back part of the book, distinct from the numbered pages,
he had found the following entry:
"June 1st.
At last I have found it. It seems good after twenty-three years
of disappointment to be able to say that I have found a good
lead and that there is a sure enough vein here. I thought I was
on the right trail when I 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 will be great.
Soon I shall have all the money I need, and my poor old sister
will no longer be broken hearted for me. I was determined to
find a mine and now I have one that is worth all my long working
and waiting."
"Any name signed to that?" inquired Zeke quickly when Fred ceased reading.
"No."
"Then you can't be sure it's Simon's."
"Yes, you can, if the book belonged to him, as you think it did. It's
plain this Simon, if that was his name, was an educated man."
"How do you know that?" inquired John.
"Why, the words are all spelled as they ought to be and his penmanship is
good. The only thing is that there isn't a name signed nor any sign that
will show who wrote it. Hello!" he added quickly, "here's something on the
next page that ought to interest us."
"What is it?" inquired John, approaching and looking over the shoulder of
his friend.
"It looks to me like a map," said Fred thoughtfully. "Here's a place that
is marked Thorn's Gulch and over here on one side is a spot marked Two
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 another
mark which he calls his stake. Then right opposite it are three other
marks,--1/2 m N.E., 1/4 m S.E., 1/4 m N.N.E. Here's a picture of it," Fred
added.
X Two Crow Tree. X Tom's Thumb.
.----------------------------------------------
. Thorn's Gulch
. .---------------------------------------------
. . X Split Rock.
/ / Stake 1/2 m N.E.
| | o 1/4 m S.E.
| | 1/4 m N.N.E.
[Illustration: Map]
"That's interesting," said Zeke thoughtfully. "I know where Thorn's Gulch
is."
"How far is it from here?" in
|