and disappeared from view.
The whole scene was so comical I burst into a loud laughter, and my two friends joined in. By the time we had gained the edge of the pool the one-armed sailor had reappeared, dripping with stagnant and foul-smelling liquid, and with his face completely covered with the muck which lay at the bottom of the pool.
"Whow!" he spluttered, and wiped his face with his coat sleeve. Then he floundered out of the pool, looking thoroughly crestfallen and miserable.
"So we've caught you after all," said Oliver, as sternly as he could, although I saw that he felt like laughing.
"Oh, gents, don't be hard on me!" was the pitiful return. "I never stole before in my life."
"Do you expect us to believe that?"
"It's the truth, indeed it is. You've got your spoons back. Let me go, please."
"How about those other things? " asked Dan.
"I took nothing else—upon my honor, I didn't, gents."
"You took four napkin-rings and a golden fish-knife," I said. "We must have those back, whether we let you go or not."
At the mentioning of the articles, the rascal's face fell. It was easy to see that he was a hypocrite, whining only when cornered, a person that is a regular snake in the grass.
"I—I—there must be a mistake," he began.
"There is no mistake. You took the articles and you must give them up again," said Oliver coldly.
"Well I—er—to tell the truth, gents, I pawned the things. I did it to buy something to eat with."
"And something to drink," I added, for his breath smelled of liquor, although he was not intoxicated.
"No—only something to eat."
"Where are the tickets?" was Oliver's question, and after some hesitation, the one-armed sailor brought forth two wet and greasy bits of pasteboard issued by a San Francisco pawnbroker, showing all of the articles had been pawned for a dollar and seventy-five cents.
"Have you got that money?" demanded Oliver, as he placed the tickets in the envelope to an old letter he happened to be carrying.
"I've got fifty cents of it, and that's all."
"Hand it over."
The one-armed sailor did so, his face in the meantime growing full of bitter hatred.
"Now vamose," cried Oliver. "And if you ever show your face in these parts again I'll have you arrested."
"I won't show myself, don't you fear," was the quick answer, and in a moment the sailor had turned and was walking back to the highway. Once there, he turned, shook his fist at us, and disappeared around a bend.
"A bad egg," was Dan's comment. "I never want to see him again."
"Nor do I want to see him," answered Oliver. "But hop in, boys, and we'll get home. All told, we are only out a dollar and a quarter on the robbery, which is not much, considering what might have been taken."
"You have the tickets safe?" questioned Dan, as we got into the carriage.
"The pawnbroker's tickets? Oh, yes—and the steamer tickets, too."
Then of a sudden Oliver placed his hand into his coat pocket and drew out another envelope, that which had contained the documents left by Gaston Brown.
"I was careless about this map," he began. "I should have left it at home with the letter. I might—— Creation! it's gone!"
"Gone? The map?" came from Dan and me.
"Yes, the map is gone—lost!"
CHAPTER IV.
THE START FOR HONOLULU.
The three of us stared at each other in utter dismay, unable for the moment to speak. The map—that precious bit of parchment—was gone, lost! What should we do now?
"And our tickets to Honolulu all bought!" groaned Dan, who was the first to break the painful silence.
"Are you sure it is lost?" I said. "Haven't you it anywhere about your clothing? Feel in every pocket."
"Maybe you left it home," suggested Dan, a faint ray of hope shining in his face.
"No, I am sure I had it when I came away, worse luck," groaned Oliver. "And I am equally sure I haven't it now," he added, after a thorough search not only of his person but also of the carriage. "The question is, where did I drop it?"
"Do you remember falling or stumbling?" I asked.
"No—yes, I do—down near the pool, just as the sailor went in. Let us go back and see if I dropped it there."
We went back and made a search lasting the best part of half an hour, but nothing came to light. Then we retraced our steps and looked around where we had first leaped from the carriage. It was all useless; not a trace of die precious map was to be found.
"I have a rough sketch of the map," said Dan. "I made it while Oliver and I were on our way here from Hong Kong."
"Where is it? " questioned Oliver eagerly.
"I left it home, in my other coat."
"I hope that isn't gone, too."
"It's not likely—unless fate is against us on this trip," rejoined Oliver soberly.
He was now anxious to learn if this duplicate map, if such it might be called, was still at home, and the team was whipped up and away we went.
Quarter of an hour later we knew the truth. The map was not only safe, but it was a very fair reproduction of the original, for I may as well state here that Dan was a good draughtsman and had studied civil engineering for several years.
"Thank fortune we have this map!" cried Oliver, and I have no doubt but that a load was lifted from his heart. "As soon as we get the chance we had better make three maps and reproduce the description, so that each of us can carry a copy of both." And let me add that this was done while on the trip to Honolulu.
The time left to us on shore flew by swiftly with packing our valises and purchasing such things as we deemed necessary. It was a delightful day when we went down to the wharf at which the steamer lay, taking on her cargo and load of passengers. The latter were of all kinds and conditions, poor and rich, the business man, the pleasure seeker, and the rover in quest of a fortune.
"The man who goes to Honolulu with the expectation of striking it rich will be disappointed," remarked Dan, as having put our traps in the staterooms
