"Did you ever search here?"

"Well, you bet I did."

"And did you explore?"

"You bet I did."

"And you never found anything?"

"I never did."

"Nor secured any indication?"

"Never."

"Possibly you did not look in the right place."

"That is dead certain," came the natural answer.




CHAPTER IV.

ON AN EXPLORING EXPEDITION--A FIND IN A CAVE--THE
SEPULCHRAL VOICE--THE EXPLANATION--DESMOND
GETS SQUARE ON A TRICK--STRANGE LONGINGS--THE
FINDING OF A NUGGET.