"Invisible! but why?"
"Because they had some iron about them!"
"But you have just told us that he stripped off all his clothes?" interposed Sumichrast.
"Ah! but, unfortunately, he kept his flint and steel in his hand."
The afflicted tone in which l'Encuerado pronounced this last phrase drew a smile even from Lucien.
Again we entered the cavern, and picking over with care the layer of charcoal which had already been laid bare, I discovered a small vase of burnt clay, full of ashes. On one of the faces of the urn was depicted a grinning visage, and in the interior was found one of the so-called pilgrim's scallop-shells with the skull of a bird. Accustomed as I was, by long apprenticeship, to such discoveries, I had no doubt whatever but that a skeleton would soon present itself, and a skull was soon discovered; then the vertebræ and tibiæ of a human being. Next we found some obsidian arrow-heads; and, last of all, some small broken clay figures. Unfortunately, it was no use thinking about carrying away all these relics; so I made up my mind to give up further labor. Directly after dinner we busied ourselves in putting our baggage in order, so as to be ready to start the next morning at day-break.
