After finding the stone with the inscription, there was only one thing left to do, try and decipher what was on it, of course! Experts set to work, attempting to interpret and understand the transcription. There was just one problem, they just couldn’t. They most likely just didn’t have the tools and knowledge to do so.
It wouldn’t be until almost 100 years later, 90, to be exact, that the transcription would finally be translated.
The Rock Was Just the Begining
To Rick's and his friend's dismay, not a trace of any valuable items was found underneath the big rock. They did find a pile of dirt under the rock, but that's to be expected right? Still, curious souls never quit, and one minor setback wasn't enough to stop Rick.
Rick knew there was something more out there in the world, just waiting for him to be the person to discover it.
A Strange Revelation
In 1796, another young boy discovered a strange depression on the ground of Oak Island. Eight years later, the Onslow Company launched a team to search the area. Why it took them so long to start the search, we will never know, still, better late than never.
After locating the strange markings, the explorers dug deep until they hit something solid. They found a buried stone tablet with an odd inscription.
The Tablet’s Curse
It was only in 1886 that the shocking message that was engraved on the stone was decoded. It was all thanks to a professor from Halifax. It read, “forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.” No one had a clue what was meant by “pounds,” but you do have to admit that it sounds ominous.
Or maybe it wasn't? Maybe this meant that there was a treasure lying beneath, just waiting to be discovered?
Was the Treasure Shakespeare's?
But wait, let's talk about the treasure's origins first. Plenty of theories have surfaced. Some people, oddly, traced the source of the treasure back to William Shakespeare. Many of those who doubt the bard was real, believe his literary works were actually written by Francis Bacon. So some treasure hunters hypothesized that Bacon may have built a pit to bury his manuscripts and his earnings.
While this theory is attractive, today it is already widely believed that Shakespeare was, well, himself and not Francis Bacon or anyone else for that matter.