the priest had some great end in view to which this gold was the means,
and that the gold itself had roused in him a controlling passion, he
could not doubt. The priest himself had told him something, the gold the
rest. With a sudden impulse of hatred Roldan emptied his pockets of the
metal and stamped upon it. He quieted suddenly, then stamped again, with
added vigour. Then he dropped and laid his ear to the ground.

"Stamp, Adan," he said, "and hard."

Adan shook his blood through his veins, and obeyed. Roldan sprang to his
feet. "We are above the tunnel of the Mission," he said. "And we have a
pickaxe. All we have to do is to dig."

XIX

It was three hours later that a mass of loosened earth caved suddenly,
carrying Adan with it. A wild yell came back. It stopped abruptly, the
tag end of it shot forth like the quick last blast from a trumpet.

"Hi, Adan!" called Roldan, excitedly, peering down into the dark. "Are
you hurt?"

"I know not! I know not! It is darker than a dungeon of a Mission." The
voice was quite distinct. It came from no great depth.

"Get out of the way," called Roldan. "I am coming." He waited a moment,
then dropped, falling on a mass of soft earth. Adan had prudently
retreated a few steps. He ran forward and helped Roldan to his feet,
just as Rafael came flying down.