The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt

rry, with a grin, "if we find that

he book lay spread out on the library table before them, yellow and fragile, with corners which threatened to fall away to dust

s, of the wreck in the lonely creek, and the description of the treasure up to

pretty big," Jim had said.

I remember my history correctly," the professor replied. "There are still barks left in ser

to the effect that if anyone who was not a subject of His Sovereign Majesty the King of Sp

ce, the Spaniards stole it from the Indians, and it never did belong to His Sove

n an effort to find the river up which the galleon h

little too old to be riding around the country looking f

rip, anyway," said Ned, who knew that his father did no

several miles to the south at present, and if that failed to show any signs of a river or the wreck to

s hands. The boys had been taught to shoot with a fair degree of accuracy at Woodcrest School and so felt no fear of appearing backward in that respect in Ned Scott's

n the flat, dry soil, and dancing waves of heat soon showed above the ground, as far as the eye could see. Ned would have turned to the d

se?" Don asked, pointin

our thousand feet above sea level. The high ranges are north and south, and on this southwestern side the r

there," said Terry,

ntry, from burning tropical heat and its charact

f time. The afternoon was even hotter than the morning, and while they did not feel like sleeping they did enjoy the rest under

bear in mind the fact that the passage of centuries might have closed up small rivers or narrowed creeks. Sandstorms rapidly changed the

outh. The directions in the manuscript were vague, much as though the priest himself did not know just where he was at the time. After all

as you do, that the treasure was never found agai

at?" asked

as that no other piece of the galleon to which it was a part could be found anywhere nearby. Don't you feel

ek anywhere near

quite some distance. Are we near the pla

ifty miles further up

near there the galleon ran up a

ch longer stay of it. We ought to spend several days in the vicinity, perhaps a week. Su

e a good idea

nch of the coast north and south, don't you? Then I think we m

ghts danced and gleamed along the crests of the mighty range. The boys cut enough wood to last them through the night

ou roast around here and at night you need a blanket. Very unreliable climate, I

d strike the ranch again about noontime, and soon they were in the saddle once more, striking north along the sea coast. They had gone

hat place?

California were first opened up, hides were collected inland and dragged to that cliff, where they were thrown down below, still in a raw state. Then, wh

ok, 'Two Years Before the Mast,'" said Don. "I'm

ildings were made of rough logs, hauled for many miles to the coast, and some scraps of ancient hides still clung to the storage racks. The vats we

Jim. "You must tell your father, Ned. Perha

ng engineer nodded, as th

ey arrived at his ranch. They rode down the incline toward the ho

bed," he laughed, as

Nor was the cook around. Ned hurried to the barns and looked for Ya

is a note from him on the table. He ha

nd took up the note. It was a simple message, worded as

risply. "Do you know wh

Don pointed to the note. "I see he signed it 'D

s know that he signed it under duress, under compulsion! The cook and the ove

that it is Sackett again!" gro

n we'll start to run those fellows down," said Ned, grimly. "I think it is high t

ry. "War to the knife! Where