The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt 3
“That certainly is interesting,” said Don, as the professor stopped.
“Your son Ned thinks that it is somewhere near his place?”
“Yes, he believes it is somewhere within a radius of a hundred miles.
The legend has it that the galleon vanished somewhere right on that very
shore, and that would indicate that the galleon ran up some creek very
near to his place. If no one ever did get back and take that treasure it
is probably in the rotted hold of the treasure ship, buried more or less
deeply in the sand, just waiting for some lucky one to discover it. Much
of the land near Ned’s ranch has never been thoroughly explored, and it
may be that it is nearer to him than he has any idea of.”
“Has he made any effort to find it?” inquired Jim.
“A somewhat feeble one, yes. He endeavored to enlist the aid of some
nearby ranch men, some half breed Mexicans, but although they started
with some enthusiasm they soon gave it up. They are the kind who would
not mind sharing in the rewards if someone else does the work. So he
gave it up, except that he patiently read every other book in Senorita
Mercedes’ library in the hope of obtaining some clue, but the missing
pages were not to be located and he is still no nearer to finding out
the name of that creek than he was at first.”
“And he never did find out how that book came to be in the library of
the Spanish ranch?” asked Don.
“No, but we can hazard a guess as to that. The Mercedes family have
lived in Lower California for at least a hundred years, but before that
they came from Mexico. It is very possible that the priest had escaped
to Mexico and fallen in some way in with this ancient Spanish family,
perhaps dying there and leaving the book with them. How the last few
leaves of the book came to be missing no one knows. But perhaps you can
see the possibilities?”
“What do you mean?” asked Jim.
“I mean that perhaps someone has already read that book, tore out the
sheets with the information on them, and has already found that
treasure!” was the startling answer.
CHAPTER III
A ROYAL INVITATION
They were somewhat dismayed at the professor’s reasoning but at length
Don shook his head. “I don’t see that it is necessarily so,” he
insisted. “Of course, there is a big chance that such is the reason, but
on the other hand it may simply be that the pages have been lost. It can
be taken both ways.”
“Yes,” nodded the professor. “It can. That is why I would never allow
myself any false hopes.”
“Then you are going out and help Ned look for this treasure?” asked Jim.
“I’m going out more because he wants me to come than for anything else,”
said Professor Scott. “And as much for the change as for anything else.
I’ve been studying pretty hard of late, and I’m sure a change of air and
scenery wouldn’t hurt me a bit. I haven’t any idea that Ned will ever
find that legendary treasure, but the fact that he found evidence that
the story of the phantom galleon is true interested me greatly.”
“But if you do go out there you will look around for it, won’t you?”
inquired Don.
“Oh, yes, Ned will see to that! He has the idea that he will run across
it, and nothing stops him once he gets an idea. I’ll join in with him
and do some tramping around, but while he’ll be looking for gold I’ll be
looking for health. I’m rather more sure of finding what I am after than
he is.”
“Just the same,” murmured Jim. “It is a dandy opportunity, and I
wouldn’t mind having a shot at it.”
“You boys are greatly interested,” remarked the professor, looking at
them keenly.
“I suppose we are,” admitted Don, smiling. “It appeals to us, and I
guess it would to any fellow. If you go, professor, we certainly wish
you all kinds of luck.”
“Thanks,” said the professor. “If you went on such a trip, I suppose
you’d hunt the treasure with much energy?”
“I guess we would,” nodded Jim. “If it was anywhere near I guess we
would uncover it.”
“I don’t doubt it,” the professor smiled. He was silent a moment and
then he asked: “Now that you boys are home for a vacation, what do you
plan to do? Have you anything definite in mind?”
Don shook his head. “We might do a little sailing,” he replied. “We have
a fine thirty-foot sloop, and we may sail for a ways down the coast.
Last summer we did and we had a good time.”
“I know about that voyage,” the professor returned. “That was the time
you ran down those marine bandits, wasn’t it? I remember reading about
it.”
“That was the time,” Don answered. “We don’t expect to run down any
bandits this summer, but we may take a cruise.”
“That is fine,” said the professor, somewhat absent-mindedly. “So you
two boys were interested in what I told you of Ned’s letter, eh?”
“We couldn’t help being,” grinned Jim. “I guess every fellow is
interested in treasure hunting.”
“I suppose that is true,” the professor returned. “Well, that is the
contents of the letter which made me so interested that I paid very
little attention to the ball as it broke the window.”
“I’m sorry about that, professor,” said Don. “How much is it, please?
I’m very anxious to have it repaired.”
“Forget it,” said the professor.
But Don insisted, feeling that it would not rightly do to accept the
professor’s generous offer to put it in himself, and at length the
teacher agreed that Don should pay for the work. He rather admired Don’s
spirit in insisting upon paying his own way through life, and although
he knew that the Mercer brothers had plenty of ready money he allowed
Don to pay for the broken glass more as a concession to his spirit of
the right thing to do than for any other reason. After Don had turned
over the money to the professor the boys took their leave.
“Thanks for that interesting story, Professor Scott,” said Jim, as they
were leaving.
“Yes, we enjoyed it,” added Don.
“You are very welcome,” smiled the professor. “I thought you would be
interested, and may—be—humph, well, let that pass for now. Good morning,
boys.”
The boys left the professor and walked slowly down the shady street,
discussing the letter and his story. It appealed to them greatly.
“That sure was a strange thing, that finding of the old book relating to
the flight of the galleon,” mused Don. “Looks like the hand of fate,
eh?”
“It surely does,” chimed in Jim. “Those fellows took that treasure
centuries ago, it lays buried in the sand for years and years, and then
a chance discovery points to where it is. Sort of like a dead man’s
finger pointing at the treasure, isn’t it?”
“Somewhat,” admitted Don. “I rather feel that if the treasure had been
found by someone else Ned Scott would not have come across that book.
Now, that is my own way of looking at it. Just as the professor says,
someone may have torn the valuable leaves, with the location of the
creek on them, out and have found it long ago. But I somehow just can’t
believe it.”
“Nor I,” said Jim. “I’d surely like to be along when Ned Scott unearths
that old ship and its treasure.”
“Provided that he does,” smiled Don, as they reached their home. “There
isn’t any guarantee that he will. It is always possible that the whole
thing happened miles down the coast, for if I remember correctly, from
my school map, Lower California is a mighty long stretch. Well, all I
hope is that he’ll tell us if anything turns up. Just as soon as he
comes back, if we are home from school, we’ll hunt him up and ask him
all about it.”
“Surely,” agreed Jim. “If he isn’t home by the time we are ready to
return to school we can see him during some vacation. Well, what do you
say, old man? Shall we go down and tinker with the boat?”
“Don’t think we have time,” decided Don, looking at his watch. “That
visit to the professor took up the whole morning, and mother will be
waiting dinner.”
The boys entered the quiet but homelike little house which was their
home and prepared for dinner. When they sat down at the table Mr.
Mercer, a kindly and energetic man, was there. He worked in a local
office, where he ran his vast lumber business, and was generally home
for meals. Margy Mercer was also there, and the family was complete.
“Well, what have you two fellows been doing this morning?” asked Mr.
Mercer, as he vigorously attacked a piece of steak.
“Don’s been breaking into people’s houses!” chuckled Jim. “This was an
expensive morning for Don.”
Don related what had happened, and finding his family deeply interested
in the professor’s letter, told them the story of the phantom galleon.
Mr. Mercer smiled as he finished.
“I suppose you two wouldn’t mind going along on a trip like that, would
you?” he asked.
“I should say not!” exclaimed Jim. “We’d go without mother’s apple pie
for a month to go on that trip!”
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