Fortunately, Robert and Marat had brought the lantern, and Robert had thought to bring along the electric flashlights; and most of us were supplied with matches, protected from the damp in tightly corked vials. We were soon at the little cascade, and crawling, one after the other, pushed through the curtain of water.
"I say," began Ray, sputtering, "I feel fit to enter the holy temple now."
The lantern was set alight, and I led the way up into the interior of the cliff. My comrades feasted their eyes on the accumulation of gold-laden bamboo cylinders; and then they must investigate that net in the stream.
"Now I'll say that's a clever stunt that skunk played here," declared Norris. "Instead of toting that gold around some difficult path, he makes the creek carry it straight down here near the outlet. And he ties pieces of some buoyant stuff to each of the cylinders to make it float."
"Here's what he used," said Robert, who had picked up a small block of cork that he thrust into the lantern light.
"Sure, that's it," said Norris, taking it into his fingers. "He got his cork out of a life-belt, and he makes his little cork bricks do duty time after time. There's no telling how much gold they've floated down here."
"And what do you suppose he does with it when he takes it out of here?" asked Ray.
"He take eet to thad little islan' down in Crow Bay," offered Captain Marat.
"He's planning to take over there all that he's got mined," added Robert, looking to me for confirmation of his surmise.
"Yes," I assented. "And then he'll likely clear out, and keep away from this region till we've all had time to forget him, and the coast is clear again."