They peered up the gaping black mouth of the chimney. The furnaces had been roughly torn out and large openings marked where they had joined the chimney. “Tell you what, Ben,” exclaimed Mundon, “s’pose I skin up and see what I kin see?” “No, let me go!” the boy eagerly replied. He was a trifle ashamed of the jealousy he had already begun to feel of this man’s wider experience. If there were lumps of gold and silver glittering in his chimney, he wanted to be the first to see them. “It’s a dirty job; but I’ve got on old clothes,” he said as he began to climb up the black funnel. Somehow, it was not nearly so sooty as he had expected to find it, and the projecting corners of the bricks that afforded him a slight foothold were quite light-colored. He had climbed about ten feet when he saw a curious cavity in the side of the chimney. A glitter in the dim light made his heart beat very fast. Striking a taper match he was surprised to see a pile of small tin boxes nearly filling a cavity in the side of the chimney. Looking upward, he saw several similar breaks in the brickwork. He took one of the boxes and climbed down. “What have you got?” cried Mundon, with more surprise in his voice than gave great credit to the tale he had just recounted. They bent over the box, which emitted a sickishly sweet odor. “Opium!” Mundon exclaimed. For a moment they looked at each other in silent astonishment. Then Ben grasped Mundon’s arm and dragged him to the gap in the side of the building next the water. “It’s been smuggled!” he cried. “And here’s where they’ve landed the boats!” He pointed to the beach at their feet. The waves were still playing with the dangling rope’s end. “Was there any more?” questioned Mundon. “Whole stacks of it.” “Then you’ve got all the money you’re in need of, many times over. Right in sight this time, sure!” “How so?” “Why, don’t you know ’t the law gives an informer thirty-three per cent. of the value of the find? ’Course it does. All you’ve got to do is to notify the Custom House men of the find ’n’ they’ll do the rest.” “You think it’s been landed here, don’t you?” asked Ben. “Sure. It’s ben landed from the China steamers, sure’s you’re born! There couldn’t have ben a better place for ’em, if it had ben made on purpose. Prob’ly they muffled their oars ’fore they landed.” “It isn’t ten minutes’ row from the steamers,” said Ben. “No. Like as not the butcher, or some one like that, after the ship’s trade, is one of the gang. You’ve seen the flock of small boats that follow like gulls after a big ocean steamer?” Ben nodded. He was stupefied with surprise. His good fortune seemed too good to be true. “Tell you what, Ben, like as not those Custom House fellers’ll want to leave the stuff here and set a watch ter ketch the gang.” “I don’t care what they do--if I can get the money.” “You can’t b’lieve it yet, eh? I tell you, you’re jest as sure of that there money, as if you had it in your pocket this minute.”