The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

60 | A PERUVIAN PARADISE, ‘*Hi wouldn’t ’ave believed hit !’’ he kept repeating. ‘‘ Hi cyn’t believe them niggers ever did all this.’’ In one great cave, the roof of which arched above their heads like the dome of a subterranean St. Peter’s, Jose led them toa point in the wall where a seam of glittering quartz, quite two feet wide, was laid bare from base to roof. It flashed back the light of the torches most dazzlingly. It wasa vein of gold! A little further on they passed into a smaller chamber through a crumbling doorway. ‘The door itself lay upon the floor, but the lintels were still well preserved, showing how slight the action of the atmosphere had been upon them during the centuries since they were placed there. The air was per- fectly dry and sweet throughout the cave. ‘« Senors,’’ exclaimed Jose, waving the torch around his head, ‘‘ feast your eyes upon the treasures of the Incas !”’ The walls were covered with rude picture writing. But these attracted no attention from his comrades. On the floor were heaped hundreds of bars of metal such as Jose had shown them that day on the trail to Hualpa. They were of gold -pure, virgin gold ! Fitch and Ford Kinsale fairly cast themselves upon the ground before the treasure. But to Keeth the gold seemed of smaller moment now. “Why, man! what ails you?’’ demanded Ford, looking up at him. ‘‘Don’t you see we’re rich for life?’”’ ‘‘ Providing we can get away with enough of hit,’’ interposed Fitch, hand- ling the bars almost caressingly. ‘‘T see,’’ returned Keeth ; ‘‘ but Imozene here is laughing at you. She doesn’t consider the stuff worth much, and J don’t know but she’s more than » balf right.’ ‘‘ Rol-de-roll !’’ exclaimed Fitch. ‘When aman has a chance to make his fortune in a moment, he’ll-do it—even you, Mr. Keeth.”’ ‘‘For my part,’’ said Ford determinedly, “I ong take all the stuff with me I can carry, and I advise you to do the same.’ “Vou’re right, Mr. Kinsale,’’ the trader said. ‘‘ Hit’s a crime to waste a hopportunity like this, Hi say !”’ . And it was so. When they left the treasure room the next morning every man was loaded down with bars of gold, Keeth as heavily as the rest. He remembered that money would be a good thing after all, if he was going to take Imozene back to New York with him. ‘They found upon the floor of the chamber not a few valuable stones as well, and had not prudence for- bade their longer couSias they would have explored other portions of the labyrinth. Near noon of the second day they emerged from a narrow defile, which was a continuation of the main gallery of the cavern, and found themselves upon the wooded, gently sloping bank of a river. The towering cliffs and - peaks were at their back, and the low foothills to the east scarcely obstructed their view of the horizon. ‘They had passed through the mountains and were many and many a league from Hualpa. After careful discussion they decided that to try to reach the town as Eomichook (E) ‘ k WA ag alle cai