BILLY’S vanity was well content with the compliments accorded him by his friends, who gave the appreciation that was justly his due for persistent effort when they had wearied. It was David whose enthusiasm led him to suggest an immediate trip on the lake, to learn whether or not they could identify the features of the topography shown by the chart. The launch, to which they had been reduced by the loss of the Scherzo, had a speed of twelve miles an hour at its best and under Jake’s guidance it carried them swiftly enough northward to the broadest part of the lake, whence they might readily study the shore in all directions. Already, each had familiarized himself with the chart, so that it was held clearly in a mental picture, while he looked about over the sweep of sky-line critically, seeking some resemblance in the rise and fall of mountain and hill and in the curving of the shore to the irregular tracing made by Billy from the music. As the boat ran in a wide[220] circle, first one and then another caught here or there some trick of configuration that sent him eagerly to compare it with the chart in Billy’s hands. But, in each instance, the hope was doomed to swift disappointment, for vital divergence was revealed between the two. There was some disagreement, too, as to whether or not the map had reference to the windings of the shore, or to the crests and valleys of the hills and mountains, as they showed in relief against the sky. Billy Walker was certain that the chart had been drawn to represent the sky-line, and Saxe was of the same opinion—chiefly, perhaps, because of the other’s reasoning in which he had come to have great confidence, if not absolute reliance. Billy argued that the sky-line would be the natural guide on which to depend, inasmuch as it was bolder, less open to doubts. The indication received from this, he pointed out, could be at once applied to the shore, since the first knowledge gleaned had declared that the treasure was at the bed of the lake. Both Roy and David, however, maintained that the chart should be taken as copying the indentations in a portion of the shore-line. David offered evidence[221] in support of this contention to the effect that, whatever the sky-line might show as to itself, there could come from it no hint as to the distance from the shore at which the gold was lying. Billy admitted this, and then to his adversary’s chagrin, exposed the fact that the like difficulty must exist in the event of the map being of the shore-line itself—which was not to be gainsaid. It was Saxe, who, at last, made the discovery of importance. He had been staring fixedly at one point of the horizon for a full minute; then, he moved over to Billy’s side, where he alternately regarded the chart and the horizon for a considerable interval.
“Look here, Billy!” he exclaimed, abruptly. “Just take a squint at Mount Tabor, over there; I learned the name from Jake the other day.” He pointed to the west, a little to the north of them, where one of the highest of the peaks of the distant mountains loomed in naked majesty.
Billy obeyed the request, and readily distinguished the peak to which Saxe had called his attention.
“Well?” he questioned.
[222]“I want you to notice, too,” Saxe continued, “that the peak is flat on the top for some distance, and that there’s nothing of much height to the south.”
Billy nodded in assent.
“All right,” he agreed. “Go on.”
“Now, look farther north, about two miles, or perhaps more. You see another mountain, which seems to be almost the same height as Mount Tabor, and is flat on top in the same way?”
There was hardly any delay before Billy answered:
“Yes, I see it. Next?”
“Well, then,” Saxe continued, with animation, “you must bear in mind the fact that those two peaks are the highest on the whole extent of the western shore of the lake. It is, I imagine, very likely that anyone in search for a striking object in the landscape would select them at the outset as guides, on account of their conspicuousness. It’s my belief, after looking pretty closely, that Mount Tabor is shown by the two G’s above the staff in the beginning of the gold song. Try it running north from Mount Tabor, and compare it with the[223] chart, and see if you don’t find it brings you all right to the second high mountain, which is marked by the two G’s of the second half of the music. And then, keep on, until you come to the mountain top, much lower, but also hog-backed, which seems to me to be indicated by the final C’s of the score.”
Billy needed no urging. Before his friend had ceased speaking, he had brought his whole mind to bear in considering the similarities to which Saxe called his attention. For five minutes, he examined first the undulant horizon line and then the chart, which he held out-spread before him. He and Saxe were in the stern seats, while Roy and David had places forward, discussing the shore-line, and giving no heed to what was going on behind them. Suddenly, the voice of Billy Walker boomed forth in its fullness:
“By Croesus, Saxe, you’ve got it! You’ve pinned the map to the mountains! Bravo, my son!”
At the outburst, Roy and David faced about, startled. They saw the unwieldy bulk of Billy swaying with the motion he had imparted to the launch by leaping to his feet. He was a[224] figure of ............