“What have you found, little man?” inquired Kitwater, as he approached.

Mr. Codd, however, said nothing in reply, but beat with his bar upon the stone beneath him.  There could be little or no doubt about the hollow sound that rewarded his endeavours.

“We’ve got it,” cried Kitwater.  “Bring the pickaxe, Hayle, and we’ll soon see what is underneath this precious stone.  We may be at the heart of the mystery for all we know.”

In less time than it takes to tell Hayle had complied with the other’s request, and was hard at work picking out the earth which held the enormous flagstone in its place.  A state of mad excitement had taken hold of the men, and the veins stood out like whipcord upon Hayle’s forehead.  It was difficult to say how many feet separated them from the treasure that was to make them lords of all the earth.  At last the stone showed signs of moving, and it was possible for Kitwater to insert his bar beneath one corner.  He did so, prized it up, and leant upon it with all his weight.  It showed no sign of moving, however.  The seal of Time was set upon it, and it was not to be lightly disturbed.

“Push your bar in here alongside of mine, Coddy,” said Kitwater at last.  “I fancy we shall get it then.”

The little man did as he was directed, Kitwater and Hayle seconded his efforts on the other side, and then, under the strain of their united exertions, the stone began to move slowly from its place.  Little by little they raised it, putting all the strength they possessed into the operation, until, at last, with one great effort they hurled it backwards, and it fell with a crash upon the pavement behind them, revealing a dark, narrow hole, the bottom of which it was impossible to see.

[Illustration:  “A DARK, NARROW HOLE, THE BOTTOM OF WHICH IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE.”]

“Now then, Gideon, my worthy friend, what have you got to say about the business?” asked Kitwater, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow.  “You pretended to doubt my story.  Was there anything in the old Frenchman’s yarn after all.  Were we wasting our time upon a fool’s errand when we set off to explore Sengkor-Wat?”

Hayle looked at him somewhat sheepishly.

“No? no,” he said, “I am willing to admit that so far you have won the trick.  Let me down easily if you can.  I can neither pass nor follow suite.  I am right out of my reckoning.  Now what do you propose to do?”

“Get one of those torches we brought with us, and find out what there is in that hole,” Kitwater answered.

They waited while the latter went back to the camp, and when he reappeared, and had lighted the torch, they prepared to follow him down the steps into the mysterious depths below.  The former, they soon discovered, were as solidly built as the rest of the palace, and were about thirty in number.  They were, moreover, wet and slimy, and so narrow that it was only possible for one man to descend them at once.  When they reached the bottom they found themselves standing in a narrow passage, the walls of which were composed of solid stone, in many places finely carved.  The air was close, and from the fact that now and again bats dashed past them into the deeper darkness, they argued that there must be some way of communicating with the open air at the further end.