also was delighted; he set to work to make the coffee and prepare
the meal, and Creedon lay down on his blanket and lit his pipe, while
Desmond wandered around the cave, as he persisted in calling it. He
discovered several outlets from Creedon Hall, and he made up his mind
that as soon as his friends were asleep he would steal the mask lantern
and go on an exploring expedition. It was a jolly party that sat down to
coffee, cold dried meat, and crackers. Brooks had been very sparing of
his crackers, and had at least five pounds of them at the time he and
Desmond met the guide.

"When did you discover this place?" asked Desmond.

"I did not discover the place; it was revealed to me by an old hunter, a
Mexican, and how he discovered it he would never tell. The old man had a
great many secrets, and I have sometimes thought that there was gold
hidden here somewhere. I've spent days searching for it, but never could
find anything of the value of a red cent."

"Where is the old Mexican now?"

"That's hard to tell, lad; he died about five years ago, and his body
was carried to the ruins of an old Spanish church and there buried as he
had requested long before he died. He was a strange old man; he
possessed many secrets, but they died with him. It is possible he meant
to reveal them some day, but death caught him and he went out with his
mouth closed as far as his secrets were concerned. He was a sort of
miser in secrets. I did think that some day the old man would reveal
something of value to me; he pretended to think a great deal of me. I
saved his life at a critical moment; he was actually bound to the stake,
and I shot the rascal who was about to light the fire. They intended to
burn him alive, and the arrival of myself and party was just in time."

"Do the Indians still burn their prisoners at the stake?"

"These were not Indians--they were his own countrymen. They had tried to
force a confession from him, and because he refused to reveal the
whereabouts of the gold they thought he had stored away somewhere, they
were set to murder him in anger and revenge."

"And you saved him?"

"I did."

"And he never revealed his secrets to you?"

"Only the secret of this cave. He often made strange remarks and hinted
that some day I would receive my reward. We roomed here together all of
one winter, but he died and never opened his mouth to reveal where his
gold was, if it is true that he had any. I believe he did, but it w