three figures again in
the distance, and, skirting around back of a hill of sand covered with
coarse sedge grass, he came to where he overlooked a little open level
space gleaming white in the moonlight.

The three had been crossing the level of sand, and were now not more
than twenty-five paces from him. They had again set down the chest,
upon which the white man with the long queue and the gold earrings had
seated to rest himself, the negro standing close beside him. The moon
shone as bright as day and full upon his face. It was looking directly
at Tom Chist, every line as keen cut with white lights and black
shadows as though it had been carved in ivory and jet. He sat
perfectly motionless, and Tom drew back with a start, almost thinking
he had been discovered. He lay silent, his heart beating heavily in
his throat; but there was no alarm, and presently he heard the
counting begin again, and when he looked once more he saw they were
going away straight across the little open. A soft, sliding hillock of
sand lay directly in front of them. They did not turn aside, but went
straight over it, the leader helping himself up the sandy slope with
his cane, still counting and still keeping his eyes fixed upon that
which he held in his hand. Then they disappeared again behind the
white crest on the other side.

So Tom followed them cautiously until they had gone almost half a mile
inland. When next he saw them clearly it was from a little sandy rise
which looked down like the crest of a bowl upon the floor of sand
below. Upon this smooth, white floor the moon beat with almost
dazzling brightness.

The white man who had helped to carry the chest was now kneeling,
busied at some work, though what it was Tom at first could not see. He
was whittling the point of a stick into a long wooden peg, and when,
by and by, he had finished what he was about, he arose and stepped to
where he who seemed to be the captain had stuck his cane upright into
the ground as though to mark some particular spot. He drew the cane
out of the sand, thrusting the stick down in its stead. Then he drove
the long peg down with a wooden mallet which the negro handed to him.
The sharp rapping of the mallet upon the top of the peg sounded loud
in the perfect stillness, and Tom lay watching and wondering what
it all meant. The man, with quick-repeated blows, drove the peg
farther and farther down into the sand until it showed only two or
three inches above th