n taken the little book he had found in the pocket of the coat of the dead man, and, opening it, said, "I'm not sure, boy

say?" inquired

other days when he did write, the pages are torn and the wr

id Fred, extending

ested. It was for the year 1914. One entry was quite distinct wherein the unfor

s I said to you he only came in twice each year and then stayed just long enough to get supplies to

ake his trips?

ime from his prospecting so he would come in just about the tim

suggested John, "he must hav

though that the coyotes, if they could talk, might be able to tell you

r he had looked carefully through the various pages of the diary and in the back pa

ne

was in the middle of Thorn's Gulch and I found pretty soon that I had struck it just right. I followed the lead four days and every day I was more convinced that I had found something at last worth while. The assay

?" inquired Zeke quickly

N

n't be sure

as you think it did. It's plain this Simon

know that?"

ly thing is that there isn't a name signed nor any sign that will show who wrote it. H

approaching and looking ove

Crow Tree, and a little further up on the same side is Tom's Thumb. Across the Gulch is a place marked Split Rock. Not far away from it is anothe

Zeke thoughtfully. "I kno

t from here?"

say it is a go

ard to g

way," replied Zeke, "but I

ection does t

"it runs mostly north and south. It

et out the water that h

d to give for the formation of the great chasms found near the Colorado River and its tributaries. "I'm

had conceded. "It isn't a question of

I ask her what's the matter with it she says it's out o' style. It's the same way with explaining how this great hole in the ground came here. There seems to be a sort of 'style' about it. Some people say it's erosion, others

und a mine w

might be zinc and more likely might be copper. Most lik

d Fred, who now had looked through all the pages without disc

ifteen and twenty mi

ng to look up the lost mine we'll ha

berly. "Do you think we had b

find a copper mine or whether I keep you from, tipping over in the boat. I'

e map. "Two Crow Tree and Tom's Thumb and then across the Gulch about half way between the two places o

a quarter of a mile southeast and then you turn and go a quarter of a mi

speak it was plain that he did not accept John's expl

ar of Two Crow T

d," said Ze

u ever hear o

ay that

oke, "that we'll have to get somebody who is more famil

e it. There ain't nobody in these digg

or Tom's Thumb, to say nothing about Spli

either that those names may be the ones that Simon gave the places. They may no

e place? That's the question,"

her boys and Pete

on most occasions Zeke professed to despis

ay is the thing to be done," said

with you two boys and leave the other two here for Pete to look after. I'm

you think it took the coyotes and the buz

than a h

ha

oesn't take a half-dozen coyotes any time at all. And I'

terest in the conversation now looked up from the place where he w

ood one," l

d one?" demand

hought he had found a lead, but unless 'twas a good deal surer than any other one he ever found, it