-for it must be remembered that both had
been brought up amid such conditions that the possession of a few
hundred pounds would be regarded by them as wealth! Then, as if moved
by the same impulse, they turned to each other and burst into a torrent
of mutual congratulation, mingled with expressions of amazement that
there should be so vast a quantity of wealth in the world. For a few
joyous minutes they could scarcely speak rationally to each other, so
intense was their delight; but presently they pulled themselves together
and proceeded with their investigations. Passing round the enormous
pile of silver they were again brought to a stand by a pile of metal of
almost equal size, but this time it was dull ruddy yellow in colour--in
fact, gold! Gold, piled up like the silver in a solid mass also
composed of bricks a trifle larger than those of the less valuable
metal, being actually of such a weight that a brick was as much as one
man could conveniently lift with both hands. But this was not all; for
beyond this pile of gold bricks they came upon row after row of great
leather sacks which, upon being opened, were found to contain more gold,
either in the form of rough nuggets, just as they had been taken from
the mine, or dust which had evidently been washed out of the sand of
some river. The sight came near to driving them demented, for there
were tons of the precious metal; far more of it indeed than they could
possibly hope to ever carry away. But even this was not all; for at the
far end of the chamber they came upon three great bronze coffers of
elaborate and exquisitely beautiful workmanship, which, upon being
opened, were found to be more than half-full of crystals--diamonds,
rubies, and emeralds--that reflected the light of their torches in a
perfect blaze of vari-coloured effulgence so dazzlingly brilliant that
for the moment they could scarcely credit the evidence of their eyes.
And with all this at the end of their journey, they had been jealously
hoarding and guarding first the pair and latterly the remaining one of
the emeralds that had formed the eyes of the idol, and the few gold
scales that had decorated its clothing! The idea seemed so absurd, so
supremely ridiculous, that when it occurred to Phil and he mentioned it
to Dick, the pair of them burst into peal after peal of laughter that
soon became hysterical; indeed the pair were very much nearer to being
driven crazy than either of them dreamed of