noon
Then closing it and locking it again , he motioned Ulrich to follow him . The horses were securely fastened , and there was not a sound , even of birds , in that desolate locality , so all was safe . Without exchanging a word , they went back to the cave and brought each two more of the bags , which were placed in the strong-box . It was but little past noon when they began , and for two hours they robbed that golden cell of its treasures and transferred it to the wagon . The bags were in an excellent state of preservation , for the place was perfectly dry , and besides , they had evidently been prepared with some unusual treatment which made them almost indestructible . Finally the chamber was emptied , and Barnwell could but think of the toil and risk in transporting so much gold to such a far-off place . It seemed to him almost as marvelous as that it had remained there all those years without being recovered .