登陆注册
15459400000031

第31章 CHAPTER VIII(2)

The chest was made of some alloy of steel and nickel, impervious to rust, and very hard. It resisted all gentle methods of attack, and it was finally found necessary to force the lock with a charge of powder.

Within was found another case, which was pried open with the point of the general's bowie-knife.

It was filled to the brim with precious stones, most of them removed from their settings. But such of the gold-work as remained showed the jewels to be of ancient Aztecan origin. There was value enough in the box to buy and stock a dozen ranches as big as the general's, and leave heirlooms enough to decorate a family larger than that of the most fruitful of the ancient patriarchs.

"I call that quite a respectable dowry," remarked Meschines. "Upon my soul, Miriam, if I had known what you had up your sleeve, I should have thought twice before allowing a 'civil engineer'--do you remember?--to run off with you so easily."

At dawn, they prepared the body of old Kamaiakan for its interment. In doing this, the professor noted the peculiar appearance of the corpse.

"The flesh is absolutely withered," said he, "especially those parts which were uncovered. It must have been subjected to the action of some destructive vapor or gas, fatal not only to breathe, but to come in contact with. I have heard of poisonous emanations proceeding from the ground in these regions, but I never saw an instance of their effects before. That skull that you say you found, Harvey, was probably that of a victim of the same cause. But it is strange that Miriam, who must have remained some time in the very midst of it, should have escaped without a mark, or even any inconvenience."

"Kamaiakan ascribed it to the magic of the Golden Fleece," said Freeman.

"Well," rejoined the other, "he may have been right; but, for my part, the only magic that I can find in it lies in the fact that it is made of pure wool, which undoubtedly possesses remarkable sanative properties; or maybe the fiery soul of Semitzin was powerful enough to repel all harmful influences. The poor old fellow himself, being clad in cotton, and with no soul but his own, was destroyed. Let us wrap him in his blanket, and bid him farewell--and with him, I hope, to all that is uncanny and abnormal in the lives of you young folks!"

The last rites having been paid to the dead, the party mounted their horses and rode out of the gorge on to the long levels of the desert.

"Who come yonder?" said Freeman.

"A couple of Mexicans, I think," said the general.

"One of them is a woman," said Meschines.

"They look very weary," remarked Freeman.

Miriam fixed her eyes on the approaching pair for a moment, and then said, "They are Senor de Mendoza and Grace Parsloe."

And so, indeed, they were; and thus, in this lonely spot, all the dramatis personae of this history found themselves united.

In answer to the obvious question, how Grace and De Mendoza happened to be there, it transpired that, left to their own devices, they had undertaken no less an enterprise than to discover the hidden treasure.

Grace had communicated to the Mexican such bits of information as she had picked up and such surmises as she had formed, and he had been able to supplement her knowledge to an extent that seemed to justify them in attempting the adventure,-- not to mention the fact that Don Miguel (such was the ardor of his sentiment for Grace) would, had she desired it, have gone with her into a fiery furnace or a den of lions. Grace, who was ambitious as well as romantic, and who longed for the power and independence that wealth would give, was all alight with the idea of capturing the hoard of Montezuma: her social position would be altered at a stroke, and the world would be at her feet. Whether she would then have rewarded Don Miguel for his devotion, is possibly open to doubt: the sudden acquisition of boundless wealth has been known to turn larger heads than hers.

Fortunately, however, this temptation was withheld from her: so far from finding the treasure, she and Don Miguel very soon lost themselves in the desert, and had been wandering about ever since, dolely uncomfortable, and in no small danger of losing their lives. They were already at the end of their last resource when they happened to encounter the other party, as we have seen; and immeasurable was their joy at the unlooked-for deliverance. So there was another halt, to enable them to rest and recuperate; and it was not until the evening of that day that the journey was finally resumed.

Meanwhile, Grace had time to think over all that happened, and to arrive at certain conclusions. She was at bottom a good girl, though liable to be led away by her imagination, her vanity, and her temperament.

Don Miguel's best qualities had revealed themselves to her in the desert: he had always thought of her before himself, had done all that in him lay to save her from fatigue and suffering, and had stuck to her faithfully when he might perhaps have increased his own chances of escape by abandoning her. Did not such a man deserve to be rewarded?--especially as he was a handsome fellow, of good family, and possessed of quite a respectable income. Moreover, Harvey Freeman was now beyond her reach: he was going to marry Miriam, and she had realized that her own brief infatuation for him had had no very deep root after all.

Accordingly, she smiled encouragingly upon Don Miguel, and before they set out on their homeward ride she had vouchsafed him the bliss of knowing that he might call her his.

The general, as her guardian, did not withhold his approval; but when Grace drew him aside and besought him never to reveal to her intended the fact that she had once been a shop-girl, the old warrior smiled.

"You can depend upon me to keep your secret, if you wish it, my dear," said he;

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 春秋五霸秦穆公传

    春秋五霸秦穆公传

    《春秋五霸秦穆公传》讲述了在春秋五霸中,秦穆公最具多面性。他是一个以吃亏为福,三置晋君。甚至助其对手登上霸主之位的大智若愚的君子:是一个打破禁锢。以五羊皮举百里奚于奴隶之中,君臣戮力,一统六合的霸主:是一个超越一己之私情,对曾经背叛过他的女人姚圆圆信任如初的伟丈夫:是一个大赦农民之过。赐其马肉调料的和蔼长者……《春秋五霸秦穆公传》由秦俊著。
  • 可爱女人

    可爱女人

    她的世界不曾有人真正懂过,她以为这就是她的宿命,直到辰光的出现,她的生命才慢慢开始充满了五彩斑斓。
  • 五行遁术

    五行遁术

    大和,继承初代火影木遁血继限界的忍者,宁蓝,一位修炼五行遁术的法师,在霎那间宁蓝和大和的灵魂融合,从而继承了大和的身体,大和将会让五行遁术发扬光大。
  • 邪王娇妻:嫡女策荣华

    邪王娇妻:嫡女策荣华

    小楚楚,白又白,两只玉兔弹起来。爱斗姨娘爱耍赖,殿下夸我真可爱!蛊王在手,解毒无忧!专踩庶姐一百年,设计除掉坏姨娘,回头再杀祖母一个回马枪。从此爹爹疼爱,哥哥娇宠,皇上赏识,平步上青云,谁知一朝不慎跌落东宫床榻,与太子殿下大战八百回合,“楚楚这对兔儿,真让本宫爱不释手!”
  • 魔法幻想之旅程

    魔法幻想之旅程

    杨齐重来没想过,穿越这种事情会发生在自己身上,然而命运仿佛和他开了一个巨大的玩笑,一脚把他踹进了穿越的洪流中。群557373106,欢迎各位书友来0.0
  • tfboys之旅途

    tfboys之旅途

    “与你遥望,尘埃莫及。”复仇吧,我的世界。当少女以为她这辈子再也不会和家族扯上任何关系,当他们发现是救了自己,虽然是他竭尽一切所换。当孤儿而找到了自己的家族,当发现家族所做的一切,希望你可以洗干净你的手,虽不知你会选择朋友还是家人,但希望你快乐。当原本幸福的人跌入到深渊,当一切都已破碎,希望你可以看清前方的路,希望你可以看清身边的他。
  • 无双逆天系统

    无双逆天系统

    触电也能穿越?好吧,穿越就穿越吧,还赠送一个系统,赵逸表示,我喜欢。
  • 六指琴魔后人在异世

    六指琴魔后人在异世

    天魔琴,天外陨石为身,上古天蚕丝为弦.昔日六指琴魔只是学到了外八音,既天龙八音,就已经横扫江湖,在无对手.后人吕飞携天魔琴穿越到异世,又会有什么样的故事发生呢?天魔琴真正的秘密,又是什么呢?且看牛奔的天龙八音如何在异世界里称雄.在看琴魔后人是如何在异世界里混的风生火起.
  • 九霄八隅录

    九霄八隅录

    世事难料,村野幼童小清徽,石笋无意得古剑。出深山、踏红尘,见识人情冷暖、世间百态。炼荣辱不惊,赏花开花落。以智慧剑,破烦恼贼。天机莫测,仙踪虚幻亦飘渺,大道无疆心消遥。闯刀山、荡绝地,品味诡谲风云、尔虞我诈。修去留无意,看云卷云舒。远交近攻,纵横捭阖。申评:感谢腾讯文学书评团提供书评支持!
  • 穿越到武魂大陆

    穿越到武魂大陆

    本书中写着关于郑青山如何从现实世界穿越到异世,在异世的他如何凭借自己的聪明才智将一道道难关迎刃而解的。关于主人公的一段段奇闻异事,一段段感情纠葛,最终成就他在异世称雄称霸。不过在他面前的道路是崎岖的,所谓成就了他,就必须有人流血牺牲,一将功成万古枯,就是这个道理