The Go Ahead Boys and the Treasure Cave Part 39

"And we shan't know whether we're right or not," added George.

"I say go ahead anyway the way we have been doing," exclaimed Fred. "We seem to be making some sort of progress."

"Tell us what letter corresponds to number one," said George.

"A," almost shouted John and Grant together.

"You seem to agree on that at any rate," laughed George. "Why don't you tell us what your system is?"

"I should think you'd have guessed it by this time," said Grant. "Why, it's just as simple as rolling off a log."

"Oh, yes, of course," said George sarcastically. "Everything is when you know all about it. I think you might let Fred and me into your secret."

"One stands for _a_," was Grant's reply. "Nineteen stands for _s_. That's all I'll tell you now. Go ahead and put those down if you want to."

"Write it down, Fred," said George sorrowfully. "My," he added under his breath, "I hate stingy people."

Again Fred wrote:--

t-a-k-e-a-3-o-21-r-s-e-4-21-e-n-o-r-t-h-o-n-e-h-21-n-4-r-e-4-6-e-e-t-6- r-o-13-t-h-e-s-o-21-t-h-e-r-n-e-24-t-r-e-13-9-t-25-o-6-s-h-a-r-k-o-3-k- t-h-e-n-e-a-s-t-6-9-6-t-25-6-e-e-t-a-n-4-n-e-r-t-h-2-25-e-a-s-t-t-h-9- r-t-25-t-h-r-e-e-4-9-7.

"Keep it up," urged George. "Let's not discuss it any more until it is all written out. Give him some more letters."

"Take _u_ for twenty-one and _f_ for six," said Grant.

"Give me three this time," said Fred. "There aren't many left."

"All right. Take _i_ for nine."

Once more Fred wrote it out as follows:

t-a-k-e-a-3-o-u-r-s-e-4-u-e-n-o-r-t-h-o-n-e-h-u-n-4-r-e-4f-e-e-t-f-r-o -13-t-h-e-s-o-u-t-h-e-r-n-e-24-t-r-e-13-i-t-25-o-f-s-h-a-r-k-r-o-3-k-t- h-e-n-e-a-s-t-f-i-f-t-25-f-e-e-t-a-n-4-n-o-r-t-h-2-25-e-a-s-t-t-h-e-r- t-25-t-h-r-e-e-4-i-7.

"That's the way," cried George. "Give him some more. Clean it up this time."

"Let's see," said Grant musingly. "What numbers are left?"

"Three, four, thirteen, twenty-four, twenty-five, two and seven," said George. "I think that's all."

"All right," exclaimed Grant, "we'll finish it up. Go ahead, Fred, and in place of three put _c_, in place of four _d_, put _m_ for thirteen, _x_ for twenty-four, _y_ for twenty-five, _b_ for two, and let's see, _g_ for seven. That ought to do it."

"Here I go," said Fred, beginning to write at once. "You tell me what to do when I come to those numbers."

Grant prompted him and the whole code of numbers was soon translated into letters, reading as follows in its final form:

t-a-k-e-a-c-o-u-r-s-e-d-u-e-n-o-r-t-h-o-n-e-h-u-n-d-r-e-d-f-e-e-t- f-r-o-m-t-h-e-s-o-u-t-h-e-r-n-e-x-t-r-e-m-i-t-y-o-f-s-h-a-r-k-r-o-c-k- t-h-e-n-e-a-s-t-f-i-f-t-y-f-e-e-t-a-n-d-n-o-r-t-h-b-y-e-a-s-t- t-h-i-r-t-y-t-h-r-e-e-d-i-g.

CHAPTER XXIV

SOLVED

"There it is," exclaimed Fred when he had finished writing.

"What does it say?" demanded George. "It's certainly jumbled up."

"We'll start at the beginning," said Grant eagerly, "and spell out the letters and see if we can't make words out of them."

"Read them out loud," suggested Fred, "and go slow."

"T," began Grant, "that doesn't spell anything. T-a; T-a-k; T-a-k-e."

"Take," exclaimed George. "There's a word."

"Good," cried John. "Go ahead from there, Grant."

"A," said Grant.

"That's a word," cried Fred. "We've got 'take a,' so far."

"C," said Grant. "C-o; C-o-u; C-o-u-r."

"That means 'heart' in French," exclaimed George. "The next three letters, s-e-d, mean 'but' in French. Do you suppose that could be right?"

"It doesn't make sense that way," said John. 'Take a heart but.' What does that mean?"

"Perhaps every word doesn't count," George suggested.

"Look here," exclaimed Grant. "What does c-o-u-r-s-e spell?"

"Course, of course," said John laughingly.

"Certainly it does," said Grant. "That's the word we want. So far we have three; 'take a course.' Doesn't that sound more like it to you fellows than some sort of French that George is trying to bring into it?"

"Absolutely," said Fred with great conviction. "'Take a course' is right, and the next word is d-u-e, due."

"Correct," cried Grant. "Why, this is easy. Just see if I can't read the whole thing right off now."

"Try it anyway," said John. "Take it slow."

Grant studied the letters in front of him for some moments in silence.

"I've got it," he exclaimed at length. "Just listen to this," and he began to read slowly, "'Take a course due north one hundred feet from the south--'" he paused.

"From the southern, isn't it?" queried John.

"That's it. 'Take a course due north one hundred feet from the southern extremity of shark rock, then east fifty feet and north by east thirty-three dig.'"