with tarnish; while its
fellow-shield--a sun, as I now saw, as I afterwards made out the other
to be a representation of the moon--was of the richer metal.

I was right, then--Garcia could be set at defiance, my uncle freed. But
it was all too good to be true; and that little If thrust itself into my
thoughts--that little If that has so much to do with our lives.

_If_ I could get the gold safely away!

My brow knit as I thought of this, and my hand closed involuntarily upon
the gun; but directly after I felt that we must bestir ourselves to pack
our treasure safely.

"Let us have something by way of breakfast, Tom," I said hastily, after
throwing my coat over the part of the treasure visible.

We ate as people eat whose thoughts are upon other things, till we were
roused by a whinnying from the interior of the cave, when Tom hastily
carried some maize to the mules so as to ensure their silence in case of
the Indians again approaching the place.

As far as I could make out from the obscurity where I was there was not
a trace of the sand having been disturbed--the water had removed it all;
but I trembled as I thought of the consequences of some Indian eye
having seen the golden vessel, for I knew that we should never have been
allowed to return alive.

My plans now were to spend a portion of the day in carefully packing our
treasure as compactly as possible, and then, when night had well fallen,
loading the mules and making the best of our way to the hacienda--easy
practicable plans apparently; but Fate declared that I had not yet
earned the wealth.

I said that Tom had gone to see about the mules, and for a few minutes I
was hesitating about the nearest bag to me--one which, from the feel,
contained a mixture of bars, plates, and cups, that I knew might be
packed in a quarter the space.

I looked to the mouth of the cave; all was sunshine there; but it was
dark where I stood, and feeling that if the task of packing was to be
done, the sooner it was set about the better, I seized the bag, drew out
a large and massive vessel, two or three plates that must have formed a
part of the covering of some barbaric altar, and was about to draw forth
more, when I heard a faint noise, and, turning, Tom sprang upon me with
a fierce look in his countenance, bore me down amongst the treasure, and
laid his hand upon my mouth. His whole weight was upon me, and he had
me in such a position that all struggling seemed vain; but