ad too great a prize to win.

But before I had crossed this natural barrier to the entrance, reason
told me that I must have light, and provision, and strength for the
undertaking; and at that time I had neither. There was nothing for it
then but to listen to the voice of reason, as personified by Tom; and
with a sigh I climbed back just as he was going to join me.

I saw plainly enough that it must be nightfall before we could reach
home; and, getting free of the rocks, I was musing, and wondering
whether, after all, I had hit upon a discovery, when Tom whispered to
me, with averted head, to look to the right under the trees.

I did so, and became aware of a shadowy figure slinking off amongst the
bushes, but I took little heed of it then, trudging on as fast as the
nature of the ground would allow; and at last, thoroughly worn out in
body, but with my imagination heated, I reached the hacienda.

That evening, when I was alone with my uncle, I mentioned my discovery,
and asked him if ever the cavern had been explored.

"Never that I am aware of, Harry," he said quietly; "and I don't think
it would profit much the explorer. I have heard of the cave; it is a
sort of sanctified place amongst the Indians, who people it with ghosts
and goblins, such as they know how to invent. Let me see, what do they
call the place in their barbarous tongue? Ah! I remember now--
Tehutlan. I had forgotten its very existence. One of the old Peruvian
gods used to live there in olden times, I believe, as a sort of dragon
to watch over the hidden treasures of the earth. You had better search
there and bring some of them out, or catch the dragon himself; he would
make your fortune as an exhibitor in New York."

"And you think, Uncle, it has never been explored?" I said, without
replying to his last remark.

"My dear boy, for goodness' sake give up dreaming and take to reality,"
he said pettishly. "Explored? Yes. I remember how they say the
Spaniards explored it, and butchered a lot of the poor Peruvians there
like so many sheep, but they found nothing. Don't think about
treasure-seeking, Hal--it's a mistake; fortunes have to be made by toil
and scheming, not by haphazard proceedings; but all the same I must
say," he added musingly, "they do tell of the golden ornaments and
vessels of the sun-worship hidden by the poor conquered people ages ago
to preserve them from their greedy conquerors. Their places are known
even now, th