horoughly reasoned the matter out, gave each
of the bags lying on the sand a gentle kick to get a responsive echo
from the coin; and then creeping out of the treasure-chamber, he
withdrew the torch, removed the stone, and the heavy slab fell again
into its place. Then clasping the lock, covering it over with sand, and
rolling back the stone, he seized the torch and quickly returned to the
vault beneath his saloon. There, putting out the torch by rubbing it
against the stone pavement until not a spark was left, by the sunlight,
streaming through the loopholes around, he passed to one side and began
removing the cases of cochineal, silks, and what not, near to the
strongly-barred portcullis door, which opened toward the basin fronting
his dwelling. It was hard work, but Captain Brand seemed to enjoy it;
and even after he had arranged the packages intended for shipment in his
_compadre's_ felucca, he began again. Going to the farther corner of the
vault, he stopped before a strong mahogany door, and taking a key from
his pocket, unlocked and threw it wide open. It was as black as night
inside, floored and lined with wood, and emitting a choking atmosphere
of charcoal and sulphur. Piled around the walls were some fifty or a
hundred small barrels with copper hoops, and branded on the heads with
the word "powder." Unmindful of the odor and the rather combustible
material around him, Captain Brand again resumed his work, and rolled a
large number of the little barrels toward the doorway, near the
merchandise already there, saying to himself the while,

"I think that will about fill the 'Centipede's' magazine, and we must
make a proper disposition of the remainder."

Hereupon Captain Brand, actively bent upon the work of disposing of his
treasures, rolled out a dozen or two more of the little barrels. Strange
to say, among the very few articles that were never presented to him,
but actually bought of Senor Moreno, was this highly useful and
indispensable material of powder, and he therefore set much store by it.
And it was with a sigh of regret that the pirate stood the little
barrels on their ends in a line across the great vault of the building,
beneath kitchen, bedrooms, and saloon, and especially beside the square
upright stanchions on which the interior of the building rested. Not
content with this, he took a copper hammer and knocked in all the heads
of the little barrels, and then, with a scoop of the same metal, he
dip