"Just my way of looking at it," agreed Phil. "It's a regular hide-and-seek game, this locating a mine among these rocks."
For a long time the three boys sat by themselves, talking about days at Oak Hall, and about the folks left at home and about those now traveling through Yellowstone Park. It seemed a long time since they had received letters.
"I suppose there are letters at the hotel in Butte," said Dave, with a little sigh.
"I'd give something to have them here," added Phil.
"If only I knew how dad was making out," murmured the senator's son. "I suppose he is waiting every day to hear from me!"
"I hope the folks in the Park are having a good time," said Dave, after a pause. "I suppose the main body of tourists have started for home by now."
"Yes, they went yesterday, according to the advertised plan," answered Phil.
"I've got an idea," said our hero, after another pause. "Do you see that hollow just below here? Well, we haven't looked around that much. Why not try it to-morrow?"
"Abe Blower and Mr. Dillon both seem to think the opening to the mine was above that, Dave," said Roger.
"True, but the landslide changed things, remember. We may now find an opening down there,—not the opening your uncle made, but another, made by the slide."
"It won't do any harm to look down there. While we are here I am going to look in every spot I can reach."
"Sure thing!" cried Phil. "But say, if we are going to climb around these rocks all day to-morrow I am going to bed and get a good night's rest."
"I guess we all need a rest, so we'll turn in at once," answered Roger.
Their camp was located between the rocks and not far from the trail by which they had come to the vicinity. The horses were tethered at a point where a patch of coarse undergrowth gave them something to nibble at. The animals were of no use to them, now they were in the district where the lost mine was supposed to be located.
It was a little after nine o'clock when the boys turned in, and a few minutes later the two old miners followed them. So far they had not deemed it necessary to have a guard, for none of their enemies nor wild beasts had come to annoy them.
Roger and Phil were soon sound asleep, and it was not long before their snoring told that Abe Blower and Tom Dillon were likewise in the land of dreams. But Dave, for some reason he could not explain, was restless, and he turned over several times, sighing heavily.
"If I were at home I should say I had eaten too much supper," he told himself. "But here rations are too scarce. I don't know what keeps me awake, unless it is that I'm too tired to go to sleep."
The campfire had burned so low that the spot was almost in total darkness. There was no moon and only a few stars shone in the sky, which was partly obscured by clouds. A gentle breeze was stirring, but otherwise all was quiet.
At last Dave thought that if he had a drink he might go to sleep with more ease, and he turned over to sit up and get to his feet. A bucket of water was close at hand, so he would not have to go far for what he wanted.
Just as Dave sat up he saw something that startled him. A dark figure was moving at a distance from the camp, coming closer slowly.
At first the youth could not make out if the figure was a man or an animal. He strained his eyes and then made out the form of a person.
At once our hero thought of Link Merwell and those with him. It must be one of their enemies, and if so, what had brought him to this spot at such an hour of the night?
"Maybe he is after our horses," reasoned the youth, and then he dropped down again and rolled over to where Roger was lying. He shook his chum and at the same time placed a hand over the other's mouth.
"Roger! Don't make any noise!" he whispered. "Somebody is coming here in the dark."
The senator's son awoke and heard what was said. Then, as Dave took away his hand, he whispered:
"Where is he? Who is it?"
"There he is," and Dave pointed with his hand. "I don't know who it is, but I guess it is one of Link's crowd."
"I'll wake up Phil, and we can watch the rascal," said Roger, and this was done, although not without difficulty, for the shipowner's son was inclined to give a yell when aroused from such a sound slumber.
"Who—who is it?" he stammered. "Say, maybe we had better get our pistols ready!" And he felt for his weapon.
"I've got mine all ready," answered Dave.
"And here is mine," whispered Roger. "If that fellow thinks he is coming here unseen, won't he be surprised!"
"Hush!" came softly from Dave. "Look behind him! There is a second fellow coming!"
Our hero was right, a second figure had emerged from the shadow of some rocks. The two persons were coming along slowly, as if to make certain that they were not being observed.
"I know that second fellow!" whispered Dave, a moment later. "See how tall and thin he is. It's old Haskers!"
"Yes, and the other fellow is Link Merwell," replied Roger, a second later.
* * *
CHAPTER XXVII
THE TWO PRISONERS
The three chums were right; the two persons who were approaching the camp on the mountainside so stealthily were Link Merwell and Job Haskers.
They came on step by step, looking ahead and to either side, as if on the alert to flee at the first sign of danger.
"What do you suppose they are after?" asked Phil, in a low voice.
"Hush! We'll watch them and see," returned Dave.
"Let us pretend to be asleep," advised Roger. "But lie so you can keep an eye on them."
The boys had been crouching low, but now all followed the advice of the senator's son and fell back, as if in slumber. Then they rolled over and, with their hands on their weapons, watched the approach of the others.
At last Merwell and Haskers were within fifty feet of those around the dying campfire. They had been talking in a low voice, but now both were silent, as if this had been agreed upon. Merwell was slightly in advance and he pointed to the outfit of the Morr crowd. This lay between some rocks and covered with a rubber cloth, so that the eatables might not be spoiled by the weather.
Job Haskers nodded, to show that he understood, and both of the intruders tiptoed their way towards the stores. Noiselessly they raised the rubber cover and placed it on the ground. Then both commenced to pack the stores in the cloth.
It was plainly to be seen now what the rascals meant to do. They were going to make off with our friends' stores, thereby perhaps making it necessary for them to give up the hunt for the mine and go back to the nearest place where more stores could be procured. For among those barren rocks but little could be found for the mine-hunters to eat. They might get a shot at some wild beast, but that was all.
"What shall we do?" whispered Phil, who was growing impatient watching proceedings.
"When I give the signal, jump up and cover them with your pistols," replied Roger.
"Oh, I wouldn't shoot them," urged Dave, who dreaded to think of bloodshed under any circumstances.
"Well, we'll scare 'em," returned the senator's son. "We'll teach 'em that they can't come near this camp."
He waited until Merwell and Haskers were on the point of lifting the rubber cloth with the stores tied within it. Then he leaped up, and Dave and Phil did the same.
"Hands up, you rascals!" cried Roger. "Hands up, or we'll fire at you!"
"Oh!" cried Link Merwell, in consternation, and up went his hands.
"Don't shoot me! I beg of you, don't shoot!" screamed Job Haskers, and he, too, dropped his hold of the bundle and sent his hands in the air. Then, catching sight of the pistols, he dropped on his knees. "Oh, Morr, please don't shoot! Porter, I beg of you, have mercy! And you, Lawrence, please point that weapon away! It—it might go off!"
"This is a fine piece of business to be engaged in," said Roger, sternly. "Trying to steal our stores."
"It—is—was—er—all a mistake," whined the former teacher of Oak Hall.
"You won't dar
e to shoot," put in Link Merwell. "You won't dare!" He tried to be brave but his voice was shaky.
"What's the row here?" burst in another voice, and Abe Blower sprang up, followed by Tom Dillon.
"Hello, them two skunks!" cried Tom Dillon. "What do they want?"
"They wanted to make off with our stores," answered Dave, and pointed to the goods tied up in the rubber cloth.
"So that's the trick, eh?" bellowed Abe Blower.
"First the hosses an' now the stores!" roared Tom Dillon. "Humph! Ye deserve to be shot full o' holes!" he went on, for he had lived in the times when the stealing of a horse, or of a miner's food, was considered by everybody a capital offense.
"I—I beg of you, have mercy!" cried Job Haskers, as he got unsteadily to his feet. "I—I—this was not my plan at all—Merwell suggested it. We—we were not going to—er—to steal anything."
"No? Then wot was ye goin' ter do?" demanded Abe Blower, sarcastically.
"We were—er—only going to hide the stuff," stammered Link Merwell, and he glared at Job Haskers savagely for having tried to place the responsibility of the raid on his shoulders.
"I don't believe a word of it!" came sternly from Tom Dillon. "You wanted to leave us to starve here, or compel us to go back to town—so you could hunt for that lost mine alone. I see through the trick. We ought to shoot you down like dogs!"
"It's jest wot they deserve, consarn 'em," muttered Abe Blower.
"We don't want anybody shot!" said Dave, to his chums. He saw that the two old miners were angry enough to do almost anything.
"Let us—er—go this time and we'll never bother you again," pleaded Job Haskers. He was so scared he could scarcely speak.
"Step over here, by this rock, and keep your hands up," said Tom Dillon. "We'll talk this over a bit further."
There was no help for it, for Merwell and Haskers were now virtually prisoners. They stepped to the position mentioned, with their hands still upraised.
"Go through 'em, Abe," went on Tom Dillon. "Take their shootin' irons away from 'em."
"See here——" commenced Merwell, when a stern look from the old miner stopped him. Haskers said nothing, for he was still fearful of being shot.
In a few minutes the two intruders were disarmed by Abe Blower. While this was being done Roger whispered to Dave.
"Don't you think we ought to search 'em thoroughly?" he asked. "They may have something belonging to me—some map of the lost mine, or something like that? I don't exactly remember what I had in that suit-case Merwell got from the porter on the train."
"Certainly, we'll have them well searched," declared Dave, and spoke to Tom Dillon about it. As a consequence, despite their protests, Abe Blower turned out every pocket of the prisoners.
"There is one of my letters!" cried Roger. "It tells about the Landslide Mine. I had forgotten it," and he put the communication in his pocket.
But little else of value belonging to Roger was found, and their own things the prisoners were allowed to retain, all but their weapons. Those, even to their pocket-knives, Tom Dillon confiscated.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Link Merwell, surlily, after the search was at an end.
"We'll tie 'em up for the night," said Tom Dillon. "Boys, get a couple of ropes."
"Tie us up!" exclaimed Job Haskers, in new alarm.
"Exactly."
"And in the—er—morning——?" faltered the former teacher of Oak Hall.
"We'll see what we'll do with you after breakfast," answered the old miner, briefly.
"Say, wot did ye do with them other fellers?" demanded Abe Blower, while Dave and Phil were getting the ropes.
"We left them in camp."
"Is Staver with 'em?" asked Tom Dillon.
"No, his hand hurt him so he went back to town to have a doctor look after it," replied Merwell.
"Is he coming back here?"
"He said he thought not—at least, not for the present."
"Do you think those others will come here to-night?" asked Dave, as he came with a rope, followed by Phil with another rope.
"We'll stand guard, lad, and see," answered Tom Dillon.
Much against their will, Link Merwell and Job Haskers were bound, hands and feet. Then each was made fast to a rock not far from the campfire.
"We'll take turns at guarding the camp," said Tom Dillon. "Two hours each every night after this;" and so it was arranged.
Now that he was sure he was not to be shot, Job Haskers was very indignant over being bound.
"It isn't a bit gentlemanly," he said, to Dave.
"We won't argue the point," returned our hero, briefly. He was disgusted with both Merwell and Haskers, and he wished they might both go away and that he would never see them again.
As he was so restless, Dave said he would be the first one of the party to stand guard, and, accordingly, the others turned in as before, dropping off to sleep one after another. Merwell was inclined to talk and argue, but Dave would not listen.
"I am done with you, Link," he said. "And I am done with Haskers, too. All I want you to do is to leave me alone in the future."
"You let us go, or it will be the worse for you," growled Link Merwell.
When his two hours' guard duty came to an end, Dave called Roger, who in turn called Phil. The shipowner's son was still very sleepy, and he yawned deeply as he arose.
"As soon as two hours are up you call Abe Blower," said Roger.
"I sure will!" declared Phil. "I'm not half slept out yet!"
Roger was tired himself and was soon in the land of dreams. Phil walked around the camp several times, to keep himself awake, and then sat down on a rock to rest.
Alas! that rest was an ill-advised one for the son of the rich shipowner. As he sat there, Phil's chin sank lower and lower on his breast and presently his eyes closed and he fell asleep! And thus over two hours passed.
"Hello!"
The cry came from Abe Blower, as he turned and sat up. It was growing light in the east and the old miner thought it was time to get up.
He directed his cry at Phil, who was huddled up on the rock. Phil did not budge, and the old miner leaped up and shook him.
"I say——" commenced the youth, and then stared around him in astonishment. "Why I—I must have dropped asleep!" he faltered.
"You sure did!" cried Abe Blower. He gazed around swiftly. "Was you on guard?"
"Yes, and the prisoners——"
"Are gone!"
"Oh!"
Phil's cry awoke all the others in the camp. One after another looked at the youth and then at the spot where Merwell and Haskers had been tied to the rocks. The ropes lay there, but the two former prisoners had vanished!
* * *
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE LOST LANDSLIDE MINE
"They cut the ropes! See, here is where it was done, on this jagged rock!"
As Dave spoke he pointed to a sharp edge of stone. Beneath it were bits of rope, showing how the fetters had been sawed in twain.
"One of 'em must have got loose and then freed the other," remarked Roger.
"But who was on guard?" demanded Tom Dillon, sharply. He looked at the boys and then at Abe Blower.
"I was, but I—I guess I fell asleep," faltered Phil, sheepishly, and grew red in the face.
"Fell asleep!" cried Abe Blower. "I guess you did!" And his tone of voice showed his disgust.
"I—I am awfully sorry," continued the shipowner's son. "I—I really don't know how it happened. It wasn't the thing to do."
"Never mind, it's done and that's the end of it," put in Roger, quickly, for he could see how badly his chum felt over the occurrence. "I guess you were pretty tired."
"I was, Roger. Just the same, I had no business to fall asleep. I'm mad enough to kick myself full of holes," went on Phil, grimly.
"Let us see if they took anything with 'em," came from Tom Dillon, as he turned to where their things and the animals were, but they had not been disturbed.
"I guess they were too scared to touch anything," declared Dave. "They were glad enough to save themselves. I imagine they ran away as soon as they were free." And in this surmise our hero was correct. Link had been the one to sever his bonds and he had untied Job Haskers, and then both of them had lost not an instant in quitting the locality, being afraid that some of the others might awaken before they could make good their escape.
"Well, I am just as well satisfied," whispered Roger to Dave and Phil. "I didn't want to hold them, anyway. All I want them to do is to leave us alone."
"But you don't want them to discover the lost mine, Roger," returned our hero.
"Oh, certainly not! We'll have to keep on the watch for them as well as look for the mine," answered the senator's son.
A search was made, and it was soon ascertained that their enemies were nowhere in that vicinity. Then breakfast was had, and a little later the search for the lost Landslide Mine was continued.
As before, the different members of the party separated, and thus the day went by. Several times one or another of the boys or the men thought he had found some landmark, but each time the clew proved a false one.
"It looks as if we were going to be stumped,—just as those other searching parties were stumped," remarked Roger, dismally. "Maybe the lost mine will remain lost forever!" and he sighed deeply.
"Oh, I wouldn't give up yet!" cried Dave, cheerfully. "We have still some more ground to cover."
"Of course, we have," said Phil. "Oh, we are going to find that mine, no two ways about it!"
"I hope so," and Roger sighed again. He felt that if the mine was not found, matters would look pretty blue at home for all concerned.
The following morning dawned bright and clear, with no warning at all of what was in store. An early breakfast was had, and once more all hands separated in the hunt for landmarks which might guide them to the lost mine.
Dave was working his way along a small ridge of outcropping rocks, when he came to one rock that stood out much higher than the rest. From this point he gazed around, to see if he could locate any of the others of the party.
Dave Porter in the Gold Fields Page 17