flakes; showing a massive
copper door, three feet six in height, and three feet in width,
behind it. No keyhole was visible.

"Press upwards against the lintel," the queen said. "That will
release the catch of the door."

Roger did so, and at the same moment pushed with his shoulder
against the door, and it swung round with ease.

"Do you enter first, with the torch, and we will follow," the queen
said.

Roger found himself in a room about twelve feet square. At the
farther end was a pile of gold bars, four feet deep and as much
high, extending right across the room. On the floor, along the
other two sides, were ranged a number of large chests.

"Open these," the queen said. "The gold is of no use to us."

The chests were full of manufactured gold ornaments, many of them
studded with jewels. Roger was astounded at the amount of wealth
thus stored away.

"Cacama told me," the queen said, "that even the treasure houses of
Montezuma are poor, in comparison to the treasure his grandfather
and father stowed away here; and I can well believe it. You have
not opened that small chest, yet."

This was opened, and was found to contain a number of bags which
were full of pearls, turquoise, and other precious stones, of large
size and immense value.

"We will take this chest away, as it stands," the queen said.

"It would be awkward to carry," Roger objected. "It is very heavy,
and its shape would tell at once that it contained valuables. The
contents do not weigh many pounds, and could easily be wrapped up
in a cloth and put into one of the litters, without exciting
observation. If you will allow me, I will go back to one of the
sleeping rooms and fetch two or three thick rugs."

He hurried away, and in a few minutes returned. The bags were
transferred from the chest to one of the rugs he had brought, which
was then wrapped round and tied into a bundle. On two other rugs
were placed heaps of necklaces and other ornaments from the larger
chests, until each contained, as nearly as Roger could guess by
lifting them, some sixty pounds' weight of gold ornaments. These
were similarly tied up, and the three bundles were then carried out
from the hidden room, and conveyed to the apartment they had before
left.

Roger then went back to the treasury, closed the copper door, swept
up and placed in a rug every particle of plaster, and then swung
the cabinet back into its position, where it fastened with a loud
click. So fir