a stone wall sure, but he is enthusiastic;
it will be a lesson to him."

"Can't tell about that lad," said Brooks, "there is method in his
enthusiasm."

"That's all right, but I was camped in here one whole winter, and as I
told you, there is not a nook or cranny that I have not explored."

"But there are others," said Brooks, with an odd smile on his face.

Meantime, Desmond followed the crevice until he came to the stone wall.
He knew about the same wall, but he was working on a certain theory. He
was like the Captain Kidd treasure-seekers--the discouragement of others
did not in any way discourage him, and we will here say that a similar
persistence in any walk of life, as a rule, leads to great results.

Desmond, as stated, arrived opposite the stone wall, and he commenced a
calm, steady, determined examination. First appearances would have
discouraged any man, being faced as he was by a solid, smooth face of
rock. He stood contemplating the mass before him, and then with the ray
of light from his lantern he ran all over the rock.

"By ginger!" he muttered at last, "I reckon it's true. There does not
appear a hole big enough in that rock for a spider to crawl through;
but, hang me! I've got an impression."

There appeared to be a break in the rock just where it joined with the
roof of the cave. Desmond rolled a bowlder over against the rock and
mounted, and ran his finger over the crack. It was not a large crack and
offered no encouragement, but the lad was determined not to be satisfied
until he had established facts beyond all dispute. He ran his finger, as
stated, along the crack, and his knuckle pressed against the roof, and
to his surprise there appeared to be a loosening. He examined it and he
saw that there was a uniform crack running along the roof inclosing a
space about two feet square. The lad instinctively pressed on the center
between the cracks, and lo, there appeared to be a piece of the roof
that yielded. He pressed harder and satisfied himself that the piece of
rock between the cracks in the roof was movable. The discovery caused
his heart to stand still, and he muttered:

"Great Scott! but I've found it." He flashed the light on the crack and
thought he could discern where there had been some chiseling. He made
every effort to shift the rock out of its place, but it was too much for
him, owing to the fact that he could just about reach it. He did not
have purchase enough to exert his full s