arle, who was busy with his camera, and informed the
American of his morning's adventure.

As Dick had anticipated, Earle manifested the utmost interest in the
story of the cavern with sculptured walls, going even to the length of
announcing his determination to visit it immediately after lunch. Dick
accordingly proceeded to the camp and, summoning four of the Indians,
instructed them to prepare a goodly supply of torches for the occasion.

When, some two hours later, the friends, accompanied by a couple of
Indians--one to hold a pair of blazing torches aloft, and the other to
carry the reserve supply--stood in the cavern and glanced about them,
they at once became aware that they had stumbled upon a very remarkable
and interesting monument. For the cavern, a great circular chamber,
measuring forty-three paces in diameter--was, beyond all doubt, an
ancient temple, as was made clearly manifest by the character of the
sculptures on the walls. These depicted a number of different religious
ceremonies, intermingled with subjects which seemed to be allegorical,
but apart from the exceedingly curious scenes depicted, the most
remarkable circumstance connected with the sculptures was that they were
of a totally different character from those on the cliff outside, being
much more crude in design and execution, and apparently of far earlier
date. The fact, however, above all others, which stamped the cavern as
a temple, was the presence of a hideously carved life-size idol,
enshrined in a most elaborately carved niche, with a great block of
stone before it which had evidently served as an altar.

The idol was a nude male figure, squatted cross-legged on a bench in the
niche, its only decoration being a necklace with pendant attached. This
ornament escaped the notice of the observers until they came to study
the detail of the sculptured niche, when the glint of metal and a sheen
of green rays attracted their attention and caused them to inspect it
closely. The inspection ended in Earle taking possession of the thing,
and subsequent examination revealed the fact that the chain was wrought
out of pure gold, while the pendant consisted of a lozenge-shaped plate
of gold nearly a quarter of an inch thick, chased all over both surfaces
with strangely shaped markings or characters surrounding a great
emerald. It was an unique ornament, if only from the barbaric character
of its design and execution, while the emerald rendered it