‘Keep it, brother,’ laughed Guatemoc, ‘in memory of this night,’ and nothing loth, I hid the bauble in my breast.  That necklace I have yet, and it was a stone of it—­the smallest save one—­that I gave to our gracious Queen Elizabeth.  Otomie wore it for many years, and for this reason it shall be buried with me, though its value is priceless, so say those who are skilled in gems.  But priceless or no, it is doomed to lie in the mould of Ditchingham churchyard, and may that same curse which is graved upon the stone that hides the treasure of the Aztecs fall upon him who steals it from my bones.

Now, leaving the chamber, we three entered the tunnel and began the work of building the adobe wall.  When it was of a height of between two and three feet, Guatemoc paused from his labour and bade me hold a torch aloft.  I obeyed wondering what he wished to see.  Then he drew back some three paces into the tunnel and spoke to the Aztec noble, our companion, by name.

‘What is the fate of discovered traitors, friend?’ he said in a voice that, quiet though it was, sounded very terrible; and, as he spoke, he loosed from his side the war club set with spikes of glass that hung there by a thong.

Now the Aztec turned grey beneath his dusky skin and trembled in his fear.

‘What mean you, lord?’ he gasped.

‘You know well what I mean,’ answered Guatemoc in the same terrible voice, and lifted the club.

Then the doomed man fell upon his knees crying for mercy, and his wailing sounded so awful in that deep and lonely place that in my horror I went near to letting the torch fall.

‘To a foe I can give mercy—­to a traitor, none,’ answered Guatemoc, and whirling the club aloft, he rushed upon the noble and killed him with a blow.  Then, seizing the body in his strong embrace, he cast it into the chamber with the treasure, and there it lay still and dreadful among the gems and gold, the arms, as it chanced, being wound about two of the great jars as though the dead man would clasp them to his heart.

Now I looked at Guatemoc who had slain him, wondering if my hour was at hand also, for I knew well that when princes bury their wealth they hold that few should share the secret.

‘Fear not, my brother,’ said Guatemoc.  ’Listen:  this man was a thief, a dastard, and a traitor.  As we know now, he strove twice to betray us to the Teules.  More, it was his plan to show this nest of wealth to them, should they return again, and to share the spoil.  All this we learned from a woman whom he thought his love, but who was in truth a spy set to worm herself into the secrets of his wicked heart.  Now let him take his fill of gold; look how he grips it even in death, a white man could not hug the stuff more closely to his breast.  Ah!  Teule, would that the soil of Anahuac bore naught but corn for bread and flint and copper for the points of spears and arrows, then had her sons been free for ever.  Curses on yonder dross, for it is the bait that sets these sea sharks tearing at our throats.  Curses on it, I say; may it never glitter more in the sunshine, may it be lost for ever!’ And he fell fiercely to the work of building up the wall.