The Treasure of Cocos Island Author:James Otis Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. A BARGAIN. After Captain Jim and Bart Gerry had left the hut on the sand-dunes Winn turned eagerly toward the old man, believing he was to hear... more » more about the wonderful treasure; but in this he was mistaken. Manuel sat staring into the fire, the unlighted pipe in his mouth, as if he was the only occupant of the building, and fully half an hour passed in silence, save for the roaring of the wind and beating of the heavy surf outside. The boy from the poor-farm asked no questions, but waited patiently until it should be Manuel's pleasure to address him, and perhaps it was this habit of his which had first won the old man's friendship, for the guardian of the Aymara treasure often indulged in silence even while Winn was his guest. When he did finally speak, however, it was on that subject which occupied the boy's mind to the exclusion of everything else. "The captain of the 'Flying Scud' made a fair offer." "He's a square man, so 'Squire Kelly says, an' there's nobody in Fairhaven who can put a finger on anything he's ever done that isn't straight," Winn replied stoutly, more than willing to speak a good word for the man who had ever treated him less harshly than did the majority of the citizens of the town. "I'm not taken with Bart Gerry," old Manuel continued musingly. "Folks 'round here don't like him over an' above well; but they say he's got quite a pile of money, an' Captain Jim ain't any too well fixed. I s'pose it would cost mighty heavy to send a vessel from here to that island you told about?" "Indeed it would, lad. It means a two years' cruise for a schooner like the 'Flying Scud,' and stores must be bought for the entire voyage, no matter how much treasure may be taken on board once we are there." "If you can't do the thing you...« less