knee-deep in the earth and his shovel was appearing and disappearing with fine regularity.
“Just look at the silly chump,” said Hal affectionately. “Isn’t he a wonder? I suppose we’ll have to humor him, Jack, and take our turns with the shovel. But I must say that that isn’t my idea of a good time!”
Bee was red and perspiring when they reached him. He had started to dig within some ten or twelve yards of the tent and a little to the west of it and had made quite a good-sized hole in the ground. He leaned on the handle of his shovel and looked up at them triumphantly while beads of perspiration ran down his face.
“This is the place, all right!” he proclaimed. “Just look there.” He pointed to where a rusted nail, about four inches long, lay beside the excavation. “I found that in the first shovelful I turned out, Jack!”
“H’m; found any more?”
“Not yet, but it shows pretty conclusively, doesn’t it, that the cabin stood here or pretty near? Now my idea is to dig trenches about eighteen inches wide right along the slope here; see? If I dig them, say, two feet apart I’m pretty sure to run across the chest or the box or whatever he put his treasure in.”
“Great Scott!” said Hal. “How long do you think it will take you to do that, Bee? Why, you wouldn’t get it done in a month!”
“Get out! Why, see what I’ve dug already, and I’ve only been at it—What time is it, anyway?”