finally identified; so they camped out
where they were, and began the search again the next morning.

From the rock Jose now carefully paced off certain distances; and, by
ten o'clock in the forenoon he announced that he had discovered the spot
where the treasure lay. At their feet ran a stream, the approach to
which had been made by way of a gentle grassy slope. But the opposite
side of the torrent was nothing more than a sheer wall of rock some
hundreds of feet in height, and it seemed to Jim as though they had
reached the uttermost confines of the world. They had come so far, but
it was manifestly impossible to go any farther. However, it was not
necessary to do so; for, on the opposite side of the stream Jim saw,
when Jose pointed it out to him, a black, round opening which, said the
Indian, was the mouth of the treasure-cavern.

Douglas thought that it would have been impossible to secure a better
hiding-place; for the approach to the spot was difficult, and beset with
many dangers. And had any one arrived at the bank of the stream whereon
the two men then stood they would never have guessed that the little
inconspicuous hole on the opposite side was the entrance to a chamber
wherein was contained the ransom of, not of one, but many kings.

The stream, though swift-flowing, was shallow, and the adventurers had
little difficulty in getting across; whereupon they found themselves
standing on a narrow ledge of black rock, while, four feet above their
heads, was the lower edge of the hole, which proved to be much larger
than it had appeared from the other side. It was the work of a few
seconds only for Jim to mount on the Indian's shoulders and secure a
foothold in the mouth of the cave, after which he assisted Jose to climb
up.

As soon as they were inside, Jose seemed to be overcome with awe at the
idea of standing on such sacred ground; but Jim had no such feelings,
and kindling a torch, he bade the Indian lead the way. The latter soon
recovered his equanimity, and, after they had hauled up the picks and
shovels, led the way into the interior of the cave, which widened out as
they receded from the entrance, until it assumed enormous dimensions,
the light of the torch being quite insufficient to disclose the
boundaries of the cavern. And now they began to meet with traces of a
former civilisation. Along the rock walls were ranged stone images of
the Incas and their wives, and at the feet of each figure w