John stopped and directed the search light to all[p. 122] parts of the cavern. It appeared to be nearly round, with a perfectly smooth floor. It was unoccupied, but in the exact center of the chamber was a raised object, like a mound.
Throughout the entire cave could be found the calcareous deposit so common in caves formed in limestone rocks, and the stalactite hangings on the ceilings and walls, and the stalagmites on the floors made the scene a weird one.
John glanced upwardly to view the ceiling, above the mound, and said: "That does not seem to be a natural formation. Let us examine it first."
With the small pick which John always carried, and by means of which he was always careful to examine rocks and geological formations, while on these tours, the top parts of the stalagmites were chipped off. This was an exceedingly simple matter, since they are generally soft.
After the top layer was removed, the part beneath readily yielded, but before they had an opportunity to dig into it very deeply the pick struck something which gave forth a metallic sound. John stopped as though paralyzed.
The pick was again driven in. Again the plain contact with some hard substance. The digging was now feverish, and when the broken parts were cleared away, a small metallic box, about twelve inches square across the top, and about ten inches deep, was exposed to view.
The dent made by the pick was clearly visible, and the fresh mark showed that the metal was red.
"It is copper!" said John.
Every part of the material around the box was[p. 123] removed, and this enabled them to remove it from its resting place. John grasped it and securing a good hold, finally raised it.
"No, it is not any heavier than I thought it would he," he remarked as he lay it down.