ight in wanting to take care of the valuables there. You
are entitled to them."

"But they are yours, as much as ours, and we shall not touch them unless
it is with the understanding that you shall share with us," responded
George.

"I could not consider it for a moment."

"You cannot help yourself," said the boys in chorus. "We have arranged
all that matter, and you have nothing to say about it."

"But," protested John. "I do not deserve it."

"Well, do we?" asked Harry.

"But you and the Professor discovered it."

"Before you or Ralph and Tom came we arranged the division, so that the
Professor has one-third of it, but we own two-thirds, and that we
propose to divide equally among all of us," added Harry.

"Really," said Ralph, "Tom and I are in the same position as John, and
we feel it is not right to take a share, but the boys insist on it."

"Well, if you consider that a settlement, I must say that I am going to
make good more than my share and the shares of Ralph and Tom."

"We don't want you to make it good," insisted George.

"But you can't help yourself in that. The cave in the Tuolos' country
has something in it that will make you wonder as much as the treasure
you have here, and it will be fully as interesting to get at and recover
as anything you have experienced here."

"When do you think we ought to start for the west?" asked Harry.

"Day after to-morrow will see everything ready. We shall then have all
the ammunition sufficient to last us until we can reestablish the plant,
and as the new wagon is ready, it should not take us more than a day,
with all the help we have, to load and apportion the different loads
among the warriors."

"Then why can't we take to-morrow for the expedition to the cave?"

"That will suit admirably," he replied.

On the following morning the boys had the yaks yoked up, and taking with
them a number of the copper vessels, and a quantity of the ramie cloth,
drove over to the side of the hill opposite the Cataract house, so as
to reach the land entrance of the caverns.

"It is not desirable to have any here know of our visit nor our purpose.
It would not make any material difference, as the treasure there is of
no value to them; but our motives will be misunderstood," remarked John.

Under the circumstances John and the four boys were the only ones in the
party.

"We are going to have some pretty tough work this morning. That gold
weighs something."

"Wasn't