Mark did so.
"I suppose you wonder what I am going to do?" said the hermit with a smile.
"Yes, sir," Mark admitted.
"This is my bank," explained Anthony.
Mark wondered whether the hermit was in his right mind. He stood by curious and attentive, while Anthony began to disturb the soil, throwing up one spadeful of dirt after another.
He continued at his task for ten minutes, and then desisted.
"I get fatigued easily," he said; "here, Mark, take your turn."
Mark took the spade, and continued the excavation. He was young and strong, and bore the fatigue better than his employer. At length he felt the spade striking something hard.
"I have struck something," he said.
"Very well, now proceed more carefully, so as not to break the vessel. Uncover it, and then I will tell you what to do——"