Where will you
have these placed?"

"Oh, just inside the tent for to-night. In the morning we must contrive
some hiding-place for them, to which we can bring the rest; and when I
have all I want we must bring mules here and remove them."

A good long look was taken at the various magnificent specimens before
they were laid together. Then Melchior busied himself helping to
prepare the meal; and very shortly after this was ended, watching being
deemed unnecessary, the whole party were sleeping soundly, not one of
them, after the heavy toil of the day, being startled by the loud
squealing whinny given by the mule toward the middle of the night.

Saxe's sleep was almost dreamless till toward morning, when he became a
little restless consequent upon imagining that he was engaged in a
desperate encounter with a small round goblin, who was about the size of
a baby, but seemed to have the strength of an elephant. He walked in at
the tent door, and informed Saxe that he had come to fetch the crystals
stolen from his storehouse that day; and upon Saxe refusing to give them
up, a desperate encounter took place--a fight which had no beginning and
no end, finishing off, as it were, in a mist, out of which he started to
hear the sound of wood crackling, and to find that it was day.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

IN DESPERATION.

The faint grey dawn lit up the canvas of the tent and faintly showed the
figure of Dale fast asleep, with his head close to the place where the
crystals had been laid and covered over with a rug.

Melchior had crept out of the tent without making sound loud enough to
awaken them; and it was apparent now that he was busy preparing the
morning meal.

Saxe did not want to get up for a few minutes, and he lay thinking about
the beautiful crystals, and of how he would break off a few of the
smaller ones to bring away in his pockets to keep as curiosities for
home. Then he recalled the weight of the one he had carried overnight,
and thought how strong Melchior must be, or else how patient and
enduring. Finally, he determined to get up and go and talk to the guide
about their work for the coming day--a task which had lost its zest now
that some of the crystals had been found.

But his moving roused Dale, who started up.

"Throw open the tent door, my boy, and let's have some fresh air. I
want to have a look, too," he cried, "at our treasures."

Saxe obeyed; and he was in the act of looping back the c