ort out
of our prison was open to us, we turned to examine the work of the
skilled mechanics who in some far past time had set this swinging statue
in its place. From below, the simple apparatus, that yet for its fitting
required so high a grade of scientific knowledge, was plainly disclosed
to us. Into the great slab of stone, presumably running through it from
side to side, was set a round bar of metal--the same bright metal of
which the sword was made--more than a foot in diameter; and this worked
in two concave metal sockets in much the same manner that the sockets of
a gun-carriage hold the trunnions of a gun. What struck Rayburn as
especially remarkable was the trueness to a circle of both the sockets
and the bar; both showing, as he declared, that they had been worked
upon a lathe. And he was puzzled, as in the case of the sword, as to the
composition of the metal that thus defied oxidization through long
periods of time. "Gold is the only thing that fills the bill," he said;
"but a bar of gold, even of that size, would bend double under such a
strain. I'd give ten dollars for a chance to analyze it--for there's a
bigger fortune in putting a metal like that on the market than there is
in finding this treasure that we're hunting for: especially if it turns
out that there isn't any treasure to find."

"Now, don't you go t' runnin' down that treasure," Young struck in.
"Just now treasure stock is up. Me an' that idol have just boomed th'
market. I'm sorry I called Jack Mullins, or whatever his name is, such a
lot of cuss-word names. I take 'em all back. He isn't just th' sort of
an idol that I'd pick out t' worship myself, at least not as a steady
thing; but there are good points about him--especially th' way he tips
up. I always did like an idol that tipped up. He's done th' square thing
by us in gettin' us out all right from th' worst sort of a hole; an' I
guess th' best thing we can do is t' yank our traps out of that cave
an' get started again. Why, for all we know, th' treasure may be right
around that corner."

There was no doubt as to the soundness of Young's suggestion in regard
to resuming our march; but the very serious fact confronted us that we
now must do our marching on foot. To get the horses and mules down
through the narrow opening was simply impossible, and there was nothing
for us but to leave them behind. Rayburn looked very grave over this
phase of the matter, for leaving the mules meant also t