e soil was not packed
hard, for even, loose as it was, progress was very slow with the rude
implement he was wielding. At the end of an hour, he was content to
surrender the paddle to the captain, who, when tired, turned it over to
Chris.

It was slow work and the sun was getting low in the west when the
circle around the palm was at last completed, and the diggers stood
looking at each other with disappointment written on their faces.

"We must go deeper," Charley declared, "I am certain that this is the
right spot, and the chief would have had no interest in deceiving or
misleading us."

"We have gone down two feet already," said Walter, in a discouraged
voice, as he started wielding the paddle again. "I guess there is
something wrong with our calculation, Charley." He stopped suddenly
and looked up with a comical look of surprise and anticipation.

"I struck something," he announced breathlessly, "something kind of
soft and yielding."

"Go on," Charley shouted in his excitement, and Walter bent to his task
again.

The removal of a few more shovelfuls of earth exposed to view a large,
dark, hairy object. Stooping, Walter with difficulty lifted it out of
the hole.

All clustered close around it in their eagerness.

What had looked at first glance like a large, dead animal, proved to be
a deer-hide stretched on framework, the hairy side out. A few slashes
of Charley's hunting-knife laid open this rude leather box and revealed
to their eager gaze a smaller similar box inside. Charley lifted it
out and cut away the top.

By the now dim light, they could only see the tapering shapes of
hundreds of long plumes carefully packed inside.

"There must be all of fifty pounds of them," said Walter, in an
awe-struck voice, "why, they'll make us rich men."

"Give me a hand to carry them up to the wigwam," said Charley. "Run
ahead, Chris, and stir up the fire so we can see what we have got."

The excited captain swung the box upon his shoulder and strode forward
hard upon Chris' heels. He laid his burden down close to the fire and
all crowded around.

One look and a loud murmur of disappointment broke from every lip.

What the dim twilight had hid, the firelight revealed in all its
disheartening truth. What had been once a beautiful heap of valuable
plumes, now lay an ugly mass of mildew and mould.

For a moment no one spoke, so keen was their disappointment. At last,
Charley summoned up a feeble smile.