第21章
"It certainly is," agreed the lad.Then, with a smile he added: "It is nearly eight bells.""Ha!" exclaimed the captain, also smiling, but even his manner of saying "Ha!" was less demonstrative than that of most persons."I believe I am getting hungry, if I may be allowed the remark," and again he seemed asking Tom's pardon for mentioning the fact.
"Perhaps you will come back to the cabin and have a little breakfast with me," he went on."I don't know what sort of a galley or cook they have aboard the Beach Hotel, but it can't be much worse than some I've tackled.""No, thank you," answered the youth."I've had my breakfast.But I'll wait for you, and then I'd like to get back.Dad and Mr.Sharp are anxious to meet you.""And I am anxious to meet them, if you don't mind me mentioning it," was the reply, as the captain once more put the spyglass to his eye and took an observation."Not many sails in sight this morning," he added.
"But the weather is fine, and we ought to get off in good shape to hunt for the treasure about which Mr.Sharp wrote me.I believe we are going after treasure, he said; "that is, if you don't mind talking about it.""Not in the least," replied Tom quickly, thinking this a good opportunity for broaching a subject that was worrying him."Did you meet a Mr.Berg here last night, Captain Weston?" he went on.
"Yes.Mr.Berg and I had quite a talk.He is a well- informed man." "Did he mention the sunken treasure?" asked the lad, eager to find outif his suspicions were true.
"Yes, he did, if you'll excuse me putting it so plainly," answered the seaman, as if Tom might be offended at so direct a reply.But the young inventor was soon to learn that this was only an odd habit with the seaman.
"Did he want to know where the wreck of the Boldero was located?" continued the lad."That is, did he try to discover if you knew anything about it?""Yes," said Mr.Weston, "he did.He pumped me, if you are acquainted with that term, and are not offended by it.You see, when I arrived here I made inquiries as to where your father's place was located.Mr.Berg overheard me, and introduced himself as agent for a shipbuilding concern.He was very friendly, and when he said he knew you and your parent, I thought he was all right."Tom's heart sank.His worst fears were to be realized, he thought."Yes, he and I talked considerable, if I may be permitted to say so,"went on the captain."He seemed to know about the wreck of the Boldero, and that she had three hundred thousand dollars in gold aboard.The only thing he didn't know was where the wreck was located.He knew it was off Uruguay somewhere, but just where he couldn't say.So he asked me if I knew, since he must have concluded that I was going with you on the gold-hunting expedition.""And you do know, don't you?" asked Tom eagerly."Well, I have it pretty accurately charted out, if you will allow me that expression," was the calm answer."I took pains to look it up at the request of Mr.Sharp.""And he wanted to worm that information out of you?" inquired theyouth excitedly.
"Yes, I'm afraid he did."
"Did you give him the location?"
"Well," remarked the captain, as he took another observation before closing up the telescope, "you see, while we were talking, I happened to drop a copy of a map I'd made, showing the location of the wreck.Mr.Berg picked it up to hand to me, and he looked at it.""Oh!" cried Tom."Then he knows just where the treasure is, and he may get to it ahead of us.It's too bad.""Yes," continued the seaman calmly, "Mr.Berg picked up that map, and he looked very closely at the latitude and longitude I had marked as the location of the wreck.""Then he won't have any trouble finding it," murmured our hero.
"Eh? What's that?" asked the captain, "if I may be permitted to request you to repeat what you said.""I say he won't have any trouble locating the sunken Boldero," repeated Tom.
"Oh, but I think he will, if he depends on that map," was the unexpected reply."You see," explained Mr.Weston, "I'm not so simple as I look.I sensed what Mr.Berg was after, the minute he began to talk to me.So I fixed up a little game on him.The map which I dropped on purpose, not accidentally, where he would see it, did have the location of the wreck marked.Only it didn't happen to be the right location.It was about five hundred miles out of the way, and I rather guess if Mr.Berg and his friends go there for treasure they'll find considerable depth of water and quite a lonesome spot.Oh, no, I'm not as easy as I look, if you don't mind me mentioning that fact; and when a scoundrel sets out to get the best of me, I generally try to turn the tables on him.I've seen such men as Mr.Berg before.I'm afraid, I'm very much afraid, the sight he had of the fake map I made won't do him much good.Well, I declare, it's past four bells.Let's go to breakfast, if you don't mind me asking you," and with that the captain started off up the beach, Tom following, his ideas all a whirl at the unlooked- for outcome of the interview.