Dave Porter in the Gold Fields

by Stratemeyer, Edward

  "By the way, did you see Merwell and Haskers?" cried Dave, suddenly.

  "Why, no—not since they ran away from our camp," returned Roger.

  "I saw them—just before I found this opening. They were below me, the two of them and Sol Blugg."

  "Maybe they got caught," muttered Phil.

  No more was said just then, for the boys had to do some climbing over several big rocks, and needed their breath. Then they made a turn, and a moment later came out into the sunlight.

  "Oh, how good it seems to be out in the air once more!" murmured Dave.

  "Thank heaven, none of us were killed," added Roger.

  "No more underground exploring for me," avowed Phil. "More than once I thought we would be buried alive!"

  "That is what I was afraid would happen to me," said Dave, seriously. "Yes, we can all thank heaven we are out of it."

  "And now to hunt up Blower and Mr. Dillon," came from the senator's son.

  "If only they are safe!" murmured Dave. For the time being those who had been on the mountainside below them were forgotten.

  It was hard work to make their way from rock to rock. All the trails were gone, and they had to proceed with extreme care, for fear of dislodging some rock and rolling down into the valley with it.

  "There they are!"

  It was Dave who gave utterance to the cry, about half an hour later. He pointed to a distant spur, and there, sure enough, they beheld Abe Blower and Tom Dillon. The old miners had the horses with them.

  "I wonder if they were hurt?" queried Phil.

  "They seem to be all right," returned Roger. "I wish they would look this way."

  "We'll have to signal to them," said Dave.

  "How are you going to do it?" asked the shipowner's son. "You can't call to them at such a distance. They wouldn't hear you."

  "We can give 'em a pistol shot, Phil."

  "Why, to be sure! How foolish I was, not to think of it!"

  "I'll fire a shot," said Roger, and brought out his weapon.

  To the first shot there was no reply, but when a second was discharged both Abe Blower and Tom Dillon were seen to turn around. Then the boys commenced to wave their hands vigorously.

  "They see us!" exclaimed Dave, half a minute later. They saw the two old miners wave their hands in return, and Abe Blower discharged his pistol.

  "See, they are doing some kind of signalling!" cried Phil, a little later.

  All watched with interest. They saw that Abe Blower had taken up a long bit of brushwood and was waving it in a circle to the northwestward.

  "They want us to come around in that direction!" said Roger. "Don't you think so, Dave?"

  "That's the way it strikes me," was our hero's reply. "See, what is left of the trail is in that direction. But, my! how the whole face of the mountain is changed!"

  "Not much trail left!" grumbled Phil. "If we are not careful we'll break our necks reaching them!"

  "We'll have to take it slowly," answered Dave.

  The three youths set out, and they were glad to see the two miners do the same. The men were on horseback, and the other steeds came behind them.

  As the boys had surmised, progress was difficult, and often they had to halt, not knowing how to proceed. Here and there they could see a small portion of a trail, but for the most part the way was new and exceedingly rough.

  "If they ever do any mining here they'll have to spend a lot of time first building a roadway," was Phil's comment.

  "If the mining pays it won't take long to get a roadway—and bridges, too," answered Roger. "Money can do almost anything, you know."

  "Oh, I know that."

  "The main thing will be to guard against the landslides," said Dave, grimly. "But I guess they'll know how to do that, too."

  On went the boys, over the rough rocks and across patches of freshly turned up dirt. All were utterly worn out, yet not one of them complained.

  "There they are!" cried Dave, some time after noon, as they made a turn around some rocks; and in a few minutes the friends were together once more.

  "All safe?" asked Abe Blower, anxiously, and then, when assured that no harm had come to the boys, he added: "Mighty glad to know it!"

  "So am I glad!" put in Tom Dillon, heartily. "It was sure some landslide! Almost as bad as the one that wiped out the mine!"

  "We've got good news!" cried Roger. "We have relocated the lost mine! Dave did it!"

  "You and Phil did it, too," said our hero, modestly.

  "Wot! Have ye located the Landslide Mine?" roared Abe Blower.

  "We sure have," returned Phil. "Look here!" And he brought out some of the nuggets he carried. And then Roger and Dave did the same.

  "This is grand!" exclaimed Tom Dillon. "Nuggets, an' pretty big ones, too. But how do you know it's the mine?"

  "We found some landmarks," answered Roger. "And my uncle's coat and a note-book——"

  "And his pick, crowbar, and lantern," added Dave. And then the three boys told their story in detail.

  "It must be the lost mine," said Abe Blower. "An' if it is, I congratulate ye!" And he shook hands all around. "Tom, they got ahead o' us," he added, with a grin.

  "So they did," was the answer. "Well, I'd rather have it that way than have those other fellers locate the mine. By the way, I wonder how they fared in the landslide?" the old miner continued.

  "Three of them, Merwell, Haskers, and Blugg, were below me," answered Dave. "They were over yonder," and he pointed with his hand.

  "Wot! Down on thet ledge?" cried Abe Blower.

  "Yes."

  "Humph! Then I reckon it's all up with 'em," went on the old miner.

  "What do you mean?" asked Roger.

  "I mean it's likely they was wiped out," was the reply. "When the fust quake an' slide came I was lookin' down towards thet ledge. I saw some heavy rocks go down, and a big mass o' dirt, too, an' the ledge was buried out o' sight. If they was down thar, it's more'n likely they was buried alive!"

  "Oh, I'd hate to think that!" cried Dave, with a shudder.

  "Do you think the landslide is at an end?" asked Phil, anxiously.

  "There is no tellin' about that, lad. We'll go up on the mountain, and to the safest place we can find, and then wait," said Tom Dillon.

  This was done, and an hour later, worn out completely, all sat down to rest and to partake of lunch. They could look far along the mountainside and see just where the avalanche of rocks and dirt had swept downward, a portion halting here and there, and the remainder going clear to the valley far below.

  They had been resting about an hour when they saw a figure approaching on foot. It was a man, hatless, and with half his clothes torn from his back. As he came closer they recognized Larry Jaley.

  "Jaley, where are you going?" demanded Tom Dillon.

  At the sound of the miner's voice the man halted and then threw up his hands. Then he staggered forward once more.

  "Save me!" he yelled, wildly. "Save me! Don't shoot me! Save me from the landslide!" And then stumbling, he fell at the feet of Dave and his friends.

  "Are you alone?" asked Abe Blower.

  "Ye—yes! Save me! Oh, save me!" whined Jaley, and he turned a face full of fear on those before him.

  "Where are Merwell and Haskers and Blugg?" asked Dave.

  "All gone—swept away by the landslide!" was the whining reply. "Oh, it was awful! It smashed them all up—and smashed up the horses, too! Oh, save me! Save me!" And then Larry Jaley gave a gasp and fell in a heap, unable to say another word.

  * * *

  CHAPTER XXX

  THE NEW CLAIM—CONCLUSION

  "Poor fellow, he is scared stiff!" said Dave, as he bent over the shrinking man.

  "I reckon the landslide made him about loony—thet an' seein' them others carried off to death," murmured Abe Blower.

  "I wonder if they really were killed?" said Roger. "If it's true, what an awful death to die!"

  "Men before now have been killed by landslides,
" said Tom Dillon. "And just remember, we ain't out of it ourselves, yet," he added, gravely.

  Larry Jaley was cared for and given something to eat and to drink, and then he told his story. The landslide had come upon his whole crowd without warning and he had escaped by what was little short of a miracle. The sight had so weakened and sickened him that he had rushed away, not knowing in what direction, until he had come to our friends' camp.

  "Jest help me to git off o' this mountain an' I won't never follow ye ag'in," he whined, to the miners and the boys. "Jest help me to git away, thet's all!"

  "You can take your chances with the rest of us, Jaley," answered Tom Dillon, somewhat sternly. "And you mind how you behave yourself, too!" he added, by way of a warning.

  By the following morning the scare was over, and the boys took Abe Blower and Tom Dillon into the upper entrance to the mine. Just a brief examination was made, but it was sufficient to prove to the old prospectors that the lads had really rediscovered the lost Landslide Mine. Then the old miners put up the proper stakes, as a new claim for Mrs. Morr.

  In the meantime, Larry Jaley had been given some stores and told to go about his business. Abe Blower had directed him to a trail to the southward. This was a long way around, but the trail seemed to be perfectly safe, and Jaley was only too glad to take to it. It was the last the boys saw of the man.

  "And now to get back to town and establish this claim," said Roger, some time later. "Won't my folks be pleased!" And his face showed his satisfaction.

  "And then to get to Yellowstone Park for a good time!" returned Dave. "We'll have to wire the folks that we are coming."

  The journey down the mountainside was by no means easy, and it took the party two days to get to a point where traveling on horseback was safe. When they came down they kept their eyes open for some sign of Merwell, Haskers, and Blugg, but all they found was a portion of the latter's camping outfit and the body of one of their horses.

  "Poor chaps! They must be buried under tons and tons of earth and rocks!" murmured Dave.

  "It certainly looks like it," answered Phil.

  "What a fearful end!" said Roger, with a shudder.

  The coming of our friends into Black Cat Camp created quite a stir, and many wanted to learn the particulars of the landslide. These were told in detail, but not a word was said about relocating the lost mine.

  "The news will leak out soon enough," said Tom Dillon. "We want the cream of the chanct up there." It may be as well to state that he had located a claim for himself on one side of the Morr claim, and Abe Blower had located a claim on the other side.

  As soon as the boys got back to Butte the claims were properly filed, and the lads lost no time in sending off half a dozen telegrams and letters. Then they took a good wash and changed their rough mining clothing for more presentable suits.

  "And now for a first-class, six-course dinner!" cried Phil. "I say, doesn't it feel good to get back to civilization again!"

  "It certainly does," answered Dave. "But I'll feel more at home when we join the folks in the Park."

  "Huh! you're thinking of Jessie!" cried the shipowner's son, slyly, and at this "knock" Dave blushed deeply.

  The boys had hardly eaten their dinner when there came a telegram from Senator Morr.

  "Listen to this, boys!" cried Roger, and read the following:

  "Good news received and we are much delighted. You boys are certainly wonders. Will await letter with interest."

  "I wish I could have seen mother's face when dad read my message to her," went on the senator's son, wistfully. Later on he received a letter written by both his parents in which they told of the joy the news had brought. Later still, the newly-located mine was opened, under the directions of Abe Blower and Tom Dillon, and the three claims were thrown into one, a stock-company being formed for that purpose, with Senator Morr as president. Both Dave and Phil were given stock in the mining company, and it paid very well.

  "Now, if only your father can hold his position," said Dave, to Roger, one day, "your folks will be well fixed."

  "He is going to try to hold it, in spite of his political enemies," answered Roger. And this Senator Morr eventually did, being elected to another term at Washington.

  It was a happy day for the three boys when they bade good-by to Abe Blower and Tom Dillon and left Butte to go to Yellowstone Park. The old miners were sorry to part with the lads.

  "Never mind, we'll be back here some day!" cried Roger.

  "Surest thing you know!" added Dave.

  They had already sent word ahead as to what train they were taking, and when they arrived at Livingston they found Dunston Porter on hand to greet them. Then a quick run was made to Gardiner, and there all took a stage into the Park to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

  "There they are! I see them!" cried Laura.

  "Oh, look how sunburnt they are!" exclaimed Jessie, and then both girls made a wild dash from the hotel veranda to where the stage was stopping. In the meantime, Dave had jumped from the seat and soon he was shaking hands with Jessie and had kissed his sister. Then the others came up, and there was general rejoicing.

  "We have been around the Park once, on a stage," said Laura.

  "But we are going again, on horseback and to camp out!" declared Jessie.

  "Fine!" cried Dave. "Couldn't be better!"

  "And to think you found that mine!" cried Laura, to Roger. "Oh, how glad I was to hear it!"

  "We were all glad!" put in Mrs. Wadsworth.

  "And you shot a mountain lion!" cried Jessie. "Oh, Dave!" And she fairly beamed on the youth.

  "I suppose you'll be after fresh adventures before long," said Dunston Porter, with a twinkle in his eyes.

  "Maybe," answered Dave. "But I think I'll be content to stay here for a bit and take it easy," and he smiled openly at Jessie, who had to turn away to hide her blushes.

  What next befell our hero will be related in another volume, to be entitled "Dave Porter at Bear Camp; or, The Wild Man of Mirror Lake." In that we shall learn the particulars of a queer mystery and what Dave did towards solving it.

  It was certainly a happy gathering, and the boys were sorry that Ben and Shadow and some of the others were not there to enjoy it. But they had departed for the East with the others on the personally-conducted tour.

  "You'll have to tell us the whole story from beginning to end," said Laura to her brother. "Jessie and Belle and I are just dying to hear every word of it."

  "Poor Link Merwell!" sighed Belle Endicott. "I feel sorry for his folks!"

  "Yes, what a fearful ending for Merwell and for Haskers, too!" murmured Laura.

  "And so you will be rich after all, Roger!" cried Laura.

  "Yes, and I am very thankful," returned the senator's son, and then he took a long walk with Laura, while Dave paired off with Jessie, and Phil went with Belle. The young friends had a great deal to tell each other, and nobody thought of disturbing them.

  "Well, it certainly was some trip," said Phil, to Dunston Porter, Mrs. Wadsworth, and Belle. "And that landslide! Excuse me from falling in with one of those again!" And he shook his head gravely.

  "You can be thankful you were not buried alive," said Mrs. Wadsworth. Belle said nothing, but she looked at Phil in a manner that warmed his heart.

  That evening all of the party had a grand celebration at the hotel. Every one was in the best of spirits, and the boys fairly outdid themselves telling jokes and funny stories.

  "I can tell you, it was a trip well worth taking," said Roger, when about to retire.

  "So it was," declared our hero. And here we will leave Dave Porter and say good-by.

  THE END

  * * *

  DAVE PORTER SERIES

  By EDWARD STRATEMEYER

  "Mr. Stratemeyer has seldom introduced a more popular hero than Dave Porter. He is a typical boy, manly, brave, always ready for a good time if it can be obtained in an honorable way."—Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis.

  "Edward Strat
emeyer's 'Dave Porter' has become exceedingly popular."—Boston Globe.

  "Dave and his friends are nice, manly chaps."—Times-Democrat, New Orleans.

  DAVE PORTER AT OAK HALL

  Or The School Days of an American Boy

  DAVE PORTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS

  Or The Strange Cruise of the Stormy Petrel

  DAVE PORTER'S RETURN TO SCHOOL

  Or Winning the Medal of Honor

  DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH

  Or The Pluck of an American Schoolboy

  DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES

  Or For the Honor of Oak Hall

  DAVE PORTER AT STAR RANCH

  Or The Cowboy's Secret

  DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS

  Or The Chums and Foes of Oak Hall

  DAVE PORTER ON CAVE ISLAND

  Or A Schoolboy's Mysterious Mission

  DAVE PORTER AND THE RUNAWAYS

  Or Last Days at Oak Hall

  DAVE PORTER IN THE GOLD FIELDS

  Or The Search for the Landslide Mine

  DAVE PORTER AT BEAR CAMP

  Or The Wild Man of Mirror Lake

  DAVE PORTER AND HIS DOUBLE

  Or The Disappearance of the Basswood Fortune

  DAVE PORTER'S GREAT SEARCH

  Or The Perils of a Young Civil Engineer

  DAVE PORTER UNDER FIRE

  Or A Young Army Engineer in France

  DAVE PORTER'S WAR HONORS

  Or At the Front with the Fighting Engineers

  End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dave Porter in the Gold Fields, by

  Edward Stratemeyer

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