hem to the nearest shipping point, and they
were now feverishly engaged in the work with the aid of the natives, who
were eager to learn how the white men built the wonderful things which
they saw all about them.

It will, therefore, be understood, that the remarks of George, at the
opening of this chapter, had reference to the fact that the most
important of the islands, or the ones having the most of the treasures
could not be the one on which they resided, but pertained to some other
localities.

"Well, if there is anything I am interested in, it is to know why the
wonderful buildings we found at the Illyas' village were put up at that
place, and what caused all trace of them to be lost," said Harry, after
George had expressed his last opinion.

"Do you remember what John said, after we came out of the cave below the
village?"

"No; what was it!"

"He said the copper in the cave might explain it."

After the capture of the last tribe, John demanded that the Chief inform
them of the location of the Hoodoo, or Medicine Men of the tribe, and
he reluctantly consented, but the Chief warned them, that to attempt to
enter the cave would mean Death.

John knew that the Chief and the people believed the death tales told by
the Medicine Men, as it was tales of this kind which enabled them to
maintain such a hold on the people. In order to destroy the power of
those people, who really had been the cause of much of their troubles,
John announced that he would take the Chief and his followers to the
cave, and that he would then go into the cave alone, and come out again,
to prove that the Medicine Men had lied to him.

John entered the cave, and single-handed captured the Krishnos, as they
were called, and brought them out, thus verifying his statement that
those men had deceived the people. Soon thereafter John and the boys
entered the cave, which, from the description he had, contained an
immense amount of treasure, but they were unable to discover any trace
of it if it existed.

By accident the calcareous deposit was broken off at one part in their
search, and below was found a dark material, which, after examination,
was found to be copper. It was not in its native state, but was a
product produced by smelting the ore, and they uncovered an immense
quantity of it, sufficient to show that the portion of the cave in which
it was found was really a storehouse.

Not more than a mile away was the Native village, where