dig, because from what Hlabulana says
they can't have had time to bury the stuff very deep."

"Here it is. Look. There's the hole I pulled it up from--Hallo!"

Wyvern had gone down on his knees, and was experimentally fitting the
stone into its former position. With the above exclamation he placed it
aside and began hurriedly clawing at the earth where it had lain, with
his bare fingers.

"Here's a box," he said quickly, shovelling out handfuls of earth; "An
unmistakable box."

Fleetwood bent over.

"Sure?" he asked, as excited as Wyvern himself.

"Dead cert. Here, lend a hand. We'll soon have it out."

And they did have it out. A few minutes more of eager digging, and the
whole top of a metal bound wooden chest was visible. But it required a
good deal more exertion before it was clear of earth all round. Then
they hauled it up, and although not more than a foot square by half that
depth, it required some hauling, for it might have been made of solid
lead.

"That's the bar gold," pronounced Fleetwood as, heated and panting, they
sat down for a rest. "No `stones' would weigh anything like that. Well
the stones can't be far off. Let's get to work again."

They resumed their digging, systematically, with knives now, first
around the excavation first made, then beneath it. Here, in a few
minutes, Wyvern hauled out something--something round and moist. It was
a small leather bag.

"Let's investigate," he said, and there was a tremble in his voice.

The leather was half rotten with age and damp, and the fastenings gave
way when touched. Fleetwood put down his hat, and punching in the
crown, poured the contents of the bag into the cavity thus formed. Then
the two men looked up and sat staring at each other.

For in the said cavity was a heap of gems, which glittered and sparkled
as the light from without struck upon them--rubies and emeralds and
opals, many of considerable size, and obviously, even to these two
unversed in such matters, of great value. This alone would have been
worth all they had gone through for.

Replacing the stones in the bag they continued their excavation now with
a tremble of the hands. And small wonder that it should be so. They
had just found that which was enough to set them up comfortably for the
rest of their lives, and there was even more to find. Any kind of
search more fraught with every element of excitement it would be hard to
conceive.

And, in fact, les