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At last they came to a place where a high rock protruded far over the river. Here the old explorer called a halt and pointed up the side of a mountain.
“In that little notch up there is the entrance to the treasure,” he said. “As I said before, there is a huge cave that occupies the entire mountain. There we will find the treasure, if there is any.”
The youths’ hearts beat rapidly. They could hardly believe that at last they were nearing the great secret.
“But,” hesitated Bob Holton, “how are we going to get across this roaring river?”
“That,” the old explorer returned, “will be the most difficult part of our entire journey. Come. Let me show you.”
They followed him to the edge of a high rock that protruded far out over the seething rapids.
“Look there,” he said, pointing to something.
Stretching from the rock across the river to another protruding crag was a heavy metal wire, which, strange to say, showed not the slightest trace of rust.
“That cable was put there by the Incas,” Dr. Rander said. “It is hundreds of years old, but still looks as if it had been built but yesterday. It is coated with some secret preservative, which prevents it from rusting through.”
“Interesting,” remarked Joe. “But what about it?”
The old man replied at once.
“We must cross the river by hanging from the cable with our hands,” he said quietly.
Joe’s heart sank. Secretly he felt that if he were to undertake the dangerous venture he would meet with tragedy.
CHAPTER XXIV
The Big Secret
“CAREFUL, now.”
Dr. Rander was slowly and dangerously hanging from the heavy wire with his hands, working his way steadily across the roaring rapids below. If he were to fall, it would probably seal his doom, even though the youths held one end of a stout rope that was tied securely around his waist.
“Think he’ll make it?” Bob looked on anxiously, half expecting to see the old man let go and plunge into the seething water below.
Slowly but surely he swung across, holding on with a grip of steel. It seemed remarkable that a person of his age could withstand the arduous tasks connected with exploration. But no doubt he was hardened to an eventful outdoor life of adventure.
“He’s over,” cried Joe happily. “Made it all right. Didn’t even threaten to let go. Now I wonder if we can do as well?”
The youths had yet to see.
Joe was next to swing across. He walked over to the cable and gazed doubtfully first at the boiling stream below, then at Dr. Rander on the opposite cliff.
“Go ahead,” said Bob. “Might as well get it over.”
“Yeah. But I wish it weren’t necessary to do this. I suppose, though, that I can do it if Dr. Rander can.”
Joe sat down on the edge of the cliff, took hold of the heavy wire, and slowly let himself down.
For a brief moment it seemed as if his arms would be torn from their sockets, for, although he was not heavy, the strain was very great.
“I’ve got to make it!” he told himself, gritting his teeth. He refused to think of what might happen if he were to plunge into the roaring rapids below.
“Don’t let go, whatever you do!” Bob, on the rock, was holding the rope tightly, ready to pull his friend to safety if the latter should be forced to release his grip.
Joe swung across with a certain determination that was luckily with him in every emergency. He did not look below for fear of becoming frightened.
At last, when he felt that he could stand no more of this torture, the youth felt his foot touch rock, and he knew that he was safe.
“Hurrah!” cried Bob Holton, waving his arms in the air. “Now here I come.”
Bob would find the feat more difficult, since he was heavier than either of the two who had crossed. But usually when he set his mind on doing a thing he was able to do it.
But first he walked over to the mules, which had been tethered securely by Dr. Rander, and got out a stronger rope, which he tied around his waist and shoulders. A small weight he fixed at the other end, and then moved back to the edge of the rock.
“Here. Catch this,” he called, and threw the rope over to Joe on the other side of the river.
When everything was in readiness he slowly lowered himself until he could grasp the wire that stretched across the stream. Then, setting his nerves for the trying task, he let his feet drop.
For one awful minute Bob’s heart stood still. Then he got a grip on himself and swung easily across to the other side.
“That was fine!” praised Dr. Rander. “You never flinched. Now let’s hurry up the mountain to the treasure.”
“Do you suppose the mules will be safe over there?” queried Joe anxiously. “We couldn’t take any food with us across the river. If anything should happen to them – ”
“There is no danger,” the old man assured him. “Probably no one has been in this section for years and years.”
Notwithstanding this, the young men were still worried. They realized that they would be in a grave predicament if anything should befall the provisions.
This anxiety gradually wore off, however, as they neared the treasure cave.
“Hard climb, but nothing will stop us now,” smiled Joe happily.
“You will be amazed when you look upon the wonders in the cave,” Dr. Rander told them. “It will exceed your wildest dream.”
“How did they all get there?” inquired Bob.
“I do not know. They were placed there by some wealthy Inca – perhaps a king – for safe keeping. It might have been that this was at the time of the Spanish invasion, and that the owner was later killed by the conquering troops. At any rate, the secret remained as such until I accidentally found it.”
“You sure were lucky,” remarked Joe. “Perhaps it wouldn’t have been discovered at all if you hadn’t located it.”
At a point near the ledge, the mountain grew so steep as to make climbing a very arduous task. A single misstep would have meant a horrible plunge into the roaring rapids below.
At last they came to the top of the ledge, before the notch cut in the mountainside.
“See that dark entrance?” asked Dr. Rander. “That is a tunnel that leads to the cavern. Come.”
The youths followed the old man into the opening, which was made light by the latter’s flashlight. The passage seemed to lead steadily upward, probably into the peak of the mountain.
“Do you suppose this tunnel was constructed?” asked Joe, after five minutes had passed.
“I believe so,” Dr. Rander returned. “When we get farther on, you will think so too.”
Fifteen minutes of walking brought them to the end of the tunnel. From all appearances there was nothing but natural rock before them.
“Watch,” said Dr. Rander, moving over to the end of the cave.
He reached up and pressed a mysterious button. Then he stepped back and waited.
Suddenly the youths gasped in awe, as they saw the huge stone wall slowly swing inward. As it made an opening, a beam of natural light flashed into the cave, making the use of a flashlight no longer necessary.
“Huh! That’s funny!” muttered Joe. “Must be an entrance to the outside somewhere.”
“If you can find it, it is more than I can do,” laughed Dr. Rander.
The opening grew larger, and the light brighter. When the ponderous stone wall had swung away to the utmost, Bob and Joe followed the old man through the entrance.
As they did so their eyes opened wide and their jaws dropped at the sight that lay before them. Ahead was a great stone room, fully fifty feet square, in which were scores of objects carved from stone. Statues of men, birds, llamas, pumas, and many other animals were all about. Ears of corn, plows, chairs, pottery – all these and many more objects were carved out of stone.
It was a wonderful collection, one that would delight the eye of any archæologist. Bob and Joe inspected the various objects with interest, knowing that Dr. Rust and his fellow scientists would give a great deal to know of the existence of this place of wonder.
“All this is very interesting,” remarked the old man. “But what we really came after was treasure – if there is any.”
“Yeah. Where is the place where you said it might be?” Bob was anxious to look for something still more valuable than the stone objects.
“I will show you.”
Dr. Rander stepped over to one corner of the large room, where was a huge statue of a man, perhaps an Inca king.
“Now look closely,” he said, when the youths had followed him.
The old man walked up to the statue and stood directly in front of it. Then he waited.
At that moment something happened that caused Bob and Joe to gasp in wonder. Slowly, surely, the statue sank into the floor until it disappeared from sight. Directly below the resulting opening was a ladder, which led down into another gigantic room.
“Well, of all things!” cried Joe in utter amazement. “That sure is a secret if there ever was one.”
“Let us go down.” Dr. Rander was making his way down the ladder, motioning for the youths to follow.
They did and soon found themselves in a huge cavern cut out of solid rock. Here were more stone objects similar to the ones in the room above them.
“This way,” pointed out the old man, walking over to one side of the cave.
“Wonder where the light comes from?” pondered Bob. “It’s from the outside, all right, but how does it get in?”
Dr. Rander bent over and pressed something in a crack in the floor, straightening up a moment later.
Again the youths were filled with amazement. A huge stone block swung away on unseen hinges, leaving an opening perhaps four feet in width.
“Now we must use flashlights,” Dr. Rander said, stepping inside. “There is no opening to the outside, apparently.”
The beams of the electric torches revealed the fact that they were in another cave.
“Over here,” explained the old man, “is a sort of bin cut out of the rock. It is covered with a stone that I cannot lift. But I feel sure that all three of us can.”
“Let’s have a look at it,” said Bob.
Together they heaved on the stone block with all their strength. Before long they saw that their efforts were not in vain. The stone was slowly slipping from the top of the bin. At length it fell to the floor with a dull thud.
The explorers turned the beams of the flashlights into the opening, looking about eagerly.
“Here’s something,” announced Joe, bringing out a small iron box.
“Open it,” directed Dr. Rander.
Joe did – and then cried out in wonder as he saw its contents.
CHAPTER XXV
Another Hidden Wonder
“GOLD!” cried Joe happily. “Gold beads, as sure as I’m alive!”
“And scores of them, too,” observed Bob. “Bet they’re worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars.”
They examined the little objects with interest, joyful that at last their efforts had been rewarded. The beads still shone brightly, although they had been in the cavern for hundreds of years. That they were really gold, no one doubted in the slightest.
“Who put them here?” asked Bob Holton, when they were ready to leave for the outside, the jewel box in their possession.
“The Incas,” returned Dr. Rander. “Perhaps it was an Inca king. At any rate it was someone who was wealthy.”
They looked about for any other treasure that might be in the room, but found none. At last they left the cave, closing the stone door behind them.
Led by Dr. Rander, they climbed the ladder, and then passed through the great room that was filled with the stone statues.
“We must hurry before it gets dark,” said Dr. Rander, closing the secret stone wall by pressing the hidden button. “It will not do to cross that river at night.”
“Bad enough in the daytime,” added Joe, as they made their way through the dark tunnel.
When at last they reached the outside they saw that they had but a few minutes before the sun would sink from sight.
Down the steep slope they climbed until at last they reached the cliff which protruded over the roaring river.
“How are we going to get the jewel box across?” asked Joe. “It isn’t large, but it’s too big to put in our pockets.”
“Use a rope, I suppose,” was the answer from Bob. “We’ll tie it tightly across somebody’s back.”
This suggestion was followed, and before long the three were on the other side of the rapids. They were relieved to find that the mules were resting peacefully.
“I don’t like the idea of crossing that river any more,” said Bob with a frown. “But I would like to go over to the secret cavern again tomorrow.”
“What for?” demanded Joe.
“I have two good reasons,” his friend answered. “First, I would like to take some movies of the place. And the other one is that I’d like to make a detailed map to give to Dr. Rust and the other archæologists. They’ll appreciate it, all right. Be tickled to death to know that we found all those Inca remains.”
The next morning they did as Bob wished and once more swung themselves across the boiling rapids, coming to the opposite side safely.
Motion pictures of the secret cavern and its contents were taken, and then a reliable map was made of the region, including the exact location of the mysterious buttons that moved the large stone doors.
Although Bob was assisted by his friends, he did not have everything completed until noon.
With one last look at the mountain of secrets, the three turned and retraced their footsteps to the river.
“Last time across,” said Joe with a sigh of relief. From the start he had feared the dangerous swing from the cable.
No harm befell them, however, and they reached the other side ready to start the journey to Pasaje, where Karl Sutman would be waiting with his airplane.
“Good old Karl,” said Bob affectionately. “It will be fine to see him again. And Dad and the others. I hope they’re all right.”
“With you on that,” came from Joe quickly.
“It will take us many days to get to Pasaje,” Dr. Rander put in. He intended to go with the youths to that town, where he wished to remain for several days.
“Wonder if we’ll see anything more of interest?” Joe was anxious to observe all that was worthwhile.
“There are other secrets I will show you,” explained Dr. Rander. “But as far as I know there is no more treasure.”
They decided to rest the remainder of that day, for all were tired from the strain. On a little shelf beside the roaring Apurimac they made camp.
“Now lead us to more secrets,” said Bob the next morning, when they were ready to resume the journey.
“I will,” returned the old man.
He kept his promise. Late that afternoon they had been following a narrow trail that curved with the river when Dr. Rander stopped and pointed up to a tall peak.
“Beyond that is a little hidden valley,” he told the youths. “In it is a tall tower that was built by the Incas. As far as I know, I am the only person who has ever found it.”
“Sounds interesting,” said Joe. “Can we go there?”
“Yes. Follow me.”
He tied the mules securely and then began the dangerous ascent of the high peak, Bob and Joe at his heels.
After a half-hour of struggling they reached the summit, which was covered with a thin coating of snow.
“Now, look down,” the old man said.
Far, far below, on the other side of the mountain, was a narrow valley that was green with tropical vegetation. It appeared much lower than might be expected.
“Look away over to your right,” directed Dr. Rander. “See that tall tower?”
“Why – why, yes!” Bob was struck with wonder. “Let’s go down and see it. Have you ever been there?” he asked the old man.
“Not close,” was the reply. “I have only looked at it from a distance. Lack of time prevented me from going over there.”
“We haven’t a great deal of time,” said Joe. “But I wouldn’t miss taking that in for hardly anything.”
He led the way down the steep slope, which required not a little caution. A single misstep would have meant a terrible fall to the bottom of the cañon.
An hour of careful climbing and their feet touched the green grass below. The tower, they observed, was several hundred yards in the distance.
“Probably we will find other ruins near,” remarked Joe Lewis, as they walked toward the corner of the narrow valley.
“Where there is one there is likely to be two,” smiled Dr. Rander. “And maybe you’re right.”
When they came nearer they saw that the tower was at least a hundred feet high. It was built of small blocks of stone, carefully fitted together. Near the base was a heavy growth of vines and creepers, which wound around the tower up to a height of twenty feet.
“Here’s a door,” called Bob, who had gone around the other side. “Let’s go in and see what we can find.”
With the aid of small flashlights they entered the structure and looked about.
Everywhere were cobwebs and other evidences of age, showing that it had not been occupied for hundreds of years. In one corner was a narrow winding stairway, which evidently led to the top.
“Shall we go up?” asked Joe.
“Sure. Why not?” Bob was already halfway up the first flight.
The others followed him, winding slowly up the narrow stairs. They wondered a little if it might be safe to venture up into this time-worn structure.
After what seemed like hours, they left the last flight of stairs and turned to go out on the top floor.
As they did so, they saw something that was horrible and disgusting.
CHAPTER XXVI
A Narrow Escape
LYING about on the stone floor were at least ten human skeletons, which were white with age. They were in no fixed positions, but were scattered aimlessly over the dusty floor.
Bob was the first to break the silence.
“Wonder how they got here?” he asked.
“Perhaps they are the remains of soldiers who guarded this tower,” was the opinion of Dr. Rander. “Here,” he went on, “look at this. It’s a dagger – made of stone.”
“You might be right,” commented Joe. “But then, it’s possible that the dagger belonged to someone who came up and murdered those who were here.”
The explorers examined the skeletons for several minutes before going to the edge and looking down on the surrounding valley.
“Can see quite a distance,” observed Bob, peering out at a distant mountain.
“Yes,” agreed Joe. “There – ”
At that moment he was interrupted by a cracking noise, which seemed to come from the tower.
“What’s that?” cried Dr. Rander excitedly.
But when it was repeated, there was no doubt in their minds as to the origin of the strange noise.
“It’s the tower!” exclaimed Bob fearfully. “I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid it’s going to fall. Hurry! Let’s get down to the ground.”
The three lost no time in scrambling down the stairs. They reached the bottom in safety, and then dashed outside, Dr. Rander displaying remarkable agility for his age.
Then something happened that filled them with terror. With one last creak, the old tower leaned slowly to the south, poised for a brief moment, and went crumbling to the ground. There was a report like that of a cannon, followed by a heavy cloud of dust and small particles of rock.
The explorers’ hearts were beating like trip hammers; their faces were red with excitement.
“Thank God that we escaped in time!” breathed Dr. Rander. “A few seconds more and we would have been caught beneath tons of rock!”
“And what a death!” muttered Joe with a shudder. “I don’t want to even think of it.”
They sat down on the ground to relieve themselves of the terrible strain. Especially did the old man show signs of exertion. At first the youths half expected to see him fall with heart failure, for he was terribly exhausted.
The rest, however, did him good, and before long he was apparently no worse for the horrible experience.
“Funny that tower should collapse just at this time, isn’t it?” said Bob. “I suppose, though, that it was ready to go at any time, and our weight proved too much for it.”
“That probably explains what happened,” came from the old man. “If no one had found it, perhaps it would have remained intact for many years yet.”
They put in no more time here, but turned and went back to the peak.
Very difficult it was to scale the steep slope, but at last they reached the top and descended to the other side.
“The mules are all right,” observed Bob. “Suppose we get going without delay. I’d like to get to Pasaje as soon as possible. I’m getting anxious to see Dad and the others of the expedition.”
“It will still take time,” Dr. Rander told him. “There are many miles of difficult travel before us.”
And difficult it was. Although the adventurers had previously found it hard to make progress through the rugged mountains, they now experienced even more hindrances.
Unfortunately, Dr. Rander was not overly familiar with this section and often made mistakes in pointing out the best course of travel.
It was not uncommon for the adventurers to come upon heavy forests at elevations of fifteen thousand feet. This surprised Bob and Joe, who did not expect to see trees growing at such high altitudes.
“There really is no such thing as the ‘tree line’ in the Andes,” explained the old explorer. “In fact, it is possible to find forests at unusually high altitudes.”
As they trudged on they came to more wild-cherry plants, the fruit of which they ate hungrily. It was refreshing to have fresh fruit after eating nothing but dried goods.
As much as possible they followed the banks of the Apurimac River, for Pasaje, their destination, is situated just above the point where the stream branches.
As they went farther, the mountains became more lofty, and snow on the summits was more common. They never climbed high enough, however, to come in contact with it.
Suddenly, upon hearing an unusual noise, Joe glanced around, and then gasped in apprehension.
“One of the mules is stuck in mud!” he cried. “Quick! We must do something at once!”
Without delay the old man turned about, walked back to one of the pack animals, and secured a long heavy rope. Then he moved on to the rear of the line, where one of the mules was struggling to free itself from the black bog.
“Bob, you had better come to the rescue,” he said, after a moment of pondering. “You’re pretty good at lassoing, as you showed us several days ago on that narrow ledge. Won’t you try it and see what you can do?”
“Where will I throw the rope, over the mule’s head?”
“Yes. Tighten it around the animal’s neck.”
“But – won’t it choke?”
“Not for a few minutes. There is no other way to pull the mule out. If we go too close we’ll get caught ourselves.”
“All right, then. Here goes.”
Bob took the rope, made a loop, and stepped as near as he thought possible with safety.
“If I miss my aim, I can’t help it,” the youth said, as he threw the lasso.
Joe cried out happily as he saw that the loop went directly over the mule’s head. Dr. Rander’s face also lightened.
All three pulled on the rope with all their strength, but their efforts appeared to be in vain. The treacherous bog had engulfed its helpless victim too tightly.
“We’ve got to get that animal out!” cried Joe, redoubling his efforts. “There’s a lot of valuable supplies on its back.”
But how? They were doing all they knew of. If that were not sufficient, the mule would have to go down.
“We’re losing steadily,” observed Bob grimly. “But I guess we can’t help it.”
Despite their furious efforts to draw the beast to safety, it was sinking rapidly. Already its body was nearly under. In but a brief time its head, too, would be engulfed.
But the adventurers kept up doggedly, determined to win the battle even though defeat was staring them in the face.
With one last effort, they gave the rope a new stronger pull. But it was not enough. The weight of the mule and its burden was too much, and the animal’s head slid horribly into the oozing mud, to disappear forever.
Bob slumped down on the grass.
“We lost,” he murmured gravely. “Now we’re one pack animal short.”
“And there were quite a few valuable objects in the pack, too,” added Joe, “not to say anything about losing the animal.”
“Have to get along some way,” Dr. Rander said. “There is no use in thinking anything more about it.”
“Wonder what the mule thought about when he went under?” mused Joe. “It must have been terrible.”
They resolved to follow the old man’s suggestion and forget the loss as best they could. After all, it was lucky that one of them had not been the victim.
Again they took up the journey, this time keeping a closer lookout for other bogs. But Dr. Rander did not know this region any too well, and could not guide them as surely as he would have liked to.
In the fascinating mountains the time passed rapidly. It was two days after they had lost the mule when Dr. Rander pointed to something in the distant sky.
“That’s a condor,” he said, his eyes trying to make out the flying form more clearly.
“It is at that,” affirmed Bob, looking through his binoculars. “And what’s more, it’s white. A condor real, as sure as I’m standing here!”
“Let’s see,” said Joe, and took the glasses his friend handed him.
A few moments of observing and he nodded, giving the binoculars to the old man.
“You’re right,” Joe said to his chum. “And oh! Wouldn’t our dads and Mr. Wallace like to be here now! A white condor! One of the creatures they wanted most.”
“Maybe we can get it for them,” muttered Bob, grasping a shotgun. “Do you suppose there’s a chance?”
“Not unless it flies nearer,” returned Dr. Rander. “Even then the bird would probably fall to the bottom of the cañon, and that would mean a dangerous descent.”
“I’m going to see, anyway,” Bob persisted, following the soaring form through his powerful binoculars.
“Look what I’ve found,” called Joe, who had climbed down to a narrow ledge several yards below the others.
“Why – it’s a nest,” exclaimed Bob, upon descending to the shelf. “And look at those eggs. Sure are whoppers. Say,” he cried suddenly, “I bet I know everything now. This belongs to that white condor. Look. There’s a white feather. See it?”
“You’re probably right,” said Dr. Rander, moving down to the ledge. “Let us look about more. We may find something else of interest.”
But all searching was stopped a second later when Joe happened to glance up.
“The condor!” he cried fearfully. “It’s coming at us!”
