Read Online Drew 17 - The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Carolyn Keene
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the two men returned to the girls’ cabin, where the captain explained the problem.
“I thought all along there was something funny about that trunk,” Lou said.
“There is,” Captain Detweiler admitted and swore the man to secrecy. Then the girls showed Lou the tray they had found in the mystery trunk.
The locksmith was amazed. Before he began working on it, he studied the tray with the four small holes across the top of the lid for a couple of minutes. Then he opened his bag of tools. The others watched eagerly as he tried round keys, thin flat ones, and strange-looking corrugated keys. Nothing would open the lid of the tray.
Lou now tried thin rods. When these failed in all four of the tiny openings, he inserted slender wires. He wiggled them, frowning more deeply with each attempt.
Finally the frustrated locksmith began to mutter to himself in Dutch. Nancy could not understand any of it, so Nelda translated and whispered in her ear.
“He is saying, ‘Very clever, very clever. But I will conquer this thing yet!’ ”
Nancy smiled and rooted even harder for Lou. He kept shaking his head so much that Bess whispered to Nelda, “If he keeps this up, his head will fall off!”
At this point Nancy decided to get her magnifying glass and examine the top of the tray thoroughly. She brought it from her own trunk and scrutinized each inch of the tray. Along the bottom of the lid she could see letters and figures indistinctly.
“They might be a clue on how to open this!” she said. “Lou, please take this glass and look at the writing. Perhaps it gives instructions on how to proceed.”
Lou took the glass and studied the marks intently for several seconds. Suddenly he smiled. “You’re right!” he said. “This is in Dutch and says ‘Een rechts, twee links, een naar boven, drie naar beneden. ’ ”
“How exciting!” Nelda exclaimed. “That means one right, two left, one up, and three down.”
Lou was still studying the directions. Finally he said, “This tray may have a dial inside the lid like those used on safes in banks. Yes, it must be like that.”
He took one of the wires, bent it at one end into a loop, and inserted it into the first hole. Then he put his ear down to listen for any response from the lock. When there was none, he pushed the wire to the right. Apparently he heard some kind of sound. He withdrew the wire and pushed it to the left, then back and to the left again. He now pulled the wire almost to the top, then lowered it three times. There was an audible click!
As everyone waited breathlessly, Lou lifted the lid off the tray. The girls tried hard not to shout, expressing their delight in hushed voices. Captain Detweiler patted the locksmith on the shoulder. “Great work, Lou,” he said.
The contents of the tray were covered with a cloth, which Nancy was urged to take off. As she did, a series of small suede pouches became visible.
“What do you think is in them?” Bess whispered.
Nancy turned to the captain. “I feel you should have the honor of opening the first pouch,” she said.
The officer smiled. “No. You’re the one who is solving this mystery. You open it!”
Nancy did, and out rolled a fair-sized sapphire. It glinted in the light.
“I don’t believe it!” George whispered. “Hurry up and open the rest!”
Nancy insisted that there were plenty of pouches and each person in the cabin should open one of them. As they did, diamonds, rubies, topazes, and garnets were revealed.
The group were speechless. Finally Captain Detweiler said, “There’s no question but that whoever hid these in the trunk expected to smuggle them into the United States!”
Bess asked, “What are you going to do with them?”
Rod Havelock suggested that they be taken to the ship’s safe in the purser’s office.
But the captain had another idea. “I have a very fine secret safe in my quarters. I think the jewels should be put in there. No one but the people in this room will
“I thought all along there was something funny about that trunk,” Lou said.
“There is,” Captain Detweiler admitted and swore the man to secrecy. Then the girls showed Lou the tray they had found in the mystery trunk.
The locksmith was amazed. Before he began working on it, he studied the tray with the four small holes across the top of the lid for a couple of minutes. Then he opened his bag of tools. The others watched eagerly as he tried round keys, thin flat ones, and strange-looking corrugated keys. Nothing would open the lid of the tray.
Lou now tried thin rods. When these failed in all four of the tiny openings, he inserted slender wires. He wiggled them, frowning more deeply with each attempt.
Finally the frustrated locksmith began to mutter to himself in Dutch. Nancy could not understand any of it, so Nelda translated and whispered in her ear.
“He is saying, ‘Very clever, very clever. But I will conquer this thing yet!’ ”
Nancy smiled and rooted even harder for Lou. He kept shaking his head so much that Bess whispered to Nelda, “If he keeps this up, his head will fall off!”
At this point Nancy decided to get her magnifying glass and examine the top of the tray thoroughly. She brought it from her own trunk and scrutinized each inch of the tray. Along the bottom of the lid she could see letters and figures indistinctly.
“They might be a clue on how to open this!” she said. “Lou, please take this glass and look at the writing. Perhaps it gives instructions on how to proceed.”
Lou took the glass and studied the marks intently for several seconds. Suddenly he smiled. “You’re right!” he said. “This is in Dutch and says ‘Een rechts, twee links, een naar boven, drie naar beneden. ’ ”
“How exciting!” Nelda exclaimed. “That means one right, two left, one up, and three down.”
Lou was still studying the directions. Finally he said, “This tray may have a dial inside the lid like those used on safes in banks. Yes, it must be like that.”
He took one of the wires, bent it at one end into a loop, and inserted it into the first hole. Then he put his ear down to listen for any response from the lock. When there was none, he pushed the wire to the right. Apparently he heard some kind of sound. He withdrew the wire and pushed it to the left, then back and to the left again. He now pulled the wire almost to the top, then lowered it three times. There was an audible click!
As everyone waited breathlessly, Lou lifted the lid off the tray. The girls tried hard not to shout, expressing their delight in hushed voices. Captain Detweiler patted the locksmith on the shoulder. “Great work, Lou,” he said.
The contents of the tray were covered with a cloth, which Nancy was urged to take off. As she did, a series of small suede pouches became visible.
“What do you think is in them?” Bess whispered.
Nancy turned to the captain. “I feel you should have the honor of opening the first pouch,” she said.
The officer smiled. “No. You’re the one who is solving this mystery. You open it!”
Nancy did, and out rolled a fair-sized sapphire. It glinted in the light.
“I don’t believe it!” George whispered. “Hurry up and open the rest!”
Nancy insisted that there were plenty of pouches and each person in the cabin should open one of them. As they did, diamonds, rubies, topazes, and garnets were revealed.
The group were speechless. Finally Captain Detweiler said, “There’s no question but that whoever hid these in the trunk expected to smuggle them into the United States!”
Bess asked, “What are you going to do with them?”
Rod Havelock suggested that they be taken to the ship’s safe in the purser’s office.
But the captain had another idea. “I have a very fine secret safe in my quarters. I think the jewels should be put in there. No one but the people in this room will
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