Page 216 (1/1)

When Rosa Varona regained consciousness sufficiently to understand what had happened she proved herself a person of no little self- control She went to pieces for a moment, as was only natural, but O'Reilly soon succeeded in cal her Nor did he have to remind her twice that this was no time for weakness or hysteria; it was she, in fact, who first voiced the fear that Cobo dead was scarcely less of ato do with hiers of the situation "We et rid of him quickly," said he, "for his men are close by; he will be missed and there will be a search" "I don't intend to ri to hide hiht as well try to conceal a church; oxen couldn't hoist him out of that hole"

"Precisely! He has made our work easy for us We can't take more than a small part of the money with us, anyhow; the rest will have to lie here until the war is over Well! We shall leave Cobo on guard over what remains!"

Jacket was irasped it "What could be better?" he cried "The hten people away and ill drop stones upon him, so that he can learn the taste of his own medicine It suitson his head in a hole in the ground for the rest of eternity!"

O'Reilly was by this ti the full reaction from the events of the past half-hour and he was nearer exhaustion than he dreanance for his unescapable task, he lowered himself once ers nuth of the rope He ed to open the door of the treasure- chaold He sent up the jewel-box at the end of the rope, dragged the body of Cobo into the cave, then wedged the barricade back into place It required the coth of Rosa and Jacket to help him the last few feet of his cli--and throw it in there," he gasped

The boy and the girl fell to with a will, and after a time Johnnie joined them Slowly, laboriously, the three of thee of the quarry and bricks from the ruined house; they scraped up ar, in fact, which would serve to raise the bottom of the shaft and conceal the entrance to their ene-place It was slavish work, but O'Reilly kept theht overtook them at their task