in which we rowed ashore,
and, leaving the crew at the entrance to the caves, we three, as
silently as possible, propelled the boat along the stream into the
interior. As we progressed we met with evidences of our former visit.
Lumps of stalactites lay where they had fallen when shaken from the
vaulted roof by the discharge of our firearms. The body of the lad
Bruno was also to be seen, half submerged, in the water of the stream.
Close to the body was the heap of gold dust, and this we began to load
into our boat, making as little noise as possible lest we should
disturb the hornets from their nests.

We worked rapidly, and in less than an hour we had filled the boat with
as much as she could carry of the heavy sand, nearly all of which was
gold dust, when a humming warned us of the approach of the hornets. We
had brought with us but a single torch, so as to avoid the light which
we knew would attract the swarm of venomous insects, as also the bats
and flying creatures which had made their home in these wonderful
caverns; but the solitary gleam, in so much darkness, seemed to burn
with the brightness of a conflagration. The smoke, also, from our
torch, ascending into the vaulted roof of the cavern, was beginning to
disturb the weird dwellers from their gloomy abode, and already
ghostly, bat-like forms began to fill the air space above our heads. It
was time to leave, and, reluctantly, we began to push the boat toward
the mouth of the cave, promising ourselves to return next day for more
of the precious stuff; of which there appeared to be an inexhaustible
supply. As we neared the entrance to the cave, however, we were
startled to observe a peril which had hitherto escaped our notice.
Poised over the arch of the narrow passage was a mass of rock so finely
balanced that it seemed to be held in its place by the weight of a
number of bat-like creatures clustering at one of its angles. As we
approached, these bats, startled by the light of our torch, began, one
or two at a time, to rise from their resting place, causing the rock to
topple toward us. Thus we stood in danger of being crushed by the mass
should it fall as we passed the entrance, or, worse still, if it fell
before we escaped into the cave beyond, we might find ourselves
entombed alive in this dreadful place, to become a prey to the horrors
of which we had had previous experience.

"Forward!" roared Hartog, and, putting forth his great strength, he
began to pro