d
labour and excitement, the light that streamed in through the mouth of
the cavern was momentarily obscured, and Sailor bounded in, barking
joyously as he sprang at Dick and tried to lick his face. The dog was
closely followed by Flora, who cried as she entered--

"Dick, Dick, where are you? Has anything--oh! there you are! Whatever
has kept you so long, dear? Are you ill, or have you met with an
accident? Oh! what is this horrible thing?" as she stumbled over the
skeleton, which she had failed to notice, coming as she did straight
from the brilliant outdoor light into the dimly illuminated interior of
the cavern.

"That!" exclaimed Dick, lightly. "Oh, that is just a heap of bones that
must have been left here by the original owners of this commodious
abode." And with a sweep of his foot he unceremoniously transferred the
poor remains to a dark corner of the cavern that he contrived to render
still darker by dexterously extinguishing three or four of the candles
in its immediate vicinity. "As to my being ill," he continued, "I am
happy to assure you, my dear, that I never felt better in my life. And
I have excellent reason for feeling well. Look at this!" And he
pointed exultantly to the noble pile of treasure.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

ABDUCTION AND PURSUIT.

"Well, what is it, Dick? It looks like a number of very old boxes.
Have you come upon a pirate's hoard?--as you ought to do, you know, in
such a cunningly concealed cavern as this," exclaimed Flora, laughingly,
as she peered inquisitively at the pile that even now she could only see
very imperfectly.

"Ay," answered Dick. "You may laugh as much as you like, little girl,
but that is precisely what I have done. Of course I am not prepared to
assert positively that it is a `_pirate's_ hoard,' although it looks
uncommonly like it, I must confess; but that it is treasure, and very
valuable treasure, too, is indisputable. Do you see this pile of black
bricks here? Well, those are _gold_ bricks; and I estimate their value
at something approaching three-quarters of a million sterling."

"Three-quarters of a million?" repeated Flora, incredulously. "Oh,
Dick, you cannot mean it; you are surely joking!"

"I assure you, dear, I never spoke more seriously in my life; what I am
telling you is fact--plain, simple, indisputable, delightful _fact_!
And the gold is only part of the story."

He lifted the covers of the other cases and held a candle while sh