The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]
gold, in_the last rays of_the setting sun, some of_which still faintly illumined the eminence upon_which we stood . the scarabus hung quite clear of any branches, and, if allowed to_fall, would_have fallen at our feet .Legrand immediately took the scythe, and cleared with it a circular space, three or four yards in diameter, just beneath the insect, and, having accomplished this, ordered Jupiter to let go the string and come down from_the tree .

Driving a Peg, with great nicety, into_the ground, at_the precise spot where the beetle fell, my friend now produced from_his pocket a tape measure .Fastening one end of_this at_that point of_the trunk, of_the tree which_was nearest the Peg, he unrolled it till it reached the Peg, and thence farther unrolled it, in_the direction already established by_the two points of_the tree and_the Peg, for_the distance of fifty feet - Jupiter clearing away the brambles with_the scythe . at_the spot thus attained a second Peg was driven, and about_this, as acentre, a rude circle, about four feet in diameter, described .Taking now a spade himself, and giving one to Jupiter and one to_me, Legrand begged us to set about digging as quickly as possible .

to_speak the truth, I had no especial relish for such amusement at any_time, and, at_that particular moment, would most willingly have declined it; for_the night was coming on, and I_felt much fatigued with_the exercise already taken; but I_saw no mode of escape, and was fearful of disturbing my poor friend's equanimity by a refusal . could I_have depended, indeed, upon Jupiter's aid, i_would_have had no hesitation in attempting to_get the lunatic home by force; but i_was too well assured of_the old Negro's disposition, to hope_that he_would assist me, under any circumstances, in a personal contest with_his master . I_made no_doubt that_the latter had_been infected with some_of_the innumerable southern superstitions about money buried, and_that his phantasy had received confirmation by_the finding of_the scarabus, or, perhaps, by Jupiter's obstinacy in maintaining it to_be "a bug of real gold ." a mind disposed to lunacy would readily be led away by such suggestions - especially if chiming in with favorite preconceived ideas - and then I called to mind the poor fellow's speech about_the beetle's being " the index of_his fortune ." upon_the whole, i_was sadly vexed and puzzled, but, at_length, I concluded to_make a virtue of necessity - to dig with a good will, and thus the sooner to_convince the visionary, by ocular demonstration, of_the fallacy of_the opinions he entertained .

the lanterns having been lit, we all fell to work with a zeal worthy a more rational cause; and, as_the glare fell upon our persons and implements, I_could_not help thinking how picturesque a group we composed, and how strange and suspicious our labors must_have appeared to any interloper who, by chance, might_have stumbled upon our whereabouts .

we dug very steadily for two hours . little was said; and_our chief embarrassment lay in_the yelpings of_the dog, who took exceeding interest in_our proceedings . he, at_length, became so obstreperous that we grew fearful of_his giving the alarm to some stragglers in_the vicinity; - or, rather, this_was the apprehension of Legrand; - for_myself, i_should_have rejoiced at any interruption which might_have enabled me to_get the wanderer home . the noise was, at_length, very effectually silenced by Jupiter, who, getting out_of_the hole with a dogged air of deliberation, tied the brute's mouth up with one of_his suspenders, and then returned, with a grave chuckle, to_his task .

when_the time mentioned had expired, we had reached a depth of five feet, and yet no signs of any treasure became manifest .a general pause ensued, and I began to hope_that the farce was at an end .Legrand, however, although evidently much disconcerted, wiped his brow thoughtfully and recommenced . we had excavated the entire circle of four feet diameter, and now we slightly enlarged the limit, and went to_the farther depth of two feet . still nothing appeared . the gold- seeker, whom I sincerely pitied, at_length clambered from_the pit, with_the bitterest disappointment imprinted upon every feature, and proceeded, slowly and reluctantly, to_put on_his coat, which he had thrown off at_the beginning of_his labor . in_the mean time I_made no remark .Jupiter, at a signal from_his master, began to gather up his tools . this done, and_the dog having been unmuzzled, we turned in profound silence towards home .

we had taken, perhaps, a dozen steps in_this direction, when, with a loud oath, Legrand strode up_to Jupiter, and seized him by_the collar . the astonished Negro opened his eyes and mouth to_the fullest extent, let fall the spades, and fell upon his knees .

" you scoundrel," said Legrand, hissing out the syllables from between his clenched teeth - " you infernal black villain ! - speak, I tell you ! - answer me this instant, without prevarication ! - which - which_is your left eye ? "

"Oh, my golly, Massa will ! aint dis here my lef eye for sartain ? " roared the terrified Jupiter, placing his hand upon his right organ of vision, and holding it there with a desperate pertinacity, as_if in immediate dread of_his master's attempt at a gouge .

" i_thought so ! - I_knew it ! hurrah ! " vociferated Legrand, letting the Negro go, and executing a series of curvets and caracols, much to_the astonishment of_his valet, who, arising from_his knees, looked, mutely, from_his master to myself, and then from myself to_his master .

" come ! we_must go back," said the latter, " the game's not up yet;" and he again led the way to_the tulip- tree .

"Jupiter," said he, when we reached its foot, " come here ! was_the skull nailed to_the limb with_the face outwards, or with_the face to_the limb ? "

"De face was out, massa, so dat de crows could get at de eyes good, widout any trouble ."

" well, then, was_it this eye or that through which you dropped the beetle ? " - here Legrand touched each of Jupiter's eyes .

"Twas dis eye, massa - de lef eye - jis as_you tell me," and here it_was his right eye that_the Negro indicated .

" that_will do - must try it again ."

here my friend, about whose madness I now saw, or fancied that I_saw, certain indications of method, removed the Peg which marked the spot where the beetle fell, to a spot about three inches to_the westward of_its former position .Taking, now, the tape measure from_the nearest point of_the trunk to_the Peg, as before, and continuing the extension in a straight line to_the distance of fifty feet, a spot was indicated, removed, by several yards, from_the point at which we had_been digging .

around the new position a circle, somewhat larger than in_the former instance, was now described, and we again set to work with_the spades . i_was dreadfully weary, but, scarcely understanding what had occasioned the change in my thoughts, I_felt no longer any great aversion from_the labor imposed .I had become most unaccountably interested - nay, even excited . perhaps there_was something, amid all the extravagant demeanor of Legrand - some air of forethought, or of deliberation, which impressed me .I dug eagerly, and now_and_then caught myself actually looking, with something that very_much resembled expectation, for_the fancied treasure, the vision of_which had demented my unfortunate companion . at a period when such vagaries of thought most fully possessed me, and when we had_been at work perhaps an hour and a half, we were again interrupted by_the violent howlings of_the dog . his uneasiness, in_the first instance, had_been, evidently, but the result of playfulness or caprice, but he now assumed a bitter and serious tone . upon Jupiter's again attempting to muzzle him, he_made furious resistance, and, leaping into_the hole, tore up the mould frantically with_his claws . in a few seconds he had uncovered a mass of human bones, forming two complete skeletons, intermingled with several buttons of metal, and what appeared to_be the dust of decayed woollen . one_or_two strokes of a spade upturned the blade of a large Spanish knife, and, as_we dug farther, three or four loose pieces of gold and silver coin came to light .

at sight of_these the joy of Jupiter could scarcely be restrained, but the countenance of_his master wore an air of extreme disappointment he urged us, however, to_continue our exertions, and_the words were hardly uttered when I stumbled and fell forward, having caught the toe of_my boot in a large ring of iron that lay half buried in_the loose earth .

we now worked in earnest, and never did I pass ten minutes of more intense excitement . during this interval we had fairly unearthed an oblong chest of wood, which, from its perfect preservation and wonderful hardness, had plainly been subjected to some mineralizing process - perhaps that of_the Bi- chloride of mercury . this box was three feet and a half long, three feet broad, and two and a half feet deep . it_was firmly secured by bands of wrought iron, riveted, and forming a kind of open trelliswork over the whole . on each side of_the chest, near the top, were three rings of iron - six in all - by_means of_which a firm hold could_be obtained by six persons . our utmost united endeavors served only to disturb the coffer very slightly in its bed . we at once saw the impossibility of removing so great a weight . luckily, the sole fastenings of_the lid consisted of two sliding bolts . these we drew back - trembling and panting with anxiety . in an instant, a treasure of incalculable value lay gleaming before_us . as_the rays of_the lanterns fell within_the pit, there flashed upwards a glow and a glare, from a confused heap of gold and of jewels, that absolutely dazzled our eyes .

I_shall_not pretend to describe the feelings with_which I gazed . amazement was, of_course, predominant .Legrand appeared exhausted with excitement, and spoke very few words .Jupiter's countenance wore, for some minutes, as deadly a pallor as_it_is possible, in nature of things, for any Negro's visage to assume . he_seemed stupified - thunderstricken . presently he fell upon his knees in_the pit, and, burying his naked arms up_to_the elbows in gold, let them there remain, as_if enjoying the luxury of a bath . at_length, with a deep sigh, he exclaimed, as_if in a soliloquy,

" and dis all cum ob de goole- bug ! de putty goole bug ! de poor little goole- bug, what I boosed in dat sabage kind ob style ! Aint you shamed ob yourself, nigger ? - answer me dat ! "

it became necessary, at last, that i_should arouse both master and valet to_the expediency of removing the treasure . it_was growing late, and it behooved us to_make exertion, that we_might get every thing housed before daylight . it_was difficult to_say what should_be_done, and much time was spent in deliberation - so confused were the ideas of all . we, finally, lightened the box by removing two thirds of_its contents, when we were enabled, with some trouble, to raise it from_the hole . the articles taken out were deposited among_the brambles, and_the dog left to guard them, with strict orders from Jupiter neither, upon any pretence, to stir from_the spot, nor to open his mouth until our return . we then hurriedly made for home with_the chest; reaching the hut in safety, but after excessive toil, at one o'clock in_the morning . worn out as_we were, it_was not in human nature to_do more immediately . we rested until two, and had supper; starting for_the hills immediately afterwards, armed with three stout sacks, which, by good luck, were upon_the premises .a little before four we arrived at_the pit, divided the remainder of_the booty, as equally as might_be, among us, and, leaving the holes unfilled, again set out for_the hut, at which, for_the second time, we deposited our golden burthens, just as_the first faint streaks of_the dawn gleamed from over the tree-tops in_the east .

we were now thoroughly broken down; but the intense excitement of_the time denied us repose . after an unquiet slumber of some three or four hours' duration, we arose, as_if by preconcert, to_make examination of_our treasure .

the chest had_been full to_the brim, and we spent the whole day, and_the greater part of_the next night, in a scrutiny of_its contents . there had_been nothing like order or arrangement . every thing had_been heaped in promiscuously .Having assorted all with care, we_found ourselves possessed of even vaster wealth than we had at first supposed . in coin there_was rather more than four hundred and fifty thousand dollars - estimating the value of_the pieces, as accurately as we_could, by_the tables of_the period . there_was not a particle of silver . all was gold of antique date and of great variety - French, Spanish, and German money, with a few English guineas, and some counters, of_which we had never seen specimens before . there were several very large and heavy coins, so worn that we_could make nothing of_their inscriptions . there_was no American money . the value of_the jewels we_found more difficulty in estimating . there were diamonds - some_of_them exceedingly large and fine - a hundred and ten in all, and not one_of_them small; eighteen rubies of remarkable brilliancy; - three hundred and ten emeralds, all very beautiful; and twenty- one sapphires, with an opal . these stones had all been broken from their settings and thrown loose in_the chest . the settings themselves, which we picked out from among_the other gold, appeared to_have_been beaten up with hammers, as_if to_prevent identification . besides all this, there_was a vast quantity of solid gold ornaments; - nearly two hundred massive finger and earrings; - rich chains - thirty of_these, if I remember; - eighty- three very large and heavy crucifixes; - five gold censers of great value; - a prodigious golden punch bowl, ornamented with richly chased vine-leaves and bacchanalian figures; with two sword-handles exquisitely embossed, and many_other smaller articles which I_cannot recollect . the weight of_these valuables exceeded three hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois; and in_this estimate I_have_not included one hundred and ninety-seven superb gold watches; three of_the number being worth each five hundred dollars, if one . many_of_them were very old, and as time keepers valueless; the works having suffered, more or less, from corrosion - but all were richly jewelled and in cases of great worth . we estimated the entire contents of_the chest, that night, at a million and a half of dollars; and upon_the subsequent disposal of_the trinkets and jewels (a few being retained for_our own use), it_was found that we had greatly undervalued the treasure . when, at_length, we had concluded our examination, and_the intense excitement of_the time had, in some measure, subsided, Legrand, who saw that i_was dying with impatience for a solution of_this most extraordinary riddle, entered into a full detail of all the circumstances connected with it .

" you remember;" said he, " the night when I handed you the rough sketch I had made of_the scarabus . you recollect also, that I became quite vexed at you for insisting that my drawing resembled a death's- head . when_you first made this assertion i_thought you were jesting; but afterwards I called to mind the peculiar spots on_the back of_the insect, and admitted to myself that your remark had some little foundation in_fact

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]