THE WONDERFUL PORTABLE FORT

On the return of the party to their home that evening the events of the
day were discussed to the exclusion of everything else, and now was the
opportunity for the boys to learn something about the other cave, of
which John had given a meager account.

"Would you object to telling us what the wonderful things were which you
saw in the cave at the western part of the island?" was Tom's inquiry.

"Not in the least. The ship on which we sailed from San Francisco
contained the charts of several caves, one of which was that of the cave
I referred to. I saw the treasure there with my own eyes, and I can
direct you to it, because, notwithstanding the stress of my
surroundings, I took the bearings, on the following day, and it will not
be difficult to locate it."

"Did you remember the circumstances of the visit to the place where we
were being pursued by the savages?"

John looked at the Professor, and then at the boys. "I do not remember
such an occurrence," he answered.

"But I would like to ask the Professor a question," exclaimed George.
"What was it that made you give us that quick advice to leave the mouth
of the cave when we wanted it as a hiding place?"

"I saw from the carefully hidden, but trodden, path, that some one must
have used it as a place of refuge, and concluded that as it was so near
the village it might have been some of the clans of the tribe, either as
a place of concealment from their enemies, in case of attack, or by some
of the so-called religious communities which many of the tribes have."

"In what way did you discover that this cave had been charted?"

"First by the peculiarity, that it had two entrances, on opposite sides
of a hill, and secondly, by the singular internal arrangement, which
stated that within the corridors and the chambers constituted a cross,
and the treasures were to be found at the extremities of the cross
limbs, within the two large chambers."

"Then you knew of the existence of this island, before you sailed?"

"No; the chart merely described the characteristics of the caverns, but
stated they were located on islands in the South Seas."

"Do you think our cave here is one of them?"

"I do not think so, as I do not recall any description which would fit
this cave, except the two entrances, and that is not uncommon."

"The chart stated that there was another cave fifteen leagues to the
southeast of that cave, which also contained