“Wait till you get inside, my man,” answered Harry loftily, as he rose from his recumbent attitude in the prow of the raft, which was pointing straight for the cave, “and you will see if I and Topsie are inventors or not. Dear old Mine, I little thought to see you so soon again.”
As he spoke the craft glided alongside the mouth of the great gold mine of Or, and in a moment the boy had sprung into the archway up to his knees in water. He was quickly followed by his sister and cousins, Aniwee, Piñone, Sir Francis, and Lady Vane, behind whom came Blancha carrying the baby Cacique, who, by-the-bye, made a capital traveller, being always in the best of tempers, and willing to be amused. In close attendance was Graviel, who followed his little charge about like a shadow, and then came Chorlo, Coquet, and all the other Indians, the raft having been made safe to the same giant creeper as had held all the previous ones.
The blue light shone at the far end, and splashing through the water went the long procession in orderly line, and as it came nearer to the light at the end, the stream grew shallower and shallower, until the water scarcely covered their feet.
But, when they reached that portion of the passage which opened to the right and left, Harry and Topsie, who were walking in the van of the party, suddenly uttered exclamations of surprise and halted, for the opening to the right was completely blocked up by huge detached rocks, which reached high above them, and entirely barred the way in that direction.
“Here’s a pretty go!” exclaimed the girl; “all chance of seeing that part of the cave is gone. This must have fallen since you were here, Piñone,” she continued, turning to the Indian Cacique.
“Even so,” he answered, in a voice of awe. “The Gualichu of evil has placed a giant barrier there, and within, the body of the Trauco queen is sleeping alone, and shut out from the presence of the man to save whose life she died.”
“It must have been an avalanche, or perhaps an earthquake, which has done this,” remarked Lady Vane, as she looked upwards, and noted the place whence the huge block of rock had been detached. “Not fifty Trauco queens would lift this, Piñone; and had it fallen when you were in there, your bones would have been quietly mouldering ere this.”
“Even so,” replied the Indian again, and in the same awe-struck voice.
“Well, come on down this way,” put in Harry. “The greater part of the gold is in this cave, and it was therein that dear old Uncle Harry died, and where Miriam Vane and her child and James Outram were killed by the Andes demons. I am glad this way is not choked up.”
“What if it should so become while we are in it?” exclaimed Lady Vane in a startled voice. “Is it wise, Francis, for us to linger here, do you think, with these evidences of demolition going on? I don’t want to appear an alarmist, dear, but such a possibility is possible, and I think we should be careful.”