For a few seconds they remained in a mute circle about the box, looking down at it. What a story the chest could tell! How many years had it lain undiscovered with its wealth of precious, yellow metal—provided, of course, that it was the treasure chest? What secrets did it hold? If it could but speak would it reveal the last hours of the unfortunate stage coach driver who went to his death with his horses when the vehicle careened over the side of the gulch?
These, and many other thoughts, crowded into the minds of the Motor Boys as they surveyed the chest.
It may be questioned whether either Tinny or the old miner had any such romantic ideas. As a matter of fact, Cromley was occupied in searching the innermost recesses of his mind, trying to remember whether the chest of his story was the same as this one so unexpectedly discovered.
“Well, let’s find out about it and end the agony!” proposed Jerry at length, with a short laugh. “Let’s break open this box.”
“It’s the only way to find out,” observed Ned. “But it looks like a pretty strong box, and we haven’t even a tack hammer.”
“It’ll be pretty well rotted by this time,” said Cromley. “It’s lain in the earth a long time; rain and snow have beat upon it. A heavy rock ought to break in the top, easy. Let me have a go at it!”
With the help of the boys and Tinny, Cromley lifted the chest out from its bed in the earth and blue rocks. The color was peculiar, but the adventurers did not stop to comment upon this or seek its cause. All they cared about was to find out whether the strong box held any gold.
“This wasn’t the place where the coach went over,” said the miner, as he looked up the side of the mountain. “It was miles from here.”
“Then what brings the chest here?” asked Ned.
“The landslide shifted a lot of other things besides this chest,” was Tinny’s opinion. “It’s probably been buried deep for many years. That’s why it was never found. One landslide may have covered it from sight. This one brought it into view again. That’s the secret, I guess. But I’m not yet willing to admit that this is a treasure chest, boys. I think it came off some stage coach but——”