As her light shone on the wall directly in front of her she suddenly halted in surprise. There, a little to her right, was a recess in the wall with a long, solid-looking panel in the back.
“That’s strange!” she thought. “I wonder what that panel’s for.”
She flashed her light straight into the recess this time. In the circle of light a black metal ring stood out distinctly. Could this queer-looking panel be a door? If it were, then there was another room here only a few feet from her.
Timidly she caught hold of the metal ring the next moment and pulled; to her disappointment, the panel did not move.
“There must be a reason for this ring and this panel,” she told herself. “I’ll try again, harder.”
Putting her shoulder against the panel, she pushed with all her strength. There was a sudden, loud, grating noise; then the door swung open with such force that she lost her balance and fell full length on the floor.
Her first thought was about her flashlight. What a terrible plight she would be in if it were broken! Trembling with anxiety, she pressed the button of her light. Out flashed its rays as brightly as ever. Half curiously, half timidly she stared into the lighted area.
The next instant her eyes dilated in terror. What was that horrible-looking creature directly in front of her!
“O-o-oh!” she shrieked. “Jo! Jo!”
After that one shriek her throat contracted with fright, and she lay as if paralyzed.
That horrible thing was so near she could almost touch it. Was it man—or beast—some prehistoric animal? She had never—not even in her wildest imagination—seen anything like this hideous monster. It stood in an upright position like a man and had long scrawny arms and legs, and huge frightful claws which seemed to be reaching out to grab her. Its head was hunched between its shoulders, and over the whole thing was a long, scraggly, hairlike covering.
With eyes fastened on the creature Peggy waited breathlessly. If only the thing would move or do something! Anything would be better than this suspense. But still it stood—motionless. If only she could manage to slide or crawl out of the room! But that monster would be sure to follow stealthily. Yet she must do something. She must get out of this room.
Forcing her eyes for a second from the monster, she glanced toward the door. The next instant she shuddered in fresh terror. There beside the door, almost at her feet, loomed another monster, taller and more horrible than the first.
Almost simultaneously there came a soft thudding sound from the tunnel. What could that be? Some other menace? It was getting nearer—nearer.
Suddenly above the thudding sounded a high-pitched voice—Jo Ann’s voice! Jo and Florence were running to her rescue! They had heard her scream.
“You must get out of this room this instant and warn the girls of their danger,” she commanded herself sternly.
Carefully, slowly, almost without seeming to move, she backed feet first toward the door. To reach it she had to pass so close to this other taller and more horrible creature that she would almost touch it. She held her breath. Already she could feel the clutch of those clawlike hands.
Steeling herself, she inched her body a little nearer. Out of the corner of her eye she watched those threatening claws. Brown leathery claws they were—dried—wrinkled—ghastly.
All at once the reason for their ghastly appearance darted into her mind—the hideous creatures were dead!
With a cry of relief she sprang to her feet and stumbled through the door. Just as she stepped into the tunnel, Jo Ann and Florence rushed up, panting.
“Peg—what’s—the matter?” Jo Ann cried, throwing her arms around Peggy. “I was afraid something dreadful—”
“What did happen, Peg?” urged Florence between gasps for breath as she flashed her light full upon Peggy.
Struggling to make her voice sound natural, Peggy replied slowly, “I—was—just scared. I’m—sorry—I frightened you.”
“What frightened you?” Jo Ann put in quickly. “You’re white as a ghost.”
“That’s what I’ve been seeing—ghosts! Ugh!” Peggy shivered.
“This is no time for foolishness. What scared you?”
“Peep through that door and see for yourself, then,” Peggy replied.
All curiosity, Jo Ann turned quickly toward the open door, Florence at her heels. The next moment both girls drew back with cries of fright.
“Horrible!” ejaculated Florence.
“Horrible!” echoed Jo Ann. “No wonder you were frightened, Peg,” she added quickly. “They’re only mummies, but if I hadn’t read about them I’d have been paralyzed. But what made you come up here after you said you’d stay where we left you?”
“I got tired waiting for you—I thought you’d never come—so I decided to explore this tunnel a little way. I got lost for a while; and then on my way back I found this door. It wouldn’t open at first, so I pushed hard—and then I tumbled head foremost into that room. When I turned on my light and saw those horrible creatures—well, I ’most died from fright. I thought they were alive.”
“You poor child,” comforted Florence. “We should never have left you alone.”
“What made you two stay so long?”
“We went farther than we expected, and Jo got stuck in a hole.”
Peggy turned to Jo Ann. “You would do something like that! What kind of a hole was it?”
“Just a little opening in a cave-in. I wanted to see what was on the other side. I dropped my flashlight over there and got stuck trying to get it.”
“I had to pull her out—I had a time doing it,” Florence added.
“That wasn’t nearly as much trouble as I got into,” said Peggy with a gesture toward the door. “How’d those hideous things ever get in there?”
“I don’t know, I’m sure,” replied Jo Ann. “I’ve read that they’ve been found in some parts of Mexico, and that they’re different from the ancient Egyptian mummies in that no preservatives were used. The air in certain parts of this country has such drying qualities in it that centuries ago people discovered that they could keep bodies perfectly without the use of preservatives.”
“Ugh! They don’t look perfect to me,” put in Peggy.
Jo Ann stepped to the door, saying, “I’d like to examine those mummies more closely, but—”
“That’s the way we feel, don’t we, Florence?” Peggy said with a half smile as she and Florence crowded into the doorway. “What is that whitish stuff on them?” she asked the next moment.
“I imagine they were wrapped in a sort of shroud when they were put in there,” said Jo Ann, “but it’s almost evaporated.”
“Why do you suppose they’re standing straight up, Jo?” Peggy queried curiously. “I should think they’d be in coffins, or something.”
Jo Ann shook her head dubiously. “Some ancient custom, perhaps.”
“Didn’t you start out to find the family skeleton, Jo?” asked Florence, with a twinkle in her eyes. “It seems to me Peggy found it, and all of its ancestors, for you.”
Peggy shuddered. “It’s a good thing I didn’t know there were so many mummies in this room. Let’s get away from here. I’ve seen enough of these horrible-looking things to last me a lifetime. You have, too, haven’t you, Florence?”
Florence nodded an emphatic assent and added, “Surely you’ve looked at them long enough, Jo. Come on.”
Reluctantly Jo Ann turned to leave. “I’d like to go inside and look over the room, but since you insist, I s’pose I’ll have to go.”
Peggy took a few steps down the passage, calling back over her shoulder, “Shut the door, Jo. I found it closed, so we’d better leave it that way.”
“All right.” Jo Ann caught hold of the ring and pulled on it, but the door would not budge.
After pulling on it several more times without success she called out, “The door’s stuck—I’ll have to try pushing. Catch hold of the ring and pull, Peg, while I push, and, Florence, you shine your
light in here so I can see,” she added as she stepped into the room.
Bracing herself against the wall, she slipped her arm into the narrow space behind the door and began pushing. With one wary glance at the ghostly figures back of her, Peggy pulled vigorously on the ring.
Suddenly the door gave a loud grating noise and swung so quickly that Peggy lost her balance and fell back against the mummies. With a terrified shriek she sprang back.
At the same instant Jo Ann felt something hard bump against her leg as she tumbled back against the wall. Guessing what had happened to Peggy, she reached for her flashlight hanging to her belt. No sooner had she flashed on the light than Peggy was by her side, shivering and pale with fright.
“Ugh! I fell against those hideous mummies!” she exclaimed. “Let’s get out of here this instant.”
“Something struck me, too,” said Jo Ann, glancing down in the corner back of the door.
There before her eyes lay several large candelabra.
“Oh, look here, Peg!” she cried excitedly.
“They’re just old iron candlesticks,” Peggy replied shortly. “Come on.”
Not heeding Peggy’s words, Jo Ann reached down and picked up one of them and began examining it closely. “I believe this is gold—a golden candelabrum!” she exclaimed admiringly. “Look at the lovely design on the base—and aren’t the branches beautifully shaped!”
Just then Florence peered around the half-open door and called out, “What’s happened to you two? Why don’t you come on out?”
“We’ve made a wonderful discovery,” replied Jo Ann. “Come here and see.”
As soon as Florence came inside Jo Ann pointed triumphantly to the candelabra. “They’re gold—maybe solid gold!”
After a moment’s tribute of silence Florence remarked, “They’re beautiful. I don’t believe they’re all gold; those darker ones are probably silver and tarnished with age.” She reached down and lifted one of the duller-looking candelabra. “It certainly is heavy. Isn’t this design on the base exquisite?” As she placed it back on the floor she added, “I believe all these belong to the church.”
“Probably they were hidden here long ago during some war or revolution and then forgotten,” Jo Ann said thoughtfully. “Maybe the persons who put them here were killed, and so—” She stopped abruptly, then began again, “I shouldn’t wonder if there were more valuable things hidden down here. I want to see, too, if there aren’t steps leading up to the church. Come on.”
CHAPTER XV
THE BLACK BOX
Past the ghostly figures the three girls made their way, nervous shivers running up and down their spines in spite of the fact that they knew these figures would not harm them.
As they threw the rays from their lights on the rear wall of the room, Jo Ann suddenly halted. “This wall’s different from the others,” she announced. “It looks as if it’s made of stone panels.”
“It certainly does,” agreed Florence.
Eagerly Jo Ann began examining one of the panels, testing it to see if it would move. Following her example, Peggy and Florence began trying to move the ones nearest them. Each panel, they discovered, had a slight depression carved in the top, which served as a fingerhold.
After they had worked for several minutes without success, Peggy said disgustedly, “Let’s stop this foolishness and get out of this awful room. These panels look like vaults or tombs—like the ones we saw in that old St. Roch’s Cemetery in New Orleans. I’ve seen enough spooks and family skeletons to do me for ages.” She tugged at Jo Ann’s arm impatiently.
Almost simultaneously Jo Ann exclaimed, “Oh, I’ve found a panel that moves! Shine your light this way, Peg, while Florence helps me to shove it up.”
Together Jo Ann and Florence pushed vigorously on the panel.
“Fine! It’s moving!” ejaculated Jo Ann finally. “Once more, Florence—hard, now!”
Peggy threw the rays from her flashlight directly into the narrow crack now appearing below the stone. “Oh, I see something—something white! Push the stone up a little higher, can’t you?” Turning suddenly to Florence, she ordered, “You hold the light and let me push. I’m stronger than you.”
In a few more moments there was a loud grating sound as the stone moved, and the crack below widened several inches.
“There’s something in there, all right,” agreed Florence. “If you promise not to let that stone drop on my hand, I’ll reach in and get it. Can you hold it?”
“Let’s get a better hold first!” cried Jo Ann. “My hand’s slipping. Now, are you ready, Peg?”
“Okay.”
Quickly Florence reached through the crack. “Feels like a box!” she exclaimed excitedly. “But I can’t get it out. There’s a roll of paper or something, too.”
“We’ll push a little harder,” said Jo Ann. “Push, Peg—with all your might. Now—can you—get hold—of them?”
“I’ve got them!” Florence’s voice was triumphant. “Hold it just another second so I can see if there’s anything else.” She flashed the light into the opening again.
“Hurry!” cut in Peggy. “We can’t—hold this thing—much longer. It weighs a ton.”
“I can’t see anything else,” Florence said a moment later. “Let it go.”
With sighs of relief Jo Ann and Peggy let the slab drop into place.
“Whew—that stone was heavy!” gasped Peggy. She glanced disappointedly at the small black box and roll of paper which Florence held in her hand. “And all that hard work for nothing but a little insignificant-looking box and a piece of paper! I told you these were nothing but grave vaults. Let’s get out of this cemetery.”
After one last glance around the room Jo Ann followed Peggy and Florence to the door.
“I’m glad the door’s not stuck this time,” she remarked as she pulled it shut.
As she turned to join the girls Florence called, “Look right down this passage, Jo. There’s another cave-in.”
Flashing her light in that direction, Jo Ann exclaimed, “You’re right—that is a cave-in. There’ve been steps there, too. This must’ve been the passage leading up into the church. It looks as if the whole side of the building has fallen down.”
“I know where we are, then,” Florence put in. “We’re right under that section of the church that’s partly in ruins. That’s the reason no one’s been down here in years and years.”
Now that her curiosity was satisfied about the passage to the church, Jo Ann turned to Florence. “You still have the box and the paper you took out of that vault, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but they don’t look at all interesting or valuable.”
With one glance at the dull black box Jo Ann reached out and took the roll of papers from Florence.
“Oh dear,” she sighed a moment later, “they’re all in Spanish, of course. This is the queerest writing—all fancy flourishes and curly-cues. I can’t make anything out of it, can you, Florence?”
Florence looked down at the papers a moment, then shook her head. “All that I can make out of it is that it’s some kind of old record.”
“Let me have a look at the box, then. Maybe it’ll explain something.”
As Florence handed it to Jo Ann she remarked, “If you can find out anything from this old black box, you’re a good one.”
“I thoroughly agree with you. It doesn’t look at all interesting.” Jo Ann turned the box from side to side. “It’s unusually heavy, though, for such a small box.” She shook it vigorously. “Listen! There’s something inside that makes a little rattling noise.”
“It can’t be anything much—not in that small box,” commented Peggy.
“I wish we could open it,” said Jo Ann, studying the box while Florence held the light. “It must have a secret spring—there’s no sign of a keyhole.”
“A secret spring!” Peggy’s interest was instantly aroused. “Let me see it, will you?”
When Peggy reached out to take the box, its
weight took her by surprise, and she let it slip out of her hands and fall crashing to the floor.
Dropping down on their knees, Jo Ann and Peggy reached for the box at the same time.
“O—oh!” gasped Jo Ann, her voice quivering with excitement.
“O—oh!” echoed Peggy.
“What is it?” Florence asked quickly as she leaned over their shoulders.
Spellbound the three girls gazed before them. The insignificant black box lay on its side, wide open, part of its contents spilled out on the floor. There was the gleam of old gold and the brilliant sparkle and flash of fire. All the colors of the rainbow seemed reflected in that circle of light.
“How perfectly magnificent!” ejaculated Peggy in an awed voice.
“Wonderful! An old jewel case!” exclaimed Jo Ann, entranced by the beauty before her.
“Gorgeous!” added Florence.
One by one, as though afraid of touching them, the girls picked up the jewels from the floor. Rings set with precious stones—diamonds, rubies, sapphires, opals gorgeous as the sunset—necklaces, earrings, and chains of gold. Queer, antique-looking, all of them.
“Isn’t this the loveliest thing you ever laid your eyes on!” cried Peggy, holding up a filigree necklace of such delicate workmanship that it resembled a piece of fine old lace.
“It’s exquisite,” agreed Florence.
“And look at this ring—isn’t it the most beautiful one you ever saw?” Jo Ann held up a ring that had one large exquisite opal circled by tiny diamonds. “I love opals. The opal’s my birthstone. When my ship comes in—if it ever does—I’ll try to buy me a ring just like this.”
“It is lovely. They all are—the diamonds, rubies, all of them,” added Florence. “They must be very valuable. I wonder why they were hidden here. Oh!” she cried suddenly, an expression of horror passing over her face. “These belong to the church. We can’t take them—that’d be stealing. We must put them right back where we found them this minute.”
“Not I,” said Peggy emphatically.
“What would be the sense of leaving these things hidden for another century or more?” put in Jo Ann quickly.
“I don’t know, but I still feel that we’ll be stealing if we take them,” insisted Florence.
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