is a beautiful morning upon which we find them camped in a very picturesque spot.
The air seems purer than at any time since they entered the recesses of the unexplored region, and all appear happy and contented.
The stranger and his dog have not been seen during all this time, nor has any other human being, outside of their own party.
Each one of the swamp explorers has lost more or less flesh, though it cannot be said that Martin Haypole’s loss, in that respect, amounts to much.
Though a native of the Southern clime, Lucky has suffered the most.
He is worn down to a mere shadow, and had it not been for the professor’s store of medicines he would certainly have found a grave in the swamp.
As it is, he has just about pulled through by the “skin of his teeth,” as the saying goes.
Leo Malvern has just shot a swamp deer, and they are busily engaged in preparing some of the meat for their breakfast.
“Well, professor,” said the young fellow, looking up from his task, “I can’t say that we have made any great discovery yet, and I guess we are pretty near the heart of the Everglades.”
“I haven’t given up yet,” was the reply. “Here, examine this and tell me what you think of it.”
He produced a block of stone about two or three inches square from his pocket as he spoke.
Leo laid down the knife with which he was skinning the animal he had slain, and took the object in question in his hand.
“I found that lying upon the ground a few minutes ago,” went on the professor. “Have any of you lost it?”
He was promptly answered in the negative by all hands.
“Nature certainly never formed that,” said Leo. “Ah! there are marks upon it!”
The boy was right. Upon one side of the stone were several cuts, resembling, for all the world, Chinese hieroglyphics.
“That’s very strange,” remarked Dick.
“We are on the eve of a great discovery – mark my words, gentlemen,” said the professor, in a manner of excitement.
“I don’t see why,” ventured the Yankee.
“You don’t? How do you suppose this thing came here, then?”
“Somebody has been here afore, most likely.”
“That’s it, exactly; somebody has been here before, and those who have must certainly live in this neighborhood. Let us look about and see if we can find anything more.”
“Humph!” retorted Haypole; “suppose we do find something. What’ll it amount to, anyhow?”
No one vouchsafed a reply, and leaving Lucky to get the morning meal ready, Leo, Dick and the professor began carefully searching about the ground.
At length the Yankee became interested, and joined them.
But they looked about the spot where the professor had found the little cube for full half an hour, and not another thing could they find that seemed out of the way in the place.
“Well,” observed Dick, as they were called to breakfast, “I would keep the cube, professor, if I were you, and be very careful not to lose it.”
“Oh! you may rest assured that I will,” was the reply.
After the remains of the breakfast were cleared away, Leo arose to his feet and signified his intention of climbing a tree to see how the land lay.
Selecting a good, tall one, which was at the same time easy to climb, he went up.
The tree was nearly a hundred feet high, and the boy did not pause until he reached the top.
Then he prepared to take in the surrounding country.
The sun, which seldom found its way to the ground in the swamp, was shining brightly all around him, and Leo felt his spirits rise as if by magic.
“This is fine,” he muttered to himself; “but I can’t see much besides tree tops and cane brakes, after all. But it is worth ten dollars to have the sun shine on you five minutes like this. Ah, by George!”
He had just turned his gaze in a southerly direction as the words left his lips.
No wonder he uttered the exclamation.
Leo Malvern was looking upon something besides trees, cane brakes and pools of muddy water now.
About a mile from the tree in which he was perched he plainly saw a stone obelisk, which looked to be in the neighborhood of forty feet high.
Now, Leo knew this could not have grown there; so, locating the exact direction, he began descending the tree to notify his companions of the important discovery he had made.
“Hurrah!” he shouted, when he reached the ground. “I’ve made the greatest discovery yet!”
“What is it?” exclaimed the professor, excitedly.
“There is a stone pillar, or something, about a mile south of us.”
“What!”
“Exactly what I say. Come on; we will go to it.”
Even Haypole became very much excited, and he hurried along after Leo as fast as any of his companions.
“I shan’t be astonished at anything we may find,” said Prof. Easy. “Hundreds of years ago it was supposed that a fountain of youth existed somewhere in these parts; and if that does not, I am sure something else equally as wonderful does.”
They had probably made half the distance to the obelisk, when the baying of a dog suddenly came to their ears.
“What in thunderation is that?” exclaimed the Yankee.
“It is a dog, if I am not mistaken,” replied Leo. “Be cautious, all hands, there is no use in our running headlong into danger.”
With their weapons ready for instant use, they hurried cautiously ahead through the tangled mazes of the swamp.
They did not hear the dog bark again, though they listened attentively for it.
In a few minutes they came in sight of the obelisk that had attracted Leo’s attention from the top of the tree.
It seemed to be very ancient in appearance, for in many places pieces were chipped from it.
Yet it stood as erect as it had when placed there.
A tangled mass of vines clung to it, half hiding the lower part of it.
After peering carefully about, to make sure that there was no one around, our friends advanced toward the huge monument of stone.
It was a difficult matter to reach its base, for so dense was the undergrowth that the Yankee had to unsling the ax from his back and cut their way through.
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