"What are those things there?" asked Tom, stepping back in surprise, pointing to the vessels.
Ralph peered forward, to get a better view. "It looks like kettles of some kind."
Harry passed the boys and walking up to one of the kettles, overturned it, and as a shower of the coins slid out, and rolled about, they were amazed beyond all description.
Ralph was the first to recover, and he picked up some of the coins: "Didn't you know about these? I believe they are gold; look, Tom. Did you ever see anything like this?"
Tom was stupefied. "I don't wonder that men will risk their lives to get treasure like this. Here we didn't hunt for it and we found it."
"Yes, but Harry and George knew all about it; didn't you?"
And the boys laughed an assent.
"Why don't you take it out of here?"
"Well, it seems to be pretty safe in this place; and if we should have been attacked by the natives, we should have a place of retreat and have our treasure with us."
After putting the coins carefully back, Harry said: "Probably we may be able to discover something else." And he moved forwardly to the right, with Tom following close, and the boys pressing up to see what else might be found. There, at the place where the Professor had deposited them in a row were the five skeletons, and they presented such a ghastly sight that they shrank back in horror.