d,
opening his eyes, fixed them on Roger's face. A sepulchral voice issued
from the man's lips, and Roger understood him to ask that he should come
close to his side. He, of course, immediately acquiesced, and lay down
on the ground beside the man, so that his lips might be level with
Roger's ear, and thus enable the poor fellow to speak without further
weakening himself by raising his voice. The man asked for some brandy,
and Roger at once gave it to him. This revived him a little, and he was
now able to speak, though in a very low, weak, and husky voice, in which
the near approach of death could now be heard. It was clear, indeed,
that the invalid was sinking fast, and that he earnestly wished to
communicate something to Roger before he died. First he asked the lad
to see if the two sailors were anywhere near. The boy told him that
they had gone fishing; but this did not satisfy him, he would have Roger
look and make sure. To satisfy him, therefore, Roger went outside and
took a look round, and, the men being nowhere in sight, he went in and
reported the fact to Evans. Evans then signed to the lad to come closer
and sit down, so that he could speak directly into his ear. Pulling
himself together with an effort, he said:

"You have been very kind to me, young man, and I am going to recompense
you by giving you the papers that I stole from Jose Leirya's cabin, also
the cipher, which, when translated, will put the owner of it into the
possession of that scoundrel's enormous treasure--always provided, of
course, that Leirya has not already returned ere this and secured it
himself. But I do not think he has; for, as I told you at the end of my
yarn, when I left him, or rather when he left me here, he was going for
a cruise in the Mexican Gulf. As I mentioned, the treasure is hidden
somewhere on the shore of that inlet at the east end of Cuba, the
latitude and longitude of which I gave you. But you will have to
ascertain the precise locality of the treasure for yourself by
translating the cipher; for I do not know it, nor does any other living
man, except Jose Leirya himself. You will perhaps say that some one of
those who helped him to bury it must know, and doubtless they did--once;
but of those who left the vessel to bury the stuff with Jose not one
ever returned to the vessel, or was heard of afterward. The crew of the
ship so stood in awe of our captain that they dared not remonstrate or
make any enquiry