Part 61 (1/2)

”'Bout half a ton, sir, I should say,” replied one of the men.

”Let's go out and have a talk to the skipper,” said Briscoe. ”I say, chaps,” he added jocosely, ”fair play and fair sharing; no pocketing either of those big images while we're gone.”

”All right, sir,” said one of the men: ”we won't; but to speak square and honest, I was longing to collar that biggest one at the back there, him with the sign of the sun on his front.”

”We must fetch them another time,” said Briscoe; and he followed the brothers out on to the terrace, where, dully gleaming in the suns.h.i.+ne, quite a couple of hundredweight of the strange objects connected with the ancient wors.h.i.+p lay waiting to be lowered down.

”Well, captain,” said Sir Humphrey, ”what does this mean--you can't take any more?”

”I'm going to risk what you've got out already, sir,” was the reply.

”According to the men there's about three hundredweight to lower yet.”

”At a rough guess, yes,” said Brace.

”That's the very outside then, and we shall have to beat and hammer a lot of these together with the axeheads to make them take up less room.

Look for yourselves.”

A long and earnest look was directed below, where the boats were packed beneath the thwarts and fore and aft with the treasure, and presented a strange aspect.

”Yes, he's quite right,” said Briscoe, with a sigh. ”Oh, if we only had one of those coal-barges that I've seen lying at anchor in your Thames.”

”Let's be content, Briscoe, and get these figures aboard. We must not run risks and lose all.”

”That's wisdom, Sir Humphrey, and I've no more to say. Keep on lowering down, my lads, while we go back. Oh, dear, I wish we hadn't burned all that green stuff that hid the door.”

”It will soon shoot out and grow again,” said Brace; ”but we must come back for another load.”

They went back into the temple to take a look round, lanthorn in hand, and then had literally to drag themselves away from the sight of the vast treasure they were compelled to leave behind.

”It's of no use,” said Brace. ”Come along. The more we look the more unwilling we shall be to leave.”

”I feel as if I can't leave it. I must stop and take care of the rest, even if I stay alone,” said Briscoe.

”No,” said Brace; ”that would be folly. It will be safe enough till we return.”

”But look here: suppose we build a raft, and load that? We could tow it down with the boats.”

”Yes,” said Brace, ”and end by upsetting it and sending all to the bottom.”

”Look here,” said Sir Humphrey: ”I am going to set you both a good example.”

He hurried out into the light, while after another glance round Briscoe said slowly:

”Yes, a raft would end by shooting it all off into the river. Let's make sure of what we've got.”

And, rus.h.i.+ng out, he set steadily to work helping to get the objects still waiting down to the boat, and then he was the first to lead the way and mount from terrace to terrace to the slope and by the way to the great tank, where the water was making a strange reverberating sound.

”That noise is enough to keep the Indians away,” he said to Brace, as he paused with him till all the men had pa.s.sed. ”It's as good as a safe.”