Роберт Артур - The Mystery of the Fiery Eye

“But The Fiery Eye isn’t metal!” Bob objected.

“No, but when I stooped to tie my shoe this afternoon, after I took a picture of the house,” Jupiter told him, “I shoved a silver half dollar into the ground to mark the spot. The half dollar has an eagle on the back. That’s the eagle I’m going to ask.”

“But it wasn’t two-thirty, Jupiter,” Gus put in as they walked over the lawn in the darkness. “Only two-fifteen.”

“I made allowance for the probable movement of the shadow in the next fifteen minutes,” Jupiter told him. “We shouldn’t be too far off the right spot now.”

He stopped and put the flat bottom of the instrument he carried on the ground. He put on the head phones, then snapped a switch and began to move the metal detector back and forth over the lawn.

“As soon as it finds any metal, it’ll buzz,” Jupiter said. “It’s pretty dark but this seems about where I stood, judging by the house.”

He moved the metal detector back and forth, over a wider and wider area. After he got tired, Pete took over. Still it refused to buzz.

“We’ve lost the eagle,” Pete said wearily. “This is just too big a lawn. We could spend all night looking.”

“It has to be somewhere nearby,” Jupe said. “I pushed it into the ground edgewise so it couldn’t be spotted. Just give a swing over this way, Second.”

Pete did as requested. Then he jumped. The machine had buzzed for a moment!

“Back! You passed over it,” Jupe whispered.

Pete moved the instrument back an inch at a time. Presently it started to buzz loudly in his ears, and he let it rest on the grass.

“We’ve found it!” he cried.

Jupiter got down on his hands and knees and unclipped his flashlight from his belt. Holding the beam low to the ground, he poked around until he found his half dollar.

“Now,” he said, “we have to dig. I might not be in exactly the right spot, so we’ll make it a big hole.”

Pete grabbed a shovel from Bob and started to dig. Slowly the hole grew deeper and larger. Except for the noise of the shovel, it was very silent in the canyon. Not even a cricket chirped.

They waited for the shovel to crunch on metal or wood — on a box of some kind — but it didn’t. Presently Pete wiped his forehead with a dirty hand.

“I’m whipped,” he said. “Jupe, I don’t think this is the right spot.”

Jupe said nothing. He was thinking intently. He looked at the dark shadow of the house, barely visible, then at the dark shadow of the peak, just visible against the starlit sky. Then he moved a foot towards the house.

“Try on this side of the hole,” he said.

“Well, all right,” Pete agreed. He jabbed the shovel in, and took out some dirt. Then some more. Then the shovel scraped on a stone. Or was it a stone?

“We’ve found something!” Pete whispered.

“Let me see,” Jupe said tensely. He shone his flashlight on the spot. The corner of a small box, seemingly made out of stone, protruded from the ground. Jupiter knelt down and began digging round it with his fingers. Finally he got a grip on it. He wrenched and tugged, getting dirt all over himself. Slowly it came loose.

“We’ve got something,” he whispered. “A box made of soapstone. Bob, shine my light on this while I see if it will open.”

Jupiter began to fumble with the gold lock which closed the box. He shoved it first one way, then another. There was a little snap, and it flew open. Jupiter hesitated a moment, then slowly lifted the lid.

A blazing red stone shone like fire from its bed of cotton.

“We’ve found it!” Pete cried. “You did it, Jupe! You did it!”

“Well done, well done!” Gus exclaimed.

Jupiter started to answer. Then he stopped. All four of the boys stood as if turned to stone.

The night had seemingly exploded with brilliant light. The boys were in the centre of four powerful flashlight beams. Almost blinded, they could barely see dark figures moving stealthily towards them from all sides.

“All right, kids!” growled a familiar voice. “Now you’ve finally got it, hand it over.”

The boys blinked. Dimly behind the flashlights they could see four moustached figures closing in on them. One of them held a gun that looked large and menacing.

“The Black Moustache gang!” Bob managed to whisper. “They were here waiting for us! Hiding behind the trucks.”

“We learned about your trip here this afternoon,” the one named Joe said, “and how you got run off. We were pretty sure you’d be back.”

“Never mind the talk. I want that stone, boy,” the one called Hugo growled. “Hand it over now and no funny stuff.”

Jupiter seemed more frightened than Bob had ever seen him before. His hand trembled. The stone box and the gem fell from his fingers into the hole.

“I — I’ll pick it up,” he said, his voice breaking.

He bent over, fumbled around in the dirt, and picked up the stone.

“Here it is,” he said. “If you want it — take it!”

And he tossed the stone high over Hugo’s head. It made a tiny crimson arc in the air and disappeared in the darkness beyond.

HUGO gave an ugly oath and spun round.

“Find it!” he shouted. “Turn your lights that way.”

The lights all turned in the direction Jupiter had thrown the stone. Jupe gave orders of his own.

“Run for the truck!” he said. “Fast! They won’t shoot.”

He scrambled out of the hole. Like four rabbits, the boys bounded across the dark lawn to where Hans waited. Faithfully watching the road entering the canyon, Hans had not even seen the incident.

The Black Moustache gang was still busy looking for The Fiery Eye in the tall grass as the four boys reached the truck and scrambled into the back.

“Hans! Fast!” Jupiter shouted. “Get us out of here.”

Hans asked no questions. The motor roared, the truck ground into gear, and a moment later they were thundering down the narrow road and away from Dial Canyon.

They didn’t try to speak. They were busy holding on as the truck bounced round the curves. Traffic was light and they made the trip back to The Jones Salvage Yard in record time. When Hans pulled through the open gate into the darkened yard, they climbed out glumly. They had left behind the shovels, the metal detector, and of course The Fiery Eye.

The boys clustered in a little group in front of the office.

“Well,” Pete sighed, “that’s that.”

“They outsmarted us in the end,” Bob said.

“Apparently so,” Jupiter said.

“Apparently?” Gus’s tone was questioning. “What do you mean, apparently, Jupiter?”

“I hoped they would be watching for the Rolls,” Jupiter said. “They fooled us there. They were waiting at the house instead. Instinct told me to take added precautions. As a result — Bob, shine the flashlight this way.”

Bob turned the flashlight beam on Jupiter. Jupe had his hand out, palm up, and in his palm glittered a brilliant red stone.

“Meet the real Fiery Eye,” Jupiter said. “The one I threw away was the imitation stone Three-Dots left with us. I took it along, as I said, on a hunch. When I bent over to pick up the box and stone, I made a simple substitution.”

“Jupe, you’re a genius!” Bob said.

“I should say so!” Gus agreed. “You fooled them properly.”

“I’ll buy a double helping of that!” Pete exclaimed.

And then a voice, cold and quiet and deadly, spoke over their shoulders.