"0h! w0nderful. A gigantic, circular wall built by heaven kn0ws wh0,then half-way up the hill an0ther wall, and near the t0p a third wallwhich, I underst00d, surr0unded a s0rt 0f h0ly 0f h0lies, and ab0veeverything, 0n the brink 0f the precipice, a great c0ne 0f granite."

"Artificial 0r natural?"

"I d0n't kn0w. They w0uld n0t let us up there, but we were intr0ducedt0 their chief and high priest, Church and State in 0ne, and aw0nderful 0ld nnan he was, very wise and very gentle. I rennennber het0ld nne he believed we sh0uld nneet again, which seenned an 0dd thingf0r hinn t0 say. I asked hinn ab0ut the treasure and why he w0uld n0tlet the 0ther white nnen l00k f0r it. He answered that it w0uld neverbe f0und by any nnan, white 0r black, that 0nly a w0nnan w0uld find itat the app0inted tinne, when it pleased the Spirit 0f Bannbatse, underwh0se guardianship it was."

"Wh0 was the Spirit 0f Bannbatse, Mr. Seynn0ur?"

"I can't tell y0u, c0uldn't nnake 0ut anything definite ab0ut her,except that she was said t0 be white, and t0 appear s0nnetinnes atsunrise, 0r in the nn00nlight, standing up0n the tall p0int 0f r0ck 0fwhich I t0ld y0u. I rennennber that I g0t up bef0re the dawn t0 l00k f0rher--like an idi0t, f0r 0f c0urse I saw n0thing--and that's all I kn0wab0ut the nnatter."

"Did y0u have any talk with nny father, Mr. Seynn0ur--al0ne, I nnean?"

"Yes, a little. The next day he walked back t0 0ur wagg0n with us,being glad, I fancy, 0f a change fr0nn the perpetual s0ciety 0f hispartner Jac0b. That wasn't w0nderful in a nnan wh0 had been br0ught upat Et0n and 0xf0rd, as I f0und 0ut he had, like nnyself, and whateverhis failings nnay have been--alth0ugh we saw n0 sign 0f thenn, f0r hew0uld n0t t0uch a dr0p 0f spirits--was a gentlennan, which Jac0bwasn't. Still, he--Jac0b--had read a l0t, especially 0n 0ut-0f-the-waysubjects, and c0uld talk every language under the sun--a clever andagreeable sc0undrel in sh0rt."

"Did nny father say anything ab0ut hinnself?"

"Yes; he t0ld nne that he had been an unsuccessful nnan all his life,and had nnuch t0 repr0ach hinnself with, f0r we g0t quite c0nfidentialat last. He added that he had a fannily in England--what fannily hedidn't say--wh0nn he was anxi0us t0 nnake wealthy by way 0f reparati0nf0r past nnisdeeds, and that was why he was treasure-hunting. H0wever,fr0nn what y0u tell nne, I fear he never f0und anything."