“There are many that we know nothing about,” the old explorer said. “Peru and the Andes literally teem with fascinating ruins. Perhaps there are more treasures, too.”
Bob resolved to venture a bold question.
“How did you come to find this treasure cave?” he asked Dr. Rander. “If you don’t mind telling us.”
“Not at all. It might interest you to know that I first found that very tunnel that we just passed through.” Dr. Rander pointed to the entrance into the passageway, from which they had emerged. “I happened to be camped not far away from that crevice in the mountainside that we first saw. It seemed no different from other cracks, and at first I thought nothing of it. But when I lingered about awhile I saw that near the top the rocks were smoother than I usually found them. This made me wonder if the opening were natural or man-made. My curiosity got the better of me and prompted me to go through and see if I could find anything unusual. Then I discovered the tunnel.”
He paused, apparently finished.
“Then what? Is the cave near us now?” Joe was breathless with interest.
“The treasure, you mean? No. It is many miles from here. Look,”—he pointed around the mountainside—“see that winding trail? That is a secret known only to us. It alone can take us to the place we’re after.”
Joe sighed submissively.
“The old Andes are too much for me,” he said. “I had no idea they were as large and vast as this.”