So dere now!"
I turned from Cookie, too surprised to speak. Why had Captain
Magnus been at pains to invent a lie about so trivial a matter? I
recalled, too, that Mr. Shaw's question had confused him, that he
had hesitated and stammered before answering it. Why? Was he a
bad shot and ashamed of it? Had he preferred to say that he had
taken the wrong ammunition rather than admit that he could get no
bag? That must be the explanation, because there was no other.
Certainly no imaginable errand but the one assigned could have
taken the captain to the other side of the island.
Several days went by, and still the treasure was unfound. Of
course, as the unexplored space in the cave contracted, so daily
the probability grew stronger that Fortune would shed her golden
smile upon us before night. Nevertheless, it seemed to me that the
optimistic spirits of most were beginning to flag a little. Only
Mr. Shaw, though banned as a confirmed doubter and pessimist,
now by the exercise of will kept the others to their task. It
took all Cuthbert Vane's loyalty, plus an indisposition to be
called a slacker, to strive against the temptation to renounce
treasure-hunting in favor of roaming with Crusoe and me. As for
Captain Magnus, his restlessness was manifest. Several times he
had suggested blowing the lid off the island with dynamite, as the
shortest method of getting at the gold.
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