ly be a herculean task, if not an impossible one. And then,
too, there was a question whether or not the treasure had not dropped
down through some hole in the bottom of the cave after the earthquake.

"I'll have to think this over," said Anderson Rover, after an
examination of the rocks. "We'll have to try to locate the treasure and
then see if we can raise enough dynamite to blow the rocks away. More
than likely, if we undertake the task, it will take a long
time--perhaps weeks and months."

"What, as long as that?" cried Sam, in dismay.

"Well, if the treasure is as valuable as reported it will be worth it,"
answered Dick.

"But in the meantime, what of Sid Merrick and his gang?" asked Tom.
"More than likely they will make us seven kinds of trouble and do their
best to get the treasure away from us."

"We shall have to protect ourselves as well as we can," said Mr. Rover.

After that it rained so hard they were forced to seek shelter under a
thick bunch of palms. The rain continued for half an hour longer and
then the sun came out strongly, and the jungle became steaming hot.

With Bahama Bill to guide them, they walked around what had been the
top of the treasure cave. From some landmarks which had not been
totally destroyed by the earthquake the old tar felt certain that there
could be no mistake and that the treasure must be buried beneath them.

"But how far down you'll have to go to reach it I can't tell," he
added. "It's like them ile well diggers--sometimes they strike ile near
the top o' the ground, an' then ag'in they have to bore putty deep
down. It's my hope ye won't have to roll away more'n two or three rocks
to git into the hole an' put your hands on the boxes with the gold and
jewels."

"If we only had to roll away two or three rocks I'd be for doing the
rolling right now!" cried Tom.

"I'd like to see you roll a rock weighing ten or fifteen tons,"
observed Songbird. "You'd want about twenty horses to even start it."

Now that the first disappointment was over, the Rovers began to
consider getting down into the cave from a purely practical point. They
looked over all the big rocks with care, making a note of such as ought
to be blasted away and of others that could be removed with the aid of
a rope and pulleys.

"Let us see if we cannot gain the shore of the bay in a straight line
from here," said Mr. Rover, after the examination of the ground had
come to an end. "If we can it will make it