The gentle plash of the waterfall at his right hand accentuated the
stillness. From his height he glanced down into the broad, pellucid
pool, into whose depths the water fell, and there, perfectly visible,
lay the bag of bogus treasure. Cautiously he worked his way down to the
gravelly border of the little lake, flung off his clothes, and plunged
head-first into this Diana's pool. It was a delicious experience, and he
swam round and round the circular basin, clambered up on the gravel and
allowed the stream to fall over his glistening shoulders, reveling in
Nature's shower-bath. Satisfied at length, he indulged in another
rainbow plunge, grasped the bag, and rose again to the surface. Coming
ashore, he unloosened the swollen thongs, poured out the stones along
the strand, then, after a moment's thought, he wrung the water out of
the bag itself, and tied it to his belt, for there was no predicting
where the men would wander when once they awoke, and if he threw it away
among the bushes, it might be found, breeding first wonder how it came
there, and then suspicion of the trick.
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