hat they had little or no rooting places.

"I guess we've got to earn that treasure if we get it," said Sam, as
he paused to get his breath.

"It certainly looks that way," answered Dick, as he wiped the rain and
perspiration from his face. "I wonder how much further we have to go?"

That question was answered almost immediately, for Bahama Bill,
turning the corner of several extra large rocks, came to a halt with a
grunt of dissatisfaction.

"Well, what now?" questioned Anderson Rover.

"It's gone!"

"What, the cave?" asked several.

"Yes--she's gone, swallowed up, busted!" answered the old tar. "Thet
air earthquake done it an' no error," he went on. "It jest shook thet
pile o' rock wot made the cave into a heap, and there's the heap."

Bahama Bill pointed in front of him, where a large quantity of rocks
lay in a scattered mass, many of them ten and twenty tons in weight.
At one point was what he said had been the entrance to the cave, but
this was completely blocked by the stones.

"Vot's der madder, can't ve get in?" queried Hans, with a look of real
concern on his honest face.

"That doesn't look like it," answered Fred. "Too bad, and after coming
so far for this treasure, too!"

"We must get in there somehow!" cried Dick.

"Why can't we blow up the rocks with dynamite," suggested Tom.

"We can--but it will take time," said his father. He turned to
Bahama Bill. "About how far into the cave was the treasure placed?"

"Oh, at least a hundred feet maybe two hundred."

Anderson Rover heaved a deep sigh, which was echoed by his sons. To
get down into that mass of rocks a distance of from one to two hundred
feet would surely be a herculean task, if not an impossible one. And
then, too, there was a question whether or not the treasure had not
dropped down through some hole in the bottom of the cave after the
earthquake.

"I'll have to think this over," said Anderson Rover, after an
examination of the rocks. "We'll have to try to locate the treasure
and then see if we can raise enough dynamite to blow the rocks away.
More than likely, if we undertake the task, it will take a long
time--perhaps weeks and months."

"What, as long as that?" cried Sam, in dismay.

"Well, if the treasure is as valuable as reported it will be worth
it," answered Dick.

"But in the meantime, what of Sid Merrick and his gang?" asked Tom.
"More than likely they will make us seven kinds of trouble and do
their best to get the