Сердца трех / Hearts of Three

There’s nothing here. I’ve just about dug the island upside down and all I found was the chest there full of old clothes.’

�It must have encouraged you.’

�Mightily. I thought I had a hammerlock on it. At any rate, it showed I’m on the right track.’

�What’s the matter with trying the Bull?’ Francis queried.

�That’s my idea right now,’ was the answer, �though I’ve got another clue for over on the mainland. Those old-timers had a way of noting down their latitude and longitude whole degrees out of the way.

’

�Ten North and Ninety East on the chart might mean Twelve North and Ninety-two East,’ Francis concurred. �Then again it might mean Eight North and Eighty-eight East. They carried the correction in their heads, and if they died unexpectedly, which was their custom, it seems, the secret died with them.’

�I’ve half a notion to go over to the Bull and chase those turtle-catchers back to the mainland,’ Henry went on.

�And then again I’d almost like to tackle the mainland clue first. I suppose you’ve got a stock of clues, too?’

�Sure thing,’ Francis nodded. �But say, I’d like to take back what I said about not sharing.’

�Say the word,’ the other encouraged.

�Then I do say it.’

Their hands extended and gripped in ratification.

�Morgan and Morgan strictly limited,’ chortled Francis.

�Assets, the whole Caribbean Sea, the Spanish Main, most of Central America, one chest full of perfectly no good old clothes, and a lot of holes in the ground,’ Henry joined in the other’s humor.

�Liabilities, snake-bite, thieving Indians, malaria, yellow fever—’

�And pretty girls with a habit of kissing total strangers one moment, and of sticking up said total strangers with shiny silver revolvers the next moment,’ Francis cut in. �Let me tell you about it. Day before yesterday, I rowed ashore over on the mainland.

The moment I landed, the prettiest girl in the world pounced out upon me and dragged me away into the jungle. Thought she was going to eat me or marry me. I didn’t know which. And before I could find out, what’s the pretty damsel do but pass uncomplimentary remarks on my mustache and chase me back to the boat with a revolver. Told me to beat it and never come back, or words to that effect.