eight o'clock before
He was surprised to find a great deal of information . Almost without exception , however , this particular treasure which had sent Quesada to his grave a pauper , which had lured from quiet England Raleigh , Drake , and Leigh was thought to be a myth . The hours passed and Wilson knew nothing of their passing . It was eight o'clock before he paused once more to summarize the result of his reading . In the light of the key which lay before him , the possibilities took away his breath . His quick imagination spanned the gaps in the narrative until he had a picture before his eyes that savored of the Arabian Nights . It was a glittering quest -- this which had tempted so many men , for the prize was greater than Cortez had sought among the Aztecs , or Pizarro in his bloody conquest of the Incas .