Isle of Capricorn

Yamani Sisimala de Silva

There was no fire on the hearth and Anne wrapped the blanket tight around her shoulders. Margret was pouring soup into small bowls and she had no money to buy firewood to kindle the hearth.

Margret came up to his son who sat at a corner in deep thought. She handed him one of the bowls and he held it in his cupped hands. “I am old enough to work now. Mother, there is a big ship anchored at the harbour now. I’ll meet the owner and ask for work.”

”What about your schooling?” Margret asked thoughtfully.

”Forget about schooling. I have learnt enough. We will send Anne to school continuously. I am going to meet Mrs. Howard tomorrow,” said a determined Jack.

Jack woke up early in the morning the following day. His mother gave a bowl of porridge and he drank it with one breadth. He tidied his shirt and stood in front of his sister. “How do I look?” “You are smart enough to become the captain of the ship,” she laughed.

He waited his turn to meet Mr. Howard. Before him, a hunch-backed man met him asking for work. He was turned down. When it was Jack’s turn, he bowed graciously and greeted Mr. Howard.

”I am sixteen years old. My father had left us and my mother finds it difficult to spend for our food. I have a sister who is in the sixth grade. Can you please give me work on the ‘Rainbow’?”

”You can clean the ship – the deck, the cabin, rooms and everywhere. Be honest to the captain. You are dismissed.” Mr. Howard made a gesture with his right hand.

Jack’s heart leaped in excitement. He ran towards his mother and embraced her. “I got work on the ‘Rainbow’. I got work on the ‘Rainbow’.” He lifted his cat and threw it in the air and caught it back once it came down. Tomorrow is the big day when the ‘Rainbow’ is to start its voyage across the Atlantic.

It took a whole day alone to clean the deck. The following day he swept the cabin and the rooms. He was very happy. He made friends with everyone he met.

On Sunday, he thought of wiping the furniture in the rooms and then swept the floor. There was a very weak old gentleman inside the room adjacent to the cabin. As Jack started to wipe the furniture the old gent started to breadth heavily. The sound of his breadth reached Jack and he knew that the old gentleman was breathing with difficulty. He stopped wiping the furniture and came up to the gentleman’s bedside. The man tried to tell him something.

He gestured with his hand and pointed it at the writing table. Jack went up to the table and glanced back at the gentleman. “Open the drawer and bring my pair of spectacles.” He muttered with difficulty. Jack was quick in spotting the spectacles and handed it over. The gentleman took out the spectacles with his feeble hands and started to pull at a piece of paper hidden inside the case of the spectacles. “Give this to him. Give this to him.”

”Give this to whom?” Jack asked. But he was too late. The man had breathed his last.

Jack unfolded the paper. It was a map of an island. North was marked with an arrow pointing upwards and the word Atlantic was written on the side of the map. On the face of the island, the number 31161893151814 was written. To the left side of the island twenty two upon seven was written. Everything did not make any sense at all. May be this is a map of the destination. No. It can’t be. The ‘Rainbow’ was headed towards France. And France is not an island.

Jack was a bright student. He knew mathematics and geography. Why is the name of the island not written and only a strange number written. Jack became curious but he didn’t hit upon a clue. He carefully folded the piece of paper and put it inside his pocket.

He announced to the captain of the death of his passenger and he was buried at sea. Jack sat at a corner of the deck after supper and waited till all were off to bed. He then, unfolded the paper and tried to find a clue. “May be it’s a treasure island,” thought Jack. He stared at the long number for a long time. “Yes” his eyes brightened. He drew more closer to the candlelight. “3 stands for ‘C’ the third letter of alphabet. One stands for ‘A’ the first letter. Then the letters would be C A A F A H I C A E A H A D. ‘Caafahicaeahad’.”

Jack tried to pronounce it but he could not. He knew his attempt was foiled. But he knew that it was not completely a bad attempt. He went into deep thought. “Well, I know. If the letter is the 10th letter or more it cannot be written with one digit you have to use two digits.” He broke the number like this 3-11-6-18-9-3-15-18-14. This combination gives the word CKFRICORN. Still you can’t pronounce it. He tried several combinations and without success. Then he hit upon the combination 3-1-16-18-9-3-15-18-14. This brings the word ‘CAPRICORN’. Yes, the name of the island must be Capricorn.” He was a happy young man as he went to bed that night.

”Should I ask the captain where the island Capricorn is?” May be the gentleman wanted him to give the piece of paper to the captain. Now it is all his. If he finds the treasure that will also be his. He has solved one clue. Now the other one. Twenty-two upon seven. “What does this mean? May be this is marked on a trunk of a tree where the treasure is hidden” thought Jack to himself.

Days passed. An old lady died on the ship. Jack wondered where the hell these old people travel. It was an aristocratic lady and could not be buried at sea. “She should have a decent burial.” Jack overheard the captain tell his Assistant “We will land on the island next to Capricorn and have the funeral rites done there.”

Jack had an uneasy sleep that night. He dreamt of being an aristocrat.

The ‘Rainbow’ set sail again after the funeral. It was dusk and Jack waited impatiently till it fell dark. He saw a night watchman sleeping with his gun at his side. He approached the sleeping man slowly and picked up the gun. Then he went to the back of the ship where the lifeboats were kept. He threw a boat into the sea and climbed down the ladder into the boat. His hand went inside his pocket and he ensured that the map was intact. He headed towards that island next to the one on which the funeral was held. Upon reaching the shore, he slept under a tree with the gun at his side.

He had a great task next day. He toured the island looking at every tree trunk for the mark 22/7 without any success. Then right in the middle of the island there was a valley full of large stones. “May be it’s written on a stone” he thought to himself. He looked at each stone one by one carefully. Then there was a circular stone with a crooked sign. It looked like this.

”Is it number two?” He was looking for 22/7 not two. 22/7 was very familiar to Jack. But he did not know why. He sat on the stone and started thinking.

His thought ran across his classroom, across the black board etc. When his thought came up to the mathematics book, a flash of thought crossed his mind. It was Father Norman who taught him the subject he can remember he said that instead of writing 22/7 you could write the sign JI so this must be the sign on the rock.

He kept gunpowder near the rock, lighted it, and ran off. The rock blasted into four pieces and Jack removed the pieces aside. There was an opening with a spiral staircase. He went down the staircase and came into a spacious compartment.

In the middle, there was a large chest. He aimed at the lock and put a bullet through it. He knelt down and prayed before he opened the chest. It was full of gold bars and pearls. Jack could not believe his good fortune.

He slept that night comfortably under the stars dreaming of his sister adorned by a pearl necklace.

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