The Hunniwell boys and the platinum mystery
there. I guess that chief knows what he’s talking about most of the
time.”
“I reckon he knows his callouses,” Gordon told them.
“And you think that doctor is one of them, eh?” Rogers laughed.
“Well, a callous is a hard spot and, believe me, that baby is a hard
one.”
“And then some,” Bill added.
They chatted together for an hour and then the Jap left after repeating
again and again his gratitude for what they had done and making them
promise that they would see him again before they left for the States.
“Funny he never asked us what we were doing on that island,” Bill mused
as they were getting ready for bed.
“He asked me before you fellows met him,” Gordon told them.
“Did you tell him?” Bill asked.
“Of course I didn’t,” Gordon replied, “He was an enemy then.”
“I suppose he thought we would tell him if we wanted him to know,”
Rogers told them.
“Well, that’s that,” Gordon said as he jumped into bed.
CHAPTER XI
THE ALBATROSS FLIES ON ONE CELL
It was just after nine o’clock the following morning when the Albatross
settled to the ground close by the camp.
“Here’s hoping that no one has rifled the grub,” Gordon said as he
leaped to the ground.
“We’ve had enough interruption for a while and that’s a fact,” Bill told
him as he hurried to the spot where they had cached their provisions.
“Guess everything’s all right,” he announced a moment later after a
hasty examination.
“That’s good news,” Rogers smiled. “Are we going to take the rest of the
day off or are we going to get busy?”
“The rest of the day? Where do you get that stuff? The day is young
yet,” Gordon told him. “Of course we’re going to get busy. What do you
think we’re here for?”
“How about the tide?” Bill asked as he glanced at his watch.
“Must be about half way out,” Rogers told him.
“Then we’ll have several hours,” Bill said. “Think it’s safe for all
three of us to go?”
“Lightning never strikes twice in the same place,” Gordon told him.
“Meaning you think it’s all right to leave things to look out for
themselves?”
“I’d say so. I don’t believe anyone comes along here once in a dog’s
age. But don’t forget to hide the cells.”
“Why not take the plane and land it on the beach where we want to start
in and then we can keep an eye on it,” Rogers suggested.
“That’s using the old bean,” Gordon told him. “And we won’t have to walk
so far either.”
“Which sure appeals to you,” Bill laughed. “But I do think it’s an
excellent plan.”
So a moment later they were again in the air and soon dropped over the
cliffs at the point where the fissure was located. There was plenty of
space between the rocks and the water to land and, as the tide was still
going out, they felt safe in leaving the plane.
“I’d like to take another look up this ravine before we do anything
else,” Rogers said as soon as they were ready to start on the search.
“From the map I don’t think it’s likely that the place is there but I’d
like to look again just the same.”
“Suits me,” Gordon told him.
“And I suppose we’re as likely to find it one place as another. A map as
old as that one isn’t likely to be very accurate,” Bill added as they
started off up the narrow defile.
“There’s the rock that came pretty near putting me out of business,”
Gordon told Bill a few minutes later as he stopped and pointed to the
stone which had fallen from the top of the cliff and had so narrowly
escaped him.
“It would have done just that if it had hit you,” Bill shuddered.
They spent nearly two hours hunting both sides of the ravine but found
nothing and at last Rogers advised going back and starting over again on
the cliff facing the ocean. “It isn’t in here that’s certain,” he
declared as he mopped his face.
“Well, we didn’t expect it was,” Gordon told him, “so we don’t need to
be disappointed.”
“You sound as though you didn’t expect to find it at all,” Bill told him
as they started back.
“Don’t you believe it,” Gordon retorted. “I didn’t mean that at all. Of
course we’re going to find it. Have we ever fallen down on anything
we’ve undertaken?”
“But there’s got to be a first time,” Rogers reminded him.
“I know, but this isn’t going to be it,” Gordon insisted.
“Got a hunch?” Bill laughed.
“Maybe,” Gordon replied, returning the laugh.
By this time they had reached the entrance to the ravine and for a
moment they paused looking both ways to make sure no one was in sight.
“Did you take the cells out?” Gordon asked Bill.
“I sure did,” Bill assured him. “Don’t catch me leaving them anywhere in
it.”
“Then let’s go.”
They walked slowly along the foot of the cliff keeping their eyes on the
almost perpendicular walls that they might miss no single chance. About
a quarter of a mile from where they had left the plane was a sharp break
in the cliff and as soon as they rounded it they were out of sight of
the Albatross, a circumstance which made them all a bit uneasy. But no
one mentioned it, and they had proceeded nearly another half mile when
Bill, who was a few feet ahead of the others, suddenly stopped and
pointed to a spot on the wall about ten feet from the ground.
“What do you make of it?” he asked.
“Looks as though it might be a stone set in the face of the cliff,”
Gordon told him.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Where do you mean?” Rogers asked taking a step nearer the cliff.
“Right over your head,” Bill told him. “Don’t you see it?”
“You mean where that crack is?” Rogers again asked pointing.
“That’s it.”
“Well, all I’ve got to say is that you must have mighty sharp eyes to
notice it,” Rogers told them. “Of course I see it now but I never would
have noticed it.”
“What made me notice it is that it’s a different kind of stone from the
rest of the cliff,” Bill told him.
“I believe you’re right,” Rogers agreed. “It does seem to be a bit
darker in color, but the difference is so slight that not one in a
hundred would have noticed it.”
“Oh, Bill’s got sharp eyes all right,” Gordon told him.
“I’ll say he has,” Rogers agreed.
“Listen, now,” Bill said as he picked up a stone about the size of his
fist. “I’m going to hit the wall just beyond that crack and then I’m
going to hit the other side of it and I want you to note if there’s any
difference in the sounds. Well, how about it?” he asked after he had
made the experiment.
“There was a difference,” Gordon declared and Rogers agreed with him.
“I thought so myself,” Bill told them. “But let’s try it again.”
They tried the experiment several times and they were all thoroughly
convinced that the stone did not form an integral part of the cliff.
“That stone has been put there sure as you’re born,” Bill declared.
“And it must have been put there for a reason,” Gordon added.
“I believe you’re right on both counts,” Rogers told them.
“And it looks to me as though we were at the end of our search,” Gordon
said.
“Don’t be too sure of that,” Bill cautioned him. “There’s lots of room
for a slip yet.”
“Oh, I’m not counting any chickens before they’re hatched,” Gordon
grinned. “But it looks hopeful, as the old maid said when a man tipped
his hat to her.”
“Well, the next question is how are we going to find out,” Bill said.
“And rather a hard question at that,” Rogers added.
“If that stone was set in there the fellow that did it sure did one
mighty fine job,” Gordon declared. “Look how fine the crack is all
around it except on that one side. Why, it must have taken him a long
time to get it just the right shape.”
“No doubt about that,” Rogers told him, “But remember, he was hiding
something very valuable and, according to his own account, he had lots
of time on his hands.”
“Well, it isn’t getting us anywhere standing here talking about it,”
Bill told them.
“Action is what we want,” Gordon added.
“Get up on my shoulders and hit it with a rock again,” Bill said as he
took his stand close to the wall.
“There’s a hollow place behind it,” Gordon assured them a moment later.
“Seems pretty solid, doesn’t it?” Rogers asked.
“Sure does. But a crowbar might do the trick.”
“A drill and a stick of dynamite would be better,” Bill said as Gordon
jumped to the ground.
“Neither of which we’ve got,” Gordon declared.
“But I reckon we can get both in Honolulu,” Rogers told him.
“Well, there’s lots of time for that,” Bill said. “Let’s look around
first and see if we can find anything nearer.”
“You don’t expect to find a crowbar lying around loose, do you?” Gordon
laughed.
“Hardly that,” Bill told him, “but we might find a pointed stone which
we could use. You see, it might not take much of a tug to get it out.”
“It won’t do any harm to try at any rate,” Rogers said as he began
looking around.
But it seemed that all the available stones were of the wrong shape
until, after a search lasting all of an hour, Bill found one that he
thought might answer. He was some distance from the others when he
picked it up and shouted:
“Here’s one.”
The stone was about a foot and a half long and a couple inches wide, and
an inch thick except at one end where it tapered to what was almost a
knife-like edge.
“It’s got to come out mighty easy for that thing to do it,” Gordon
declared as he took the stone in his hand.
“I know it, but we can try it,” Bill retorted.
“Sure we can,” Gordon agreed handing the stone to Rogers. “Hand it to me
when I get up on Bill’s shoulders,” he told him. “All right,” he said a
moment later, “let’s have it.”
“Work it easy, now,” Bill cautioned.
It was an awkward place from which to work as he had to reach above his
head, but he soon had the edge of the stone in the crack and began to
pry.
Snap.
“I told you so,” Gordon said as he jumped to the ground. “That thing
snapped as soon as I put the least pressure on it.”
“The stone didn’t move any before your crowbar broke, did it?” Rogers
asked.
“Not a move,” Gordon told him.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to get the proper tools before we can
accomplish anything,” Bill said.
“Anyhow it’s about time for dinner,” Gordon reminded him.
“That tummy of yours,” Bill laughed.
“Well, it’s most two o’clock, and——great guns, look at the tide.”
So intent had they been on their occupation that they had completely
forgotten all about the tide and now they were astounded to see that the
water at points was almost at the bottom of the cliff.
“We’ve got to hustle if we want to get around the point without having
to swim,” Bill shouted as he started off on a run.
“We’re not going to do it without getting our feet wet,” Gordon told him
as he fell in at his side.
“We’ll be lucky if that’s all we get wet,” Rogers added close behind
them.
“Suppose the plane’s all right?” Gordon panted when they were about half
way to the point.
“I’m not so sure,” Bill told him. “But it won’t be long if it stays
where it is, that’s certain.”
“We’re going to get wet all right,” Gordon declared a moment later as
they came near the point and he could see the surf breaking on the
rocks.
“Well, it won’t be the first time,” Bill puffed. “The only thing I’m
worrying about is whether or not the water has reached the plane.”
“We’ll know in a minute,” Rogers told him.
“It’s a good thing there isn’t much wind,” Gordon said as they reached
the point and started to wade.
They rounded the point without getting into the water above their knees,
and Bill gave a sharp cry as he saw the plane about a quarter of a mile
down the beach.
“The water has got it all right and we’ve got to make it in nothing flat
if we’re going to save it,” he yelled as he increased his speed.
There was need of haste for the water had not only reached the plane but
had gone so far beyond it that every wave, as it rolled in, was rocking