Jack North's Treasure Hunt Part 30

"Pity we didn't bring a spade along," answered his companion.

Dismounting, they tied their ponies to the pimento and then began to look around the mound, which was several acres in extent. Rocks were cast up in all directions, as if by the force of a volcano.

A half hour had pa.s.sed, and they had found nothing of value, when of a sudden Plum s.n.a.t.c.hed up something and gave a yell:

"Gold! gold!"

"True enough," answered Jack, when he had examined the piece. It was the size of his little finger and similarly formed.

"The treasure must be here!" went on the Yankee lad. "Come, let us look for it."

"That is what we are doing already," answered Jack, with something of a happy laugh. He, too, had spotted something yellow between the rocks, and now brought it forth, another piece of gold, twice the size of Plum's find.

"Good for yeou!" shouted the Yankee boy. "The rocks must be full o' gold!"

In feverish haste the search was continued, and soon Jack had at least a pound of gold to his credit, while Plum had nearly as much. Then, of a sudden, Jack stepped on some loose dirt and shot out of sight.

"Hi! what yeou doing?" yelled Plum, in alarm, as he retreated from the hole that had appeared.

"Help me out!" called up Jack. He had gone down about a dozen feet, to bring up in a bed of sand and small stones.

"Hurt any?" queried Plum anxiously.

"Not a bit, Plum."

"Any gold down there?"

"I'll see," said Jack.

He hunted around the opening and soon discovered a pa.s.sageway between two immense rocks. He lit a match and one look around made his eyes open wildly.

Gold was there, on all sides of the pa.s.sageway--enough to make him rich for life!

"Plum, look here!" he yelled. "Gold--all you want of it!"

"Du tell!" roared the Yankee boy, and without stopping to think twice he dropped down to the bottom of the hole.

Another match was lit, and then some dry brushwood, and by the flickering light the two youths filled their pockets with the precious metal.

"We can load our ponies with gold," said Jack. He was so delighted he could scarcely speak.

"That's it--we'll carry away all we can an' then come back fer more,"

answered the Yankee lad.

How to get to the top of the hole once more was a problem, but at last Jack climbed on Plum's shoulders. He was then able to grasp a tree root, and by this means hauled himself upward.

"I'll tell you what to do, Plum!" he called down. "You throw up the gold to me and I'll load it on the ponies."

"All right, Jack. But don't forgit to pay me fer the job," laughed Plum.

"Pay you? Why, Plum, a good share of this gold is yours!"

"Yes, but yeou knew about the treasure, I didn't."

"I don't care. You can have a third anyway--and I'll pay all expenses of this trip."

"Thanks, Jack, yeou allers was a good feller."

After that both boys worked away like Trojans for the best part of an hour. The gold was there and Plum flung up one piece after another, until the saddle bags on both ponies were overflowing.

"We've got a load!" cried Jack at last. "Any more down there?"

"Plenty," was the answer.

"Well, let us take this to yonder hills and hide it. Then we can come back for more."

"Why to the hills, Jack?"

"Because something tells me not to trust this spot too long, Plum.

Remember the boiling lake."

He a.s.sisted the Yankee lad to the top of the opening and then, mounted on their ponies, they made their way over the dry bottom of the lake to the rocky ridge beyond. Here they deposited the gold in a safe place, and then returned to the "island."

"I'll go down this time," said Jack, and did so. A torch had been brought along, and sticking it in a crack of the rocks, the youth went to work with a will.

In less than half an hour the ponies were again loaded with gold. Jack had picked up almost the last piece in sight when he came to a sudden pause in his work.

What was that strange sound, and was it possible the earth beneath him was trembling? He leaped back to the center of the hole. Yes, the earth was surely quaking, and now some loose dirt came down on top of him.

"It is the earthquake!" he murmured, and at that moment came a loud cry from Plum.

"Jack! Jack! come up, as quick as yeou can! The water is squirting up through 'em holes, an' the lake is filling up!"

Chapter x.x.x

A Ride for Life--Conclusion

The earthquake was indeed upon them, and as Plum threw down a rope to Jack the whole landscape seemed to rock to and fro, causing the Yankee lad to miss his footing and pitch headlong on our hero's head.

"Oh, Jack, did I hurt you?" spluttered Plum, as he stood upright at the bottom of the hole.

Jack did not answer, for at that instant the earth shook again, sending them both on their backs. Then all became, for the instant, quiet.