They had found a cave; whether natural or not we could not at present say. At one side lay a heap of mouldering bones, in the opposite corner a huge wooden chest. Moncrieff had improvised a torch, and surely Aladdin in his cave could not have been more astonished at what he saw than we were now! The smoky light fell on the golden gleam of nuggets! Yes, there they were, of all shapes and sizes. Moncrieff plunged his hand to the bottom of the box and stirred them up as he might have done roots or beans.
This, then, was the secret the ruin had held so long—the mystery of the giant ombu-tree.
That the Indians in some way or other had got scent of this treasure was evident, and as these wandering savages 245 care little if anything for gold on their own account, it was equally evident that some white man—himself not caring to take the lead or even appear—was hounding them on to find it, with the promise doubtless of a handsome reward.
Not a moment was there to be lost now. The treasure must be removed. An attempt was first made to lift the chest bodily. This was found to be impossible owing to the decayed condition of the wood. The grain-sacks, therefore, which formed a portion of the Gaucho's mule-trappings, were requisitioned, and in a very short time every gold nugget was carried out and placed in safety in a corner of our principal room in the hunting-box.
The beasts were placed for safety in another room of the ruin, a trench being dug before the door, which could be commanded from one of our windows.
'How many horsemen did you count?' said Moncrieff to me.
'As near as I could judge,' I replied, 'there must be fifty.'
'Yes, there may be a swarm more. One of you boys must ride to-night to the estancia and get assistance. Who volunteers?'
'I do,' said Dugald at once.
'Then it will be well to start without delay before we are surrounded. See, it is already dusk, and we may expect our Indian friends at any moment. Mount, lad, and Heaven preserve you!'