“No,” Mr. Holton returned. “They hadn’t started yet. Were just looking over everything. At least that’s what our guards told us. It seemed that they intended to carry the stuff out in a day or two.”
“Wanted to catalog everything first, huh?” asked Bob. “Well, it’s a good thing we stopped them when we did.”
Fekmah found it necessary to consult his duplicate map very frequently, and he wondered if he had remembered to put in all the details accurately.
Finally, after they had passed the tall wall of rock and were following a narrow trail up the mountain on the opposite side of the cliff, Dr. Kirshner turned to Bob.
“You asked the other day how we were to get into the cave,” he said. “Of course it would be impossible to scale that lofty cliff. Fekmah’s map points out a narrow opening in the rock somewhere in this vicinity, and we ought to find it in a very few minutes now.”
He had scarcely uttered the words when Fekmah cried out in delight and pointed to a peculiar rock formation not far ahead.
“There it is,” he declared joyfully. “There is where we enter mountain to get cave of treasure.”
The explorers, led by Fekmah, moved on up to the spot.
“Here’s an opening!” cried Joe, pointing to a small crack that was barely large enough to let them in.
Getting out their flashlights, they followed Fekmah through the crack and into a narrow tunnel. The air was damp and heavy from the breath of ages, but they trudged on through.