The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-08-30

where he fell to Whetting his knife. lie
finished putting n double edge upon the
blade, fitted handle to 1t, and then a
cord with which to suspend il round
his neck. He showed 1t to OReilly,
and after receiving a word Of praise he
crcpt outdoors again and tried TO for
| get how sick ne was. Black spots were
/ dancing before Jackets eyes; he ex-
perienced spells Of dizziness and nau-
sea during which he dared not attempt
! to walk. lie knew this must be the re-
suit Of starvation, and yet, strangely
enough, the thought Of food was dis
! tasteful to him. He devOutly wished 1t
were not necessary to climb that hill
again, for he feared he would not have
the strength to descend It.
Luckily for the sake Of the secret
Evangelina spent most Of the day
searching for food, while Asenslo lay
| babbling upon his bed, too i'll to notice
| the peculiar actions Of his companions.
It was with a strange, nightmare
feeling of unrealty that the trio
J dragged themselves upward to the
ruined quinto when darkness finally
came. They no longer talked, for con-
versation was n drain upon their pow
crs, and the reaction from the days eX-
citement had set in. O'Rellly lurched
as he walked, his limbs were heavy,
and his llvcliest sensation was one Of
dread at the hard work in store for
him. The forcing of that door assumed
the proportions Of a Herculean task.
But once he was at the bottom of
the well and beheld the handiwork of
Sebastian, the slave, just as he had
left il. his sense of reality returned and
with il a certain measure of determina-
ton. Inasmuch as he had made no
visible impression upon the bulkhead
by his direct attack, he changed his
tactics now and undertook to loosen
one of the jambs where 1t was wedged
into the rock at top and bottom. After
desperate struggle he succeeded in
loosening the entire structure so that
he could pry 1t out far enough to
squeeze his body through.
II have 1t - he cried to Rosa. Seizing
the candle, he thrust 1t into the open
ing. He beheld what he had expected
to find, small cavern or grotto which
had evidently been pierced during the
digging Of the well. He could appreci-
ate now how simple had been the task
Of sealing IL up 80 as to battle discov-
cry. Rosa, poised above him, scarcely
breathed until he Strengthened himself
and turned his face upward once more.
He tried to speak, but voiced moth
ing more than hoarse croak; the
candle in his hand described erratic fig
ures.
what do you see?" the girl cried in
an agony OF suspense.
"I- It's herel B-boxes, chests,
casks-everything"
"God be praisedl My fathers for
tune at last!"
Rose forgot her surroundings; she
bent her hands together, calling upon
O'Reilly to make haste and determine
beyond all question that the missing
hoard was indeed theirs. She drew
perilously close to the well and knelt
| wv ~ hhN SpAhN piANSNCoo Ut AANi uS
votions; her eyes were brimming with
tears and there was roaring in her
ears. 1t was not strange that she failed
to see or to hear the approach of a
great blurred figure which material
lied out of the night and took station
scarcely an arms length behind her.
'He intended 1t for his children "
she sobbed, "and providence saved II
from our wicked enemies. 1t was the
hand of God that led us here, O'Reilly
Tell me, what do you see now?'
Johnnie had wormed his way into
the damp chamber and slim rectangle
of light was projected against the op
posite side of the well. Rosa could
hear him talking and moving about.
Don Esteban Varona's subterranear
hiding-place was large enough to store
a treasure far greater than his it was
perhaps ten feet in length, with q root
high enough to accommodate a tai
man. At the farther end were ranged
several small wooden chests bound
with iron and fitted with hasps and
n'ol'NS' aiohb ouc siut was u IOW VI
diminutive casks, the sort used to con
tain choice wines or liquors; over al
was thick covering of slime and
mold. The iron was deeply rusted and
the place itself smelled abominably
stale.
O'Reilly surveyed this Aladdin's cave
In a daze. He set his candle down, fol
his fingers were numb and unsteady
Cautiously, as If fearful Of breaking
some spell, he stopped and tried to
move one of the casks, but found tha,
1t resisted him as If cemented to the
rock. He noted that its head was
bulged upward, as II by the dampness
so he took mis- iron bar and aimed Q
sharp blow at the chine. A hoop gave
way; another blow enabled him to pry
out the head of the cask. He stood
blinking at the sight exposed, for the
little barrel was full Of coins--yellow
coins, large and small. O'Reilly seized
handful and held them close to the
candle flame; among the number hi
noted a Spanish doubloon, such al
young Estebau had found.
He tested the weight Of the other
casks and found them equally heavy
Knowing little abor: gold. he did no,
4 80 A. ~or..~ A. "a.