The Closed Book: Concerning the Secret of the Borgias Part 33

We parted at the entrance to the town, so as not to be seen together; and although I groaned beneath that weight of anxiety and uncertainty, I verily trod on air on my way back to the "Douglas Arms."

Wyman and Fred had not returned, therefore I went along to Mr Batten's, where I found them entertained to luncheon, and took my seat in the vacant place at the table. Our host was, I fear, puzzled at the reason of our sudden decision to spend a few days in his town, yet we told him nothing, fearing to arouse local interest in our search.

At three o'clock we went back to the "Douglas Arms"; but judge our dismay when the "boots" informed us that "Miss Fletcher" had left the hotel hurriedly, in company with "the hunchback and another gentleman,"

and had departed by the half-past two o'clock train--the express for Carlisle and the south.

"Well, that's a strange move," remarked Walter, when he heard of it. "I suppose Lady Judith got to know we were here, and cleared out rather than run the risk of meeting us."

"Yes," said Fred reflectively. "Very curious. I wonder what their game really is? You've forestalled them over the investigations at Crowland without a doubt; but I fear they are just a trifle too ingenious for us at Threave. I've ascertained that at Grierson's, the ironmonger, the hunchback and another man gave orders for several new picks and spades to be sent to Kelton Mains, that farm-house through which we pa.s.s to get to Threave. They were sent there today."

"Well," I laughed, "they may be useful to us the day after to-morrow if they are not claimed. My belief is that those men never antic.i.p.ated that we should follow them so closely."

"But will the sun s.h.i.+ne?" queried Walter Wyman, gazing moodily out into the empty street. "That's the question."

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

THE RED BULL OF THE BORGIAS.

The seventeenth day of September--the day upon which the sun would lead us to the discovery of the buried casket--dawned grey and overcast.

The instant I awoke I rushed to my window and looked out upon a sunless scene. Dark rain-clouds were everywhere, and my heart sank within me at the prospect of a wet and dismal day. The previous day we had spent in making careful inquiries in the neighbourhood regarding the reappearance of our enemies, whom we expected might try and take us by surprise. The only fact we could fathom was that Grierson, the ironmonger, had sent the tools to Kelton Mains, and been paid for them by a money order posted at Dumfries; but the farmer at Kelton knew nothing of them, it seemed, but had received them expecting someone sent by the laird to call for them. We had written a line to Sammy Waldron, at Crailloch, overnight, and expected him to cycle over during the morning. He would, of course, be excited over what was occurring, for he knew nothing except that Fred, his host, was away on some mysterious errand.

When I came down, rain was falling, and the greyness of the morning was certainly mirrored in the faces of all three of us.

"`Rain before seven, s.h.i.+ne before eleven,'" remarked Walter, trying to cheer us; but we ate our meal almost in silence, until Sammy, hot and covered with mud, burst in upon us.

"What in the name of fortune does all this mean?" he cried, surprised to find Walter and myself. "I thought you two fellows had returned to town. The whole house is on tenter-hooks regarding Fred's whereabouts.

I got your note at seven-thirty, and slipped away without any breakfast and without a word to anyone except Connie."

"Look here, Sammy!" exclaimed Fred, "we're going this afternoon to do a bit of secret digging--after a buried treasure."

"Buried treasure!" he echoed, and he burst out laughing. "Sounds well, at any rate. I'm always open to receive a bit of treasure from any source."

"Well, we want you to help us to dig. It is believed to be over at Threave."

"What! the old ruin we went to the other day?" Sammy exclaimed.

"Better buy a new pair of oars, old chap, if you don't want the whole crowd of us s.h.i.+pwrecked."

The suggestion was a good one; and, although the weather was so much against it, Sammy presently went forth, purchased a pair of heavy secondhand oars, and stowed them away in the bottom of a light wagonette which we had hired at the hotel to take us to Kelton later in the day.

Sammy was just as excited as we were, and entered as keenly into the spirit of the thing. Like Fred, he never did anything by halves. He was a man with muscles like iron, and possessed the courage of a lion, as proved by the many tight corners he had been in during the Indian frontier wars of the past fifteen years or so. As a shot, Sammy Waldron was only equalled by his host, Fred Fenwicke; but, while the latter's form showed best among the grouse, Sammy was pre-eminently a hunter of big game, who sent presents of bears and tigers to his friends, instead of pheasants and grouse.

The morning wore on. A long council of war was held, but the rain did not abate.

Not indeed until we sat down to luncheon at twelve did the weather clear, and with it our spirits rose again. At half-past one the clouds broke and the sun came forth fitfully. Then all four of us, eager to investigate, and not knowing what difficulties were before us, mounted into the wagonette and drove out along the winding road to Kelton Mains.

On descending, a surprise awaited us, for when we asked for the tools sent there from Grierson's the farmer told us that three gentlemen, one a deformed man, had arrived there the day before, claimed the picks and spades, and had crossed to the island and been occupied in digging until it was dark.

The trio of investigators might still be on the island for aught we knew.

This was certainly disconcerting, and we walked through the fields to the water's edge full of expectancy. We, however, found the old boat moored in its usual place, which showed that the party had returned to sh.o.r.e. Therefore we embarked, eager to take observations and follow the directions laid down, even if we were not that day able to make investigation.

Sammy took one oar and I the other, and very soon the keel ran into the mud bank of the island, and the grey, dismal old castle, with its "hanging stone," towered above us. In an instant all four of us sprang ash.o.r.e, the boat was moored, and we started off in the direction of the great ruin. Fortunately the sun was now s.h.i.+ning brightly, and there, sure enough, lay the long, straight shadow across the wet gra.s.s in our direction.

I looked at my watch and found it a quarter past three. In fifteen minutes we should be able to follow accurately the directions.

Suddenly, to our dismay, we saw, as we approached the point where the shadow ended, that a great hole had been dug in the immediate vicinity.

We rushed forward with one accord, and in an instant the truth was plain--investigations had already been made!

The hole was a deep one, disclosing a flight of spiral stone steps which led to a subterranean chamber, the dungeon, perhaps, of some building long since effaced. At any rate, it showed that the excavators had hit upon some underground construction, the nature of which we knew not.

The tools had been left there unheeded, as though the trio had departed hurriedly.

"That's curious!" Wyman cried to me. "Read old G.o.dfrey's instructions aloud to us."

I took out of my pocket a book in which I had made a note of the exact wording, and read to my companions as follows:

"DIRECTIONS FOR RECOVERING THE CASKET.

"Go unto the castle at 3:30, when the sun s.h.i.+nes, on September 6th, and follow the shadow of the east angle of the keep, forty-three paces from the inner edge of the moat."

Sammy then measured the paces, and found they were, as specified, forty-three.

I again glanced at my watch. It was just half-past three.

"Then, with the face turned straight towards Bengairn, walk fifty-six paces," I said, reading from the record.

Sammy took his bearings, and was starting off when I heard a footstep on the gra.s.s behind me, and, turning suddenly, found myself face to face with the man Selby, who, until that moment, had evidently been hiding in the ruins, watching us.

"By what right are you here?" he demanded.

"By the same right as yourself?" was my response. "What right have you to challenge us?"

By the man's dark, smooth face I saw he meant mischief.

"I have been left in charge of this property by its owner," the man declared. "You have no right to land here without his permission, therefore I order you to return to the sh.o.r.e."

"Ho! ho!" cried Sammy, in quick defiance, "those are fine words, to be sure. I fancy you'd better remain quiet, or we shall have to be very unkind to you."

"What do you mean?" the big fellow cried in a bullying tone.

"I mean that we aren't going to be interrupted by you," was Sammy's cool rejoinder. "If your friends have gone away and left you alone, like Robinson Crusoe, on this island, it isn't our concern. The laird of this place is still Colonel Maitland, and you have no authority here whatever."

"I forbid you to take any observations," Selby shouted, his fists clenched as though he would attack us. "And as for that man there," he cried, pointing to me, "he'd best get away before my friends return."

"Now that's enough," cried Sammy. "We don't want any threats;" and, before Selby was aware of his intention, the other had seized him by the wrists and was calling to us to secure him with the cord I had carried from the boat. He cursed and struggled violently, but in the hands of the four of us he was quickly bound and rendered powerless, much to his chagrin. He commenced shouting, whereupon I took out my handkerchief and gagged him tightly with it. Then, on his refusal to walk, we all four carried him into the roofless castle and there bound him to a big iron ring that we found in one of the walls, and thus made him our prisoner.

It was the only way. The fellow intended mischief, for we found in his pocket a loaded revolver. Having relieved him of that, we left him there, secured in a spot where he could not observe our movements.

Without loss of time we returned to the place we had marked, and the athletic Sammy, laughing over Selby's utter defeat, set his face towards the distant mountain of Bengairn and walked fifty-six paces, all three of us walking beside him to check is measurements.