The major's tone was curt and fraught with a deeper meaning.

"Right hyah, sah, majah. Right hyah, dis am whar I seen dat homely lilly face. Yas sah."

But although they made a thorough search of the vicinity no trace of a concealed listener could be found.

"I'd be half-inclined to put it down to Jumbo's foolishness if it wasn't that we know we have enemies in the mountains," said the major, after supper that night.

"But as it is, sir?" asked Rob.

"As it is," replied the major, "I think we had better keep a sharp look out and 'Be Prepared.' Jumbo's description of that face seems to tally pretty closely with the countenance of Black Bart."

"Just what I think," rejoined Rob; "if he hadn't got so frightened Jumbo might have secured that five hundred dollars after all."

"Ma.r.s.e Rob," said Jumbo, who had been listening intently, "you ebber hyah dat lilly story 'bout de man wot caught de wild cat?"

"No; heave ahead with the yarn, Jumbo," said the major.

"Well, sah, onct upon a time two men was campin'. One went to der spring ter git watah. Pretty soon de one lef' behin' hearn de awfullest racket and caterwaulin' by dat spring you ever hearn tell ob.

"'What de mattah?' he call.

"'I got a wild cat!' holler de man by de spring.

"'Kain't you hole him?' hollers his fren'.

"'I kin hole him all right,' hollered de udder feller, 'but I don't know how ter let him go ag'in'."

After the laughter excited by this narration had subsided, Jumbo rolled his eyes solemnly and cleared his throat. Then he spoke:

"An' dat lilly nanny-goat (anecdote) applies sah, dat applies ter me and dis yar Black Bart or whateber his name am."

CHAPTER XXII.

THE BUCCANEER'S CAVE.

"The three peaks are in line, but no trace of the 'ruby glow' the cipher speaks of."

The speaker was Rob Blake. He and Merritt, in the red canoe, were in advance of the other craft. The first level rays of the early sun were slanting down over the precipitous hills surrounding the lake and gilding the placid sheet of water with a glittering effulgence. The canoes seemed to hang on the clear water as if suspended.

Right ahead of the adventurers, the three jagged peaks seen the previous evening had gradually swung into line, until the first and nearest one veiled the other two.

"Let's run the canoe ash.o.r.e. May be we shall come across something to make the meaning of the cipher plainer," suggested Merritt.

Presently the bow of the canoe grazed the beach, and the two active young uniformed figures sprang out. For an instant they looked about them. Then suddenly Merritt gripped Rob's arm with such a tight pressure that it actually pained.

"Look!" he cried, "look!"

Rob followed the direction of Merritt's gaze and was tempted to echo his cry. Through the trees a rectangular mound of rock, with a dome-like summit, had just caught the rays of the sun.

In the early morning light it glittered as redly as if bathed in blood.

"The ruby glow!" breathed Rob poetically, gazing at the wonderful sight.

"Must be some sort of mica or crystal in the rock that catches the sunlight," said the practical Merritt; "good thing we didn't come here on a dull, cloudy day."

"I guess so," rejoined Rob; "we might easily have missed it."

"Let's get the others!" exclaimed Merritt. "See, the ruby glow is masking the Three Brothers."

"That's so," agreed Rob, "this is the place, beyond a doubt."

By this time the other canoes had been beached and their occupants were presently gazing in wrapt wonder at the spectacle. As the sun rose higher they could see the glow diminishing.

"Your ancestor chose his hiding place well," said the professor to Major Dangerfield, "only at sunrise and at sunset can the glow be visible. At any other hour of the day there would be nothing unusual about that rock but its shape."

Suddenly Tubby broke into song. He caught at the others' hands. In a jiffy the Boy Scouts were dancing round in a joyous circle, singing at the top of their lungs:

"Ruby glow! ruby glow!

We have sought you long, you know!

Now you're found we won't let go Till we get the treasure--ruby glow!"

"Rather antic.i.p.ating, aren't you, boys?" asked the major, "there is still quite a lot to be done before we discover the cavern where the treasure is supposed to be buried."

But despite his calm words they could see that the major was quite as much excited as themselves at the idea of being on the threshold of great discoveries.

"Suppose we press forward," suggested the professor presently; "I think that the base of the ruby mound is the place to start from."

The canoes were hauled up on the beach and concealed in a high growth of tangled water plants. They did not wish to risk having them stolen for a second time. Then they struck forward into the gloom of the woods lying between the ruby mound and the lake. As they went the Boy Scouts hummed Tubby's little song. Even Jumbo seemed to have cast off his gloom. His great eyes rolled with antic.i.p.ation as they pressed on, ambition to find the treasure cavern lending wings to their feet.

Before long they were at the base of the ruby mound. It was quite bare, and rose up almost as if it had been artificially formed. The professor declared it to have been of glacial origin. Certain markings on it he interpreted as being Indian in design.

"They seem to indicate that at one time the Indians, who formerly roamed these mountains, used this mound as a watch tower," he said. "It must have made a good one, too."

"Too high colored for me," said Tubby in an undertone.

But by this time the glow had fled from the conical-shaped top of the mound. It was a dull gray color now, and, except for its shape and barrenness, looked just like any other rock pile.

"There's the dead pine!" cried Hiram suddenly.

"So it is!" exclaimed the major, as his gaze fell on an immense blasted trunk soaring above the rest of the trees, "boys, we are hot on the trail."

"Looks so," agreed Rob.

"Now, then," exclaimed the professor, as they stood at the base of the pine, which appeared to have been blasted by lightning at some remote period, "now then, one of you boys pace off four hundred feet to the west."

Rob drew out his pocket compa.s.s and speedily paced off the distance. This brought them into a sort of clearing. It was small, and circular in shape, and dense growth hedged it in on all sides. By this time the boys were fairly quivering with excitement, and their elders were not much behind them in eager antic.i.p.ation.