"I don't know what the thing inside is made of," answered Harry
producing the article. "It looks like leather of a peculiar kind and on
it are black marks. If it were not for one thing, I'd have passed it up
entirely. Over in the corner are the words--'Biloxi Bayou.' Then the
rest was as clear as mud."
"Let's take a look at it," requested Arnold. "We all want to see what
it's like. If it was left by a Spaniard, it's no use to us, for we can't
read Spanish and when Harry says he read it, I can't believe he knows
what he's talking about. He can't read Spanish."
"I can read this all right," protested Harry, "and so can you. It's very
simple. Here's a mark and there's a mark and that's all."
He now spread the chart open above the binnacle so that the boys all
might look at it. As he had said, it was a piece of soft Spanish leather
left white by the dyer but now yellowed and darkened somewhat with age.
In rather uneven lines were traced roughly the location of certain
objects intended obviously to be trees. Certain of these were ranged in
line like the range lights used by mariners when entering or leaving a
harbor. At a spot where two lines of ranges crossed, which was evidently
near the water's edge, was a rough sketch of a box. Evidently no words
were needed.
"I see it all as plain as day," declared Arnold. "This old chap selected
a spot at the intersection of two ranges using big trees--maybe live
oaks--then he dug a hole and buried the chest.
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