The Boy Fortune Hunters in China by L. Frank Baum

From alcove to alcove we went, finding in each a different class of treasure, according to the wealth of the occupant and the period in which he had lived. Here a scholar was laid, and beside him a mass of parchment manuscripts, which either represented a half of his fortune or had been purchased at such high prices that his heir preferred to bury the manuscripts with his ancestor and keep the half of his wealth represented by more tangible assets. In another place we found many painted pictures, in another bales of silks, rotted and fallen to decay. But usually the wealth of these ancestors of Kai Lun Pu consisted of splendid gems and jewelry, ornaments of gold, silver and jade, and in many cases golden coins of the Empire. Well might Prince Kai say that his Ancestral Halls contained enough wealth to ransom a kingdom. To carry it all away with us would have required a railway train or the hold of a steamship.

"What we must do," said Joe, who was a fair judge of gems and jewelry, "is to select only rubies, emeralds and pearls, and perhaps some of the fine jades. These may be carried in a small space, if we don't take too many of them, and they'll sell more readily at home for cash."

We quite agreed with him in this, and believed we would now be able to order the packing cases of such a size as to fit our needs. We might have some trouble in carrying our plunder through China to Shanghai, and to strive to take too much of this almost inexhaustible wealth might very easily cause us to lose it all.

So eager and excited were we by the sight of this splendid treasure-house that we lingered in the tombs a long time, and finally reached an alcove where rested the casket we had made aboard the _Seagull_, and which contained the bandaged pillows and bolsters that had been substituted for the body of Prince Kai.

It was still locked, and had not been disturbed in any way by Mai Lo; nor was there any treasure beside it. From there on to the alcove where we had entered, and where Joe's handkerchief was attached to the grating, the niches were empty. These ancestral chih would have accommodated several generations yet, had not the last of the royal line perished without an heir.

"Good gracious! It's after four o'clock! " exclaimed Archie, leaning over to examine his watch by the flame of the lamp.

"Then we must hustle back," I said, "for it begins to get daylight at five, and we mustn't get caught in the passages of the palace."

So we ran into the alcove of the first Kai and closed the grating behind us. Then we thrust aside the tapestry, passed through the steel door, and fastened it securely. A moment more and we were treading the tunnel in single file back to the palace.

The way was up hill now, and harder walking, but it did not seem so long as it did when we came down. In a few minutes we had reached the stone steps and were climbing them to the chamber of the Prince.

The sliding panel behind the statue puzzled us a little, but we soon discovered how to close it, and it caught in place with the same little click that had released it when the foot was pushed aside.

Without pausing again in the bed-chamber, we crept beneath the tapestry and out of the panel door into the corridor, and then paused to listen with bated breath. The guard could still be heard treading heavily before the door to the Suite of the Horned Fish; so we took off our shoes again, pushed aside the dragon tapestry, and noiselessly crept to our own room.

You may be sure we breathed easier when we were safe within our own quarters, for day was just breaking and our return had been timed none too soon.

Nux and Bryonia, whom we had left to guard our rooms from possible intrusion while we were absent, were mighty glad to see us back again, and their eyes opened wide with astonishment when Archie displayed his pearls as proof that we had found the treasure.

But the night of excitement had wearied us greatly, so we all turned in and slept like dead men until our faithful blacks called us to breakfast.

It was while we were at this meal that Joe uttered an exclamation, and glancing up I saw his face go white and frightened.

"What is it, old man? " I asked quickly.

"My handkerchief! " he replied. "I left it tied to the grating of the alcove!"

We looked at one another in stupid bewilderment for a moment, trying hard to think how to remedy such a blunder. But nothing could be done for that day, anyhow, and if Mai Lo happened to visit the Ancestral Halls during that time he would have ample proof that we had been there.

"Of course he may not notice it," said Archie, comfortingly.

"Why, it's a regular flag -- white against all those dark hues of tapestries and black spots of alcoves. Of course he'll notice it," retorted Joe with a groan.