Herrick almost bounded from his seat. That here of all places and in so unexpected a way, he should meet with a stranger who knew Carr, was like fiction. Had the incident occurred in a novel, he would have put it down as a freak of imagination on the author's part. Yet the thing had happened in real life and to himself. "Was Carr a friend of yours?" he asked. "Twelve years and more ago," replied Santiago quietly, "we knew one another intimately in Mexico." "Mexico!" muttered Herrick, recalling what Bess had said about Frisco's tales of North and South America, "not in Peru?" "We went to Peru together--on an expedition." "What sort of an expedition?" asked Joyce eagerly. "To make our fortunes. That is the sort of expedition we all are bound to undertake." Herrick thought of Colonel Carr's money. Was he on the point of learning sufficient of the man's wild life in the Americas, to reveal what his secret was? "Did you succeed?" he asked. "I did not--the Colonel did. Afterwards he returned to England, and I lost sight of him. When I came over six months ago, I heard of him, and intended to pay him a visit. But I put it off and off and off--until--" he made a rapid gesture, "poor Carr! His was a sad end." "An unexpected one," said Herrick fixing his eyes on the man. "Did you know his servant, Frisco?" "No!" replied Manuel calmly. "Frisco was after my time, or before it; I forget which." Somehow Herrick felt instinctively that this was a lie. According to Bess the ex-sailor had been with Carr throughout his wandering life. It was incredible that if such was the case (and Jim preferred to believe Frisco rather than Santiago)--that Frisco should not have gone on to Peru. He would be needed on an expedition such as Manuel spoke of. "Were you treasure-hunting" asked Jim. Don Manuel nodded "Yes! The Peruvians buried a lot of gold and jewels, at the time of the Conquest. Carr got wind of a hiding place from some one--an Indian I believe, and induced me to go with him to Peru. I was doing nothing at the time, so I went." "Carr found the treasure?" "I believe so. Colonel Carr was rich was he not?" "Very rich," chimed in Joyce. "Do you remember Herrick, how astonished we were at the magnificence of that house?" "I remember," said Herrick curtly. The interruption did not please him, as he wanted particularly to hear what Santiago had to say. "But Señor Manuel, if you started on this search together, how was it that you do not know for certain if Colonel Carr was successful?" Don Manuel's face grew black and his eyes flashed. "If you would know the reason Señor, Colonel Carr was a devil!" "Ha!" said Herrick with a short laugh. "That is no news."