CHAPTER IV.
ON AN EXPLORING EXPEDITION--A FIND IN A CAVE--THESEPULCHRAL VOICE--THE EXPLANATION--DESMONDGETS SQUARE ON A TRICK--STRANGE LONGINGS--THEFINDING OF A NUGGET.
It was about midnight when the older men lay down on their blankets tosleep. Creedon had a big silver bull's-eye watch, and he said he alwayskept it going.
Desmond pretended to lie down and go to sleep also, but his head wasfilled with visions of the Mexican's hidden gold. He had an idea thatCreedon's investigations might have been very superficial; he determinedto make a thorough and systematic search, and he actually believed hewould find the hidden gold.
Brooks and Creedon were good sleepers; both were very weary and theywere soon in a sound slumber, and then Desmond arose, stole on tiptoeover beside Creedon and secured the mask lantern. A strange, weird scenewas certainly presented. There had been a big fire; the embers were allaglow and illuminated the cave. There lay Brooks and Creedon, lookingpicturesque in their hunting garb, and there was Desmond stealing ontiptoe under the glare of the firelight to secure the mask lantern.
Having secured the lantern the lad moved away and made for a crevicewhich promised the best results. He knew enough of rock conformations togo forward very carefully, always flashing his light ahead and studyingthe path in advance, and so slowly, carefully, and surely he moved alonguntil he had traversed, as he calculated, a distance of two hundred andfifty feet, when suddenly his flashlight revealed a solid wall in frontof him.
"Here we are," he muttered, "and no mistake."
Desmond saw that his explorations in that direction had ended. Heretraced his steps and selected a second crevice along which he made hisway, and at length he landed in a pretty good sized inner cave.
"Well, I reckon we've got it here."
The lad proceeded to search around with the care of a detective lookingfor clues. He did find evidences of some one having been in the cave; hefound the handle of a dirk, a small bit of a deerskin hunting jacket,and finally a little bit of pure gold. He examined the latter under hislamp, satisfied himself that it was a nugget of real gold in its naturalstate, and his heart beat fast.
"I've got it at last," he muttered; "yes, I thought I knew how to carryon this search. Creedon must have done it too hurriedly."
Desmond felt quite proud of his success; he had struck it sure, as hebelieved, and he continued his search, and was intently engaged whensuddenly he heard a sepulchral groan at the instant he had plunged intoa sort of pocket and was feeling around; but when he heard that groan hestarted back into the cave and stood as white as a sheet gazing aroundin every direction, and there was a wild terror in his eyes. He stoodfor fully two minutes gazing and listening, and finally he said:
"Great Scott! what was that I heard--a groan?"
Desmond, although brave and vigorous, after all was but a lad of lessthan eighteen. He could have faced a grizzly bear, but when it came tothe supernatural he was not equal to it. The fact was he was deadscared, and, then again he believed he had really struck the hiddenrecess where the old Mexican's gold was secreted.
The young are more susceptible to superstitious fears, as a rule, thanolder people; they are not skeptical.
Desmond listened a long time, and as he did not hear the noise again,and feeling an intense desire to find the hidden treasure, he again wentto the rock pocket and plunged in, but immediately there came again thegroan, clear, distinct, and unmistakable, and also a voice commanding:
"Go away, go away; do not disturb my gold."
The lad leaped out into the main cave again, and he trembled from headto foot. He had never received such a shock in all his life; he hadnever really believed in ghosts--never thought much about themindeed--but here he had at least evidence that the dead did watch theirtreasures. Still, the desire to secure the wealth was strong upon him;naturally he was, as our readers know, very nervy, and he determined toargue with the ghost. He reasoned that the hidden wealth could be of nobenefit to the spirit where he was, and he thought he might talk himinto keeping quiet.
It was in a trembling voice that Desmond asked:
"Is the spirit here?"
The answer came:
"I am here."
A more experienced person than Desmond would have gotten on to the factthat it was very strange that the spirit should answer him in such goodEnglish, it being supposed to be the spirit of a Mexican, but spiritsprobably can talk any language. At any rate, Desmond did not stop toconsider.
"Do you own the gold?"
"Yes."
"Why can't I have it? I've found it."
"You get away as quick as you can or I'll seize you."
Well, well, this was a great state of affairs; Desmond did not ask anymore questions. He seized his lamp and started to limp from the cave,and he was white and trembling. He made his way to Creedon Hall andbeheld Brooks and Creedon standing over the fire. On the face of Brooksthere was an amused look, and on Creedon's an expression of realjollity.
"Great sakes! Desmond," demanded Brooks, "where have you been? I awokeand found you missing, and Creedon and I have been scared almost todeath."
Desmond tried to assume an indifferent air, and said:
"I wasn't sleepy, so I thought I would go and explore a little."
"You had better be careful how you explore around here."
"Why?"
"Well, that's all; I won't say any more, but be careful, or you may besuddenly missing."
"What did you find, boy?"
"I'll tell you all about it in the morning."
The men retired to their blankets and Desmond also lay down, afterhaving promised that he would not attempt to explore any more thatnight.
He did not sleep, however; the phantom voice, the treasure, and hisdiscovery kept him awake, and he lay thinking about ghosts and goblins,and he muttered;
"Hang it! I never believed in ghosts;" then as he lay there, there cameto his mind a recollection of the jolly look that had rested on the faceof the guide, and there came to his mind a suspicion, and then acertainty, that he had been fooled. He was a wonderfully sharp lad, andhe began to think the whole matter over, and he recalled the fact thatthe ghost had spoken good English.
"Hang me!" he muttered, "if I don't believe I've been made a victim of ahuge joke, and Brooks and Creedon are both guilty in aiding to give me ascare. All right, to-morrow we will see all about it; I'll get square."
Desmond did fall asleep at length, and when he awoke Brooks and Creedonwere eating their breakfast, and Creedon said as Desmond joined them:
"So you were exploring last night?"
"Yes."
"What did you find?"
"Gold."
"You did?"
"Yes."
"Oh, come off."
"I did."
"You think you did."
"I did, I'll swear I did."
"Where did you find it?"
"In a cave which one of those passages leads to."
"You found gold?"
"Yes."
"You will have to be careful."
"Careful?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You'll strike the ghost."
"The ghost?"
"Yes."
"What ghost?"
"The ghost of the old Mexican."
"I did think I heard a groan. Tell me about the old Mexican."
"I've told you all I know about him, and I'll tell you that in myopinion it will be dangerous to meddle with his gold, even if you foundit."
"Could that old Mexican speak English?"
"A little."
"Only a little?" repeated Desmond.
"Yes."
"Then it's just as I suspected; I tell you I was scared at first, butwhen the old ghost answered me--"
"When the ghost answered you?" demanded Creedon.
"Yes."
"Did you see the ghost?"
"I heard him--that is, I thought I did--and I spoke to him, but he gaveme back such good Engl
ish I made up my mind that you didn't know how toplay a joke. Next time stick to the broken English; you might havescared the life out of me then."
Brooks and Creedon laughed, and the latter said:
"Well, you are smart, you are; but, lad, let me tell you something:don't spend time looking for the Mexican's gold."
"Why not?"
"I've explored every nook and cranny in this mountain, and there is notreasure hidden here."
"But I found some gold."
"You did?"
"Yes."
Creedon and Brooks stared.
"Are you in earnest?"
"I am."
"Where did you find it?"
"Well, I am going to consider awhile before I tell."
Brooks looked Desmond straight in the face, and asked:
"Boy, honest, did you really find gold?"
"Yes, I did."
The matter began to assume a very serious aspect, for Desmond spokeseriously.
"If you found any gold, lad, you've beat me."
"I did find gold."
"On your honor?"
"Yes."
"Well, here we are on shares; tell us all about it."
Desmond laughed in turn; they had had their laugh and he had his laugh,as he said:
"Here is what I found."
The lad produced the little nugget he had picked up and then Creedonlaughed, and said:
"By George! that is the bit of gold I lost, and I had a good hunt forit."
Our hero had been impressed by Creedon's statement that he had examinedevery nook and corner in the mountain, and yet he did feel a sort ofhankering notion that he could find the gold, and he said:
"I want to explore again."
"All right; it can do no harm, but I will relinquish all claim now toany gold that you may find in this cave."
"I'll take you at your word," said Desmond.
Of course the youth had no real hope of ever finding any gold, but it isa known fact that such finds have been made, and sometimes the skeletonsof the owners have been found bleaching beside their gold.