he hard beds, the lack of even the most meager
comforts, both Merry and Clancy were soon asleep.

Merry awoke, with a beam of sun in his eyes. He sat up, staring
incredulously around him, and could hardly believe that several hours
had passed. The sun was shining into the old ruin through the hanging
door. Merry looked over toward the spot where he had last seen his chum,
and found that Clancy was also sitting up.

"Top of the morning to you, Chip," grinned Clancy. "How many lumps on
your backbone? I've counted a dozen on mine. This mattress was harder
than the one in our room at Pophagan's--and that's going some. Any new
theories this morning?"

"Haven't had time to think up any," laughed Merry. "It doesn't seem more
than a minute since I put out the light and--er--turned in. What's
happened, since I closed my eyes, is a perfect blank. How about that
spring? It isn't big enough for a cold plunge, but we can duck our
heads. Maybe that will clear our brains a little."

"Me for the spring!" cried Clancy, bounding to his feet.

Leaving the old house, they hurried to the spring, which they had
located on their previous visit to Happenchance. The water was cool and
clear, and the pool into which the water dripped was big enough for a
partial ducking. Handkerchiefs served for towels, and there was a lot of
good-natured joshing as the chums dabbed away at their dripping faces.

"On the way back to the grub bag," Clancy finally remarked, "I move that
we make a detour by way of the ledge and the professor's mine. Let's
make sure, Chip, that the claim is still there. Maybe it has vanished,
like the prof."

The claim was found where it had been left, although some of the ore had
vanished. The shelf was gouged and disfigured as though some one had put
down a blast, blown a hole in the vein, and then taken away a lot of the
ore.

"By Jove," exclaimed Merry, "here's something else we might lay to
Blunt. I don't think, though, that he'd come here and steal any of the
professor's ore."

"I've got my own ideas about that," said Clancy. "Some one has been
here, anyhow. Did the professor do this, when he came for his household
goods?"

"He wouldn't know how to drill a hole, cap a fuse, and touch off a stick
of giant powder. No, Clan, it wasn't Professor Borrodaile. The deeper we
get into this business, the more complicated it becomes."

The outcropping of ore was wonderfully rich. It was of the sort known as
wire gold, and t