The strangest thing, however, was
that the people who lived near by seemed to have heard no noise, though
one old man, who slept badly, believed that he had heard the clatter of
wood and iron falling together, and then a splashing in the canal; and
indeed those were almost the only sounds that had disturbed the night.
The whole affair was shrouded in mystery, and the Governor, who knew
that his men were to be trusted as far as their limited intelligence
could go, resolved to refer the matter to the Council of Ten without
delay. He therefore bade the archers hold their tongues and refuse to
talk of their misadventure.
On that night Giovanni had suffered the greatest disappointment he
remembered in his whole life. He had found without much trouble the
stone that rang hollow, but it had cost him great pains to lift it, and
the sweat ran down from his forehead and dropped upon the slab as he
slowly got it up. His heart beat so that he fancied he could hear it,
both from the effort he made, and from his intense excitement, now that
the thing he had most desired in the world was within his grasp. At last
the big stone was raised upright, and the light of the lamp that stood
on the floor fell slanting across the dark hole. Giovanni brought the
lamp to the edge and looked in.
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