r, Curtis," I said, indicating the spot Gagool had
pointed out.

"Hullo, you fellows," he cried, "here's a recess. Great heavens! see
here."

We hurried up to where he was standing in a nook, shaped something like
a small bow window. Against the wall of this recess were placed three
stone chests, each about two feet square. Two were fitted with stone
lids, the lid of the third rested against the side of the chest, which
was open.

"_See!_" he repeated hoarsely, holding the lamp over the open chest. We
looked, and for a moment could make nothing out, on account of a
silvery sheen which dazzled us. When our eyes grew used to it we saw
that the chest was three-parts full of uncut diamonds, most of them of
considerable size. Stooping, I picked some up. Yes, there was no doubt
of it, there was the unmistakable soapy feel about them.

I fairly gasped as I dropped them.

"We are the richest men in the whole world," I said. "Monte Christo was
a fool to us."

"We shall flood the market with diamonds," said Good.

"Got to get them there first," suggested Sir Henry.

We stood still with pale faces and stared at each other, the lantern in
the middle and the glimmering gems below, as though we were
conspirators about to commit a crime, instead of being, as we thought,
the most fortunate men on earth.

"_Hee! hee! hee!_" cackled old Gagool behind us, as she flitted about
like a vampire bat. "There are the bright stones ye love, white men, as
many as ye will; take them, run them through your fingers, _eat_ of
them, _hee! hee! drink_ of them, _ha! ha!_"

At that moment there was something so ridiculous to my mind at the idea
of eating and drinking diamonds, that I began to laugh outrageously, an
example which the others followed, without knowing why. There we stood
and shrieked with laughter over the gems that were ours, which had been
found for _us_ thousands of years ago by the patient delvers in the
great hole yonder, and stored for _us_ by Solomon's long-dead overseer,
whose name, perchance, was written in the characters stamped on the
faded wax that yet adhered to the lids of the chest. Solomon never got
them, nor David, or Da Silvestra, nor anybody else. _We_ had got them:
there before us were millions of pounds' worth of diamonds, and
thousands of pounds' worth of gold and ivory only waiting to be taken
away.

Suddenly the fit passed off, and we stopped laughing.

"Open the other chests, white men," croaked Gagoo