We let them work away fer a spell, as we didn't
want to spoil their fun too soon. But at last we began to groan and
make queer noises. Say, ye should have seen them men. They were
almost scared out of their boots, fer they thought sure that ghosts
were around. Then, when they were shakin' all over, I pulled a string,
and off came a black cloth we had put over a word which we had printed
on the face of that rock."
"What was the word?" Rod eagerly enquired, as the captain paused for an
instant.
"It was the word 'Death,' in big letters. I tell yez it must have
glared out pretty ghastly in the night, fer the way them men yelled,
and made fer their boat was something wonderful. Ho, ho' I kin never
think of them fellers, and the scare they got, without havin' a good
laugh."
"Did they ever find out who did the trick?" Phil asked.
"Not that I know of. But, somehow, word got around, and the lives of
them men were made miserable by the questions they were asked about the
gold on the island, and when they intended to go over and dig fer it."
For some time the captain told other stories to the boys. Most of
these were about his experiences at sea, the gales he had encountered,
and his numerous narrow escapes from death.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217