Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-03-21
,ove a solid wall Of that thickness.

have solid wall of that thickness.
There would be no object in it here. !
am suro that there was an arch like
those along tho outside Of the veranda
across this end of it, and that it has
been bricked up, IN l the joining OF the
wall and arch carefully concealed. 1t
would be at the level OF the other ones.
II you will give me back / will soon
find out"
leaned against the wall just as we
used to do when we played Buck J
buck how many fingers do / hold up"
at school, and my friend mounted up
and began to scrape away the plaster
with his pocket-knife.
ust as l thought" he exclaimed, rs
he slipped down again. "fhere is no
doubt about it. Do you mind doing a
bit Of diggingy
"There is the sepoy's bayonet," l
said Eve could dig hole in a wall
With that"
"Of course we could" AID he got it
and we set to work. At first the work
was slow ard difficult. We could do
no more than pick out the mortar,
which luckily had scarcely set, from
the joints between the bricks. But at
last we managed to get ont brick. The
work became more rapid ;hen.
Wien hole or opening had been
made as large as n small easement win
dow, We waited tor some time longer to
let the foul air come out and the fresh
air enter, and then we went in together.
There were two or three large and
rouehly-made chests, or rather cases,
for they were evidently made simply to
hold their contents, and not secure
them. We soon had the covers of
these, and found them full of handsome
$ avis. and scarfs, and pieces of silk,
and kinCob. There were beautiful suits
of women's clo,hes-the full trousers,
and the little bodice, aud the long flow
ing sheet 10 throw over the head OF
very fine silk, thickly embroidered with
gold and silver The collection Of arti1l
cles was a very miscellaneous ore, for IN
one chest were several very handsome,
richly embroidered sword-belts and
horse trNrpings.
Nv friend took ono OF the silver
covered maees, Of which there were
several in one corner, and began to
sound the floor carefully and sytemati-
cally. In one corner ii sounded hollow.
He stopped down and scraped away tue
mud, and 10! there presented itself to
us a large circular stone, with an iron
ring at the top. To mc-a young lad
then-the breaking into the chamber
had been exciting enough, great adj
venture. Now my excitement rose to
fever point. Here was probably the en-.
trance TO long underground galleries,
such as those which Aladdin got into in
the Arabian Nights" in which stood
the trees on whose branches hung M
bies aud emerllds, and pearls and dia
moRds, and great sapphires. Visions
rose before me OF house OF my own in
England perhaps deer'P1rk; horses
and hunters, and moor in Scotland.
But when wo got the stone up. after
some exertion OF strength and trouble
il showed no winding staircase lead
ing down to an underground treasure
house.
There was nothing but small cir.
cllar pit, abou. three feet deep, lined
aud paved with masonry. But IN this
were several wooden boxes. and small
copper boxes with pierced sides mud top,
in which was large quantity of Iewelry,
rolled up in little pieces Of cloth, or put
away in Gotten.
Here were thick bangles Of solid gold
and solid silver here were rings Tor the
finger and rings FOR the toes; car rings
and nose.riugs gold aud silver chains
for the neck; silver chains To wear
round the waist necklaces Of many
kinds, soGe 10 wear close round tho
neck and some that hung far down on
the waist. But alas even here was
disappointment. Very few Of the pro
cious stones that bad ornamented the
iewelry had been left behind. They
had been picked out end carried away
Here were heaps OF nngs tied together
in launches wi:A SIX thread, but nil tho
most valulll" -;o,.cs lad been removed
from them. i; WAS sad TO see the great
holes in tie solid gold hoops, aud think
that they hal htlJ big cmcnlds and
diamonds which might have 10 II ours.
shawls AID o,'i,g ar;ic!-s, and then we
However. We poured al The iewelry into
n small, six SCAR, AID made bundle OF
l.. We ci,p made bundle of the best
departed w!,i our loot.
I'VE vii! take tLesc to the prize
agents ut once" said my friend; ''we
will then coar back with some OF their
men and take agay all the other
shings."
Just rs We We're pss ing ont under the
gateway ~ ir:eAd exclaimed Suddenly !:
~ see ii all the cunning oil fox :! He
was not for a. all. He vas left
behind on purpose 20 guard the treas .
ure. They knew tia. 1t WAS no. likely /
that any one wodld hurt so old and Zee. I
bic man; that hiding himself was all /
humbu~. How well he acted-the Gun. /
ming OLD fox! Did you hear what hap. /
pened in another place like this? l /
went into it too. There WAS O grave in /
the middle OF the courtyard, covered /
with velvet pail and flowers, and with I
alight burning ut the head, after the .
usual Mahommedan fashion, you know.
A young woman sat by the side OF the |
grave. weeping and wailing. She was /
the dead mans vile. We might ransack /
the house and take oil that was in it, .
but she begged that she might be left .
to watch by the grave OF her beloved
husband unit. permission could be got
to remove his body to TIE graveyard
beyond the walls. He hal died sud-
denly during tie days OF the assault.
and they had been afraid to carry ont
the body then, and had laid it in this
grave in the courtyard. Aud the poor
voang thing wept piteously under her
veil We could not see her face, OF
course, but from the figure and the