“But we thought you and the captain were together in your search for the city!” exclaimed Ken in astonishment.
“Captain Carter is an adventurer without scruples. I wish I never had set eyes on him! Unfortunately, I trusted him at first.”
“Didn’t the natives make trouble for him?” Jack inquired.
“They did not. Captain Carter on his first visit here was well supplied with guns. He used the ammunition to good advantage, impressing the natives, and disposing of the few who challenged his authority. Had it not been for the ruler, Panomuna, he would have been in full control here.”
“Carter, I take it, learned of the treasure?” remarked Mr. Livingston. He had pulled himself to a sitting position, his back to the stone wall.
“Yes, he was as familiar as I with the old legend. Stupidly, I accepted him as a friend and imparted my knowledge of the sacred city and the treasure. It was my hope to obtain the priceless archaeological objects and get them safely back to government officials. Captain Carter pretended to fall in with my plan. All the while, he was plotting to seize the treasure for himself.”
“Why didn’t you return to Cuya and ask assistance?” Mr. Livingston asked.
“To have done so would have started a stampede here,” Mr. Monahan explained. “Captain Carter and I both knew that special equipment would be required to lift the treasure from its resting place. So it was agreed that while I remained in the village, Captain Carter would return to my brother to obtain the necessary funds and equipment. We both felt that if the natives gained any inkling of what we were about, no white man ever again would be permitted near the sacred city.”
“Carter did see your brother,” Mr. Livingston informed him. “But he told an entirely different story.”
“I realize that now,” Mr. Monahan said bitterly. “Captain Carter is so certain of his position that he boasted to me not six hours ago that he intends to seize all the treasure and then turn the natives against me.”