l pieces of a heavy, rich
kind of brocade; then a quantity of thin filmy muslin, fine as if woven
of a cobweb, and exquisitely embroidered with a beautiful and intricate
design in very fine gold thread. The brocades had been greatly admired
by Sibylla, but these embroidered muslins simply threw her into
ecstasies.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands in almost childish delight,
"they are lovely; never in my life have I ever seen anything half so
exquisitely beautiful!"

"Then," said Ned, in the most matter of fact way, "I'll tell you what we
will do. The next time we come here we will be provided with the means
of carrying off enough of the stuff to make you a dress or two. We
cannot do so now, as the men would see it, and questions would be asked;
which would never do. But next trip we will contrive to carry away a
bolt or two of it."

Sibylla was a true woman; and even in her present predicament her
feminine love of things beautiful was strong enough to win from her a
ready assent to Ned's proposition. In the meantime the muslins were
carefully re-folded--a task of some little difficulty, owing to their
filmy texture--and replaced in the bale.

Quite a large pile of small brick-like parcels next came in for a share
of Ned's attention. They, like the bales, were enveloped in wax-cloth,
and like the jars were singularly heavy. Ned opened one, and on
removing the cloth wrapper disclosed to view a block of dull yellow
virgin gold. The block was about the same shape as, but a little larger
than an ordinary English brick, and stamped or moulded on each side was
a sign or symbol of hieroglyphic character.

Ned did not consider it necessary to open any more of the brick-like
parcels, as, after his experience with the jars, he felt fairly
satisfied that, if opened, each parcel would be found to contain a gold
brick similar to the one already disclosed. He was therefore about to
suggest a descent to the boat, under the impression that his inspection
of the cave and its contents had been completed, when it occurred to him
that he might as well strike a match or two and throw a little light
into the extreme corner of the cave, in which, now that his eyes were
growing somewhat accustomed to the gloom, he fancied he could detect a
pile or stack of some kind. He accordingly drew from his pocket a box
of matches, and, placing some half a dozen of them together, ignited
them. This afforded him light enough to see