Of these
heaps there proved to be fifty-three, their total value, Alan reckoned,
amounting to about L100,000 sterling. Then the carpenters were set to
work to make a model box, which they did quickly enough and with great
ingenuity, cutting the wood with their native saws, dovetailing it as
a civilized craftsman would do, and finally securing it everywhere with
ebony pegs, driven into holes which they bored with a hot iron. The
result was a box that would stand any amount of rough usage and when
finally pegged down, one that could only be opened with a hammer and a
cold chisel.
This box-making went on for two whole days. As each of them was filled
and pegged down, the gold within being packed in sawdust to keep it from
rattling, Alan amused himself in adding an address with a feather brush
and a supply of red paint such as the Asiki priests used to decorate
their bodies. At first he was puzzled to know what address to put, but
finally decided upon the following:
_Major A. Vernon, care of Miss Champers, The Court, near Kingswell,
England._ Adding in the corner, _From A. V., Asiki Land, Africa._
It was all childish enough, he knew, yet when it was done he regarded
his handiwork with a sort of satisfaction.
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