party a Mexican forem

e this morning?"

excellency," replied the man,

ll me that the ore is r

have struck for a fortnight. However, it will pay exp

have been doing,"

man went on down the tunnel to the heading. As he neared the end of t

ng's blasts had loosened some eight tons or so of ore. Drill

re, Senor Tomaso," su

oreman held the lantern close, that the young engineer might have all

ck. For some minutes the two young engine

f it?" inquired Don

run of poor luck?" Tom

her poor," answe

ing well," smiled Tom. "At a guess I should say that this

"Sometimes, for a run of a hundred tons, the ore wi

en no wonder you call this

es in the United States look poor, w

hat show frequent runs of fifty d

ear out this ore, an

ed the

es

if you would do so a

foreman stared at Tom i

as I am ordered," he r

ear this stuff out and get it up in the ore cage. Clear t

will explain?" su

new engineers in charge of

ato will only give the o

ggested, briskly, "you will ignore them. Ped

d the foreman, who pla

lleros are the engineers, and they are in charge. You heard the order of Sen

d the foreman, bowing lo

suits you, we will go to anoth

ad been in my mind was to order the dri

efore the next blast c

lead the way to t

tracing his steps, Don L

e," remarked Don Luis a minute la

slightly, why Dr. Tisco had not volunteered to

Don Luis

go to number

meet them and to conduct them to the heading. Here were some five tons of roc

ually find in this vein?" Tom

blasts have turned out to be very

set the shovelers at work moving this stuff back a little way? I w

began the forem

y. "Mr. Hazelton and I are privileged to give such orders as

e owner. "Gato is no longer with us

ore moved back at once

d out of the danger from the blast," spoke Do

," suggested Reade. "But I w

Senor Tomaso," smile

back w

erstand the work here," Tom rejoined, very quietly

smiled Montez, with a

t small samples of the pulverized stuff that the drills turned back. These specimens he placed in sample envelopes and stored in hi

rs had completed their work. Now the "dope men" came forward, p

well done?" Tom inquired o

as I have been able to s

worthy of the name of tamping, is it?" Tom asked, pok

been indolent, this tim

u men, come here and let me show you how to set dynamite and tamp i

eade abandoned his work

sts, we shall move some ro

t back, most of them going considerably to

lowed. Tom was among th

ing were he

se. Shovel it back," T

found Tom turning over the ore as it came back. More than a dozen samples

re?" inquired Harry, aft

Tom briefly. "Go through the stu

e to see, caballeros,

e me here, for a few minutes more, I

shoulders. "But it is not my purpose to tire you with to

and patience, Don Luis waited, smoking, un

announced the young chief engineer,

n each tunnel was the same pile of ore awaiting them, and it a

r today," announced Don Luis, when t

t me join you later, I shall appr

r?" queried Don Lu

a blast made he

like to see one

ed Don Luis, with a sigh that con

a lot of poor rock was loosened. Tom and

turn to the hous

put in a long day here

reluc

y, I am tired of this place. There is much about wh

y, covertly at Har

r Don Luis, we are wh