t this curious exploration; that had in it a strong charm for
me, notwithstanding my heavy sorrow, because of the possibility that it
opened of finding curious traces of a new community so far advanced in
civilization as was that which the King Chaltzantzin had brought with
him into this valley a thousand years ago. Here, unquestionably, was the
oldest deposit of the belongings of any of the primitive dwellers upon
the American continent; and I trembled a little with excitement at the
thought of what archaeological treasures I here might find--and then I
heaved suddenly a long sigh as I remembered how useless in my present
case would be even the most brilliant of discoveries.

As for Young's bet of a hat that there was no treasure here worth
having, he would have lost it, had it been accepted, at the very first
of the rooms which we examined; for the whole of this room, a cube of
about ten feet, was packed full of bars of hardened gold from the mine
at Huitzilan. And so was the next room, and the next, until we had found
five rooms thus filled. But all the remaining rooms were entirely empty,
and of the treasure set aside in long past ages by King Chaltzantzin
there was no sign. Yet here, truly, was stored wealth the like of which
the richest monarch in the world could not match for greatness; and as
Young beheld before him such enormous riches his face grew ruddy, an
eager light came into his eyes, the muscles of his throat worked
convulsively, and his breathing was labored and short--until I
demolished all his fine fancies at a blow by saying: "Much good this
treasure is to us, when there isn't a ghost of a chance that either of
us ever will get out of this valley alive!" As I uttered these bitter
words his look of animation left him, and for some moments he was
silent; and when at last he spoke, it was in a tone of calm though
melancholy conviction, and with a most dispassionate air.

"I shall be obliged t' you, Professor, really obliged t' you," he said,
"if you'll just kick me for a blasted fool. Ever since that night in
Morelia when you told me an' Rayburn about this treasure I've regularly
had it on my brain. Through all these months I've been thinkin' about it
when I was awake an' dreamin' about it when I was asleep. An' it's true
for a fact, Professor, that never until this blessed minute, when we've
really struck it, has th' notion come into my fool head that when we did
ketch up with it the folks it rightly b