ain't nobody t' stop us now. We've got th' drop, you might say, on th'
whole outfit, an' we can do just as we blame please. This looks like a
badly kept drug store, don't it?" he went on, "with all these pots an'
boxes an' little jars stuck round on th' shelves. Well, here goes t' see
what's in 'em: not much o' nothin', I guess; but then it _might_ be
di'monds, an' that just would be gay!"

As Young spoke he thrust his hand into one of the earthen jars, and
thereby set flying such a cloud of dust that for some seconds his
violent sneezing prevented him from examining the small object that he
had brought forth from the jar and held in his hand; and when he did
examine this object an expression of intense disgust appeared upon his
face, and he exclaimed, indignantly, "Why, it's nothin' but a fool
arrow-head!"

I could not but laugh at Young as I took the arrow-head from him. For my
purposes, this beautifully carved piece of obsidian was far more
precious than a diamond would have been; and I tried--quite
unsuccessfully, however--to arouse his interest in this proof of the
high degree of skill to which the prehistoric races of America had
attained in the manipulation of an exceedingly hard yet delicate variety
of stone; and I added that not less interesting was the proof thus
afforded us of the great value which these same races attached to
implements of war.

"Oh, come off with your prehistoric races, Professor!" he growled. "A
whole car-load o' rubbish like this wouldn't be worth a nickel t'
anybody but a scientific crank like you. If this is th' sort o' stuff
that that old king o' yours thought was worth hidin', I guess he must
'a' been off his head. But that pot may 'a' got in by mistake. Before I
get too much down on him I'll give him another show." With which words,
but cautiously, that the dust might not be disturbed, he thrust his hand
into another jar, and was mightily resentful upon finding that what he
brought forth from it was only the head of a lance. However, the
determination to give King Chaltzantzin a chance to prove his sanity,
together with the hope that something of real value might be found, led
him to continue his investigations, and he presently had examined all
the jars ranged on two sides of the room; and his grumbling curses
increased constantly in vigor as jar after jar yielded only arrow-heads,
and lance-heads, and chisel-shaped pieces of obsidian, that I perceived
must have been intended fo