The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-10

tain. and we readily allowed him the
leadership. Yet I fancied something
dangerous in his eyes and ! remember
that after / was in bed | arose and
boted my door. What il the dream
were not a dream? Ay, what if we
should find that treasure? And then
my dream maddened me, and | tossed
till the sun came over the mountain
top-the mountain, perhaps, of the cave
of the river.
We started out after breakfast, stealth
lily, as if we were on some thievish err
rad The manner of thieves seemed to
fall to us easily.
At first the search promised well, for
the old road by the monastery was a
marvellous piece of engineering for its
day and time. Nature, so fOrceful in
Mexico after all the years, had not de-
stroyed mans work. So anXiosly we
followed that splendid and forgotten
way which reminded one of nothing so
much as of an old Roman road, such as
you may see along the Mediterranean
or the Adriatic Countless treasure per-
haps had been dragged ever it in the old
days before the mine to which it led
lad been Abandoned. Yes, it told of
old interests, old passions. On we went
doggedly, through the thick growth, no
one of us with word, mntely following
Dorden's lead Two hours must have
passed-the growth made it tediously
slow-before at last we saw the high
projecting rock Yes, the rock then eX-
listed. My heart beat uproariously, and
| knew how my companions felt from
the pallor even Borden displayed, From
the western side, at the center of the
rocks base, he began to pace.
''One, two"
Fenton and | followed. Yes, there
was the sheer face of the cliff, and the
thick trees and bushes at its foot. We
stumbled on over the layers of rottins
trunks and leaves. A snake, so deadly
in Sonora, ran out before him, yet Dor
den persisted. and again we were ia
yored, for we came directly, with scarce
ly an error, on the opening. Borden
had brought Il machete, and now
proceeded to cut the bushes away, and
then we heard a low, distant rumble,
as of subdued thunder.
1.-THE river" Fenton cried at this re-
peated evidence. But what we saw was
more encouraging. For the cave stopp-
ed at about 20 feet. 1t was walled by
masonry, lichen covered. A hundred
wriggling creatures were on the surface.
But here was, indeed, what Miguel San
tos, dead full century and half, had
promised; and there was the iron door,
rusted and discolored, so that we won
dered if, indeed, it would answer to the
pressure on the upper left hand corner;
wondered If in all the years the treas
ure had not been taken. Again it was
Borden making the trial, while we stood
waiting. The road to riches-to the cave
of Santos avarice-seemed easy, indeed.
The air that swept our faces was sin
gularly fresh and sweet, due to the wa
tiers that we heard now in a deafening
roar. Then the rush of air seemed to
stop. Borden had no difficulty in light
4 ing the candle which gave feeble glare
in the vast place.
Careful" he said, as he advanced:
and We saw we were on the edge of q
vast precipice, with the undistinguish-
able mass of the roaring river far, far
| below. We all three turned about, our
faces blanching. And then strange
thing occurred. A pale white light be
gan to be diffused. | could not account
for it then: though now l understand
that the shifting sun had reached some
opening along the course of that under
ground river 1t was vast stream. in
deed sheer fall Of many hundred feet
/ as we now were able to see. The far
Their shore we could not tell in that hall
hght-now It had become almost like
early twilight: but it seemed to me as
broad as the Hudson. Whence did il
come? and whittier were those WATERS
carried in their mad whirl? But | was
INTERRUPTED by Dordens cry. He wa,
pointing toward "A projecting cliff. which
hung out far over the water. II wa,
approached by narrow neck, so that il