“Glory be, it’s the treasure,” the Admiral gasped in awe as he stared about him.
“Look at them jewels—me pal, we’re richer than Henry Ford en Rockeyfelley en the hull bunch.”
The place they were in made Jim catch his breath with dismay for there was no mistaking it—no denying the fact that it was a treasure storage containing wealth untold. He judged that it was one of the “hiding houses” the Ynca Indians had secured for themselves to get away from their persecutors, to conceal their vast treasure, and worship the Sun as their ancestors had done for hundreds of years. In the middle of the furthest wall was a great sun of hammered gold and about its rim a wide band of precious stones so brilliant that they sparkled and flashed in the glare of the lights that Cardow and his men carried. In front of the sun was a high platform, and beneath that were wide seats made of stone. There were tall jars of pottery made in beautiful designs, inlaid with gold and emeralds.
Brick shinned up one of the large ones, stared into its wide mouth, then dipped in his hands. He brought them up dripping with jeweled ornaments of exquisite workmanship and brilliancy, then began to fill his pockets, but in his eagerness he failed to hang on, and came sliding swiftly to the stone floor, which was laid in colored squares with patterns that looked like historical pictures of long ago conquests. For a few minutes the men acted as if they thought they were asleep, but with Brick’s find, they all fell upon the nearest object with guns and knives and began to hack off the treasure. Then suddenly a noise from outside startled them, and for an instant they paused, but when they soon saw that it was a deluge of rain coming down amid the crash of thunder they continued in their mad rush to get the treasure.
“Well, I got it open for you,” one of men declared to Cardow.
“Sure you did. It’s great work and good that this didn’t get covered over. We’d have had some time digging it out. I’ll tell the boss when he comes.”
“I never tried to blast such rock, but by George, I tumbled the very best one down,” the chap added with satisfaction.
“You’ll get yours all right. We’ve been looking for years for this place and now we have it. We’re set for life—all of us, and some to spare,” Cardow answered. While he talked with him the men were behaving like a lot of fellows suddenly gone mad. Some of them sang, others rolled on the floor, more danced gleefully about marvelous furnishings, and many lolled on rich tapestry-covered couches. The place was beginning to look as if a cyclone had struck it, when Cardow turned furiously. “You fellows quit this, now, quick.” He drew out his guns and flashed them from one man to another.
“Aw, gwan,” one defied him. “We got what we come for.”
“Sure. Take your share and close your trap. We been listenin’ to you fer weeks, and we ain’t taking no more sass.” Several guns, whose butts were being used for hammers, were turned on the lieutenant, but he did not flinch.