vasion of one of their southern tribes.

Marie was busy cleaning off the trash from the massive rock that lay
at the entrance to the door-way. "1765," said she; "come, see the
date chiseled in the rock! I wonder what has become of the tribe that
built it?"

A soldier who had made his entrance by one of the window openings,
was busily engaged in prying up a huge flat stone just back of the
altar. He had it loosened; he called for help to remove it. When the
stone had been overturned and had fallen back onto its aged neighbors,
some soft damp earth beneath it was slowly scraped away.

"Listen!" said the native who on bended knees was doing the
sacrilegious work, "Did you hear that grating noise?"

He scraped again with his bolo turned edgewise, and gripping the back
of it firmly with both hands. "Do you hear it?" said he. "It's here!"

In a few minutes a metallic box was pried out of the earth wherein
it had lain unmolested for many years.

"Can you read the inscription on it?" asked Marie.

Carefully the sediment and rust shales were removed. The grooves in
the letters and figures of the inscription were carefully cleaned
out with a knife. It read

FATHER
JUADANEZ
1768.

"The old father has been dead a long time," said the fellow who was
doing the details of the work.

"I wonder," said Marie, "if we really ought to disturb his bones."

"Do you suppose they put any valuables in the little chest when they
sealed it up?" asked another.

"It has always been customary to put in the sacred urn," said Marie.

"Cut it open!" commanded a corporal.

"I can't," said the robber; "we'll have to build a fire and melt
it open."

This they did; and in it they found the dust of his bones and a number
of valuables including the Patricia's gold-lined cup which Marie took
and hung on her belt.

That night a terrible storm swept over the mountains. Marie and her
companions crept into the old church for refuge. The ponies had been
given some rice and then set free to forage as best they could. They
were stampeded by the violence of the wind and rain.

The morning broke cool and clear. Everybody was astir at day-break. The
ponies were gone, but plenty of rice remained. Marie soon saw a way
out of the difficulty. She left three of her men at the old church to
await the return of the two who were to accompany her until she reached
so