“It certainly looks that way,” answered Dick, as he wiped the rain and perspiration from his face.  “I wonder how much further we have to go?”

That question was answered almost immediately, for Bahama Bill, turning the corner of several extra large rocks, came to a halt with a grunt of dissatisfaction.

“Well, what now?” questioned Anderson Rover.

“It’s gone!”

“What, the cave?” asked several.

“Yes—­she’s gone, swallowed up, busted!” answered the old tar.  “Thet air earthquake done it an’ no error,” he went on.  “It jest shook thet pile o’ rock wot made the cave into a heap, and there’s the heap.”

Bahama Bill pointed in front of him, where a large quantity of rocks lay in a scattered mass, many of them ten and twenty tons in weight.  At one point was what he said had been the entrance to the cave, but this was completely blocked by the stones.

“Vot’s der madder, can’t ve get in?” queried Hans, with a look of real concern on his honest face.

“That doesn’t look like it,” answered Fred.  “Too bad, and after coming so far for this treasure, too!”

“We must get in there somehow!” cried Dick.

“Why can’t we blow up the rocks with dynamite,” suggested Tom.

“We can—­but it will take time,” said his father.  He turned to Bahama Bill.  “About how far into the cave was the treasure placed?”

“Oh, at least a hundred feet maybe two hundred.”

Anderson Rover heaved a deep sigh, which was echoed by his sons.  To get down into that mass of rocks a distance of from one to two hundred feet would surely be a herculean task, if not an impossible one.  And then, too, there was a question whether or not the treasure had not dropped down through some hole in the bottom of the cave after the earthquake.

“I’ll have to think this over,” said Anderson Rover, after an examination of the rocks.  “We’ll have to try to locate the treasure and then see if we can raise enough dynamite to blow the rocks away.  More than likely, if we undertake the task, it will take a long time—­perhaps weeks and months.”

“What, as long as that?” cried Sam, in dismay.

“Well, if the treasure is as valuable as reported it will be worth it,” answered Dick.

“But in the meantime, what of Sid Merrick and his gang?” asked Tom.  “More than likely they will make us seven kinds of trouble and do their best to get the treasure away from us.”

“We shall have to protect ourselves as well at we can,” said Mr. Rover.

After that it rained so hard they were forced to seek shelter under a thick bunch of palms.  The rain continued for half an hour longer and then the sun came out strongly, and the jungle became steaming hot.

With Bahama Bill to guide them, they walked around what had been the top of the treasure cave.  From some landmarks which had not been totally destroyed by the earthquake the old tar felt certain that there could be no mistake and that the treasure must be buried beneath them.