392 RECOLLECTIONS OF BRAZIL. 



I at length approached him, and exclaimed mysteriously, " follow 

 me to a place where we can converse in safety." A ray of hope 

 lightened up his dark countenance as we walked from the house. 

 " S^nhor Antonio," said I " what is at present passing in your 

 mind, I can read as perfectly as I did the inscription on the Indian 

 tomb. (( Then there is a treasure," he exclaimed " diga me esso 

 tell me that" and he this time succeeded in hugging me like a bear. 

 " There is, as you suppose, a treasure, but prudential motives led 

 me to conceal it from you, lest your intemperate joy might have be- 

 trayed itself to our friend the Padre, which would have defeated our 

 enterprise follow me, and you shall know all. On the wings of 

 impatience he accordingly hurried me to the plain. " Now," said I, 

 " mark me attentively, for it is on your knowledge of the country 

 that our future success must depend." In the most figurative language 

 I could command, I proceeded to describe the position of the Indian 

 tomb I have mentioned. 



" Christo Santo !" he exclaimed, " it must be the tomb of St. 

 Ildefonso it alludes to ; its position is so accurately laid down. " I 

 candidly confess to you that it is the very conclusion I came to 

 myself last night ; and having now ascertained the position of the 

 treasure, the next subject for our consideration, must be the means of 

 securing it." " Well indeed may you say that, Cavallero," was his 

 reply ; " for, are you aware of the stories current about that tomb 

 why, there is not a man in the province who will venture within half 

 a league of it." "And can you give ear to such idle stories?" 

 " Idle or not. I have myself heard the horrible sounds that nightly 

 issue from it. Nay more I once saw something in the wood near 

 it that froze my blood with horror." " The mere effects of a dis- 

 ordered imagination. You surely will not hesitate to snatch the 

 glittering prize, now that it is within reach ?" He remained silent 

 for some time, during which I could observe, from his varying 

 countenance, that avarice was struggling with superstition. At last, 

 breaking silence, he said, with great energy of manner. " If this 

 treasure is concealed in the tomb at St. Ildefonso, there it may lay for 

 me, undisturbed, to all eternity ; for, were the angel Gabriel to de- 

 scend from heaven, and to offer to bear me company, I would shrink 

 from so perilous an enterprise. You can scarely think, therefore, 

 that I will venture into it with a heretic like yourself." 



I saw very little afterwards of this singular being but he never 

 suspected the trick I had played him and always spoke in the 

 highest terms of my supposed knowledge and wonderful discretion. 



