otested Fred. "Here it is,"
he added, again looking at the map. "Two Crow Tree and Tom's Thumb and
then across the Gulch about half way between the two places on the other
side is Split Bock and then back of that is the stake. I don't know what
these figures mean."

"I do," said John confidently, "it's a half-mile northeast, then you go a
quarter of a mile southeast and then you turn and go a quarter of a mile
north northeast. Why, it's just as simple as the multiplication table."

Zeke smiled and shook his head and although he did not speak it was plain
that he did not accept John's explanation of the somewhat mysterious
figures as correct.

"Did you ever hear of Two Crow Tree?" asked John.

"I never did," said Zeke solemnly.

"Well, did you ever hear of Tom's Thumb?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Then, it's plain," said John, winking at Fred as he spoke, "that we'll
have to get somebody who is more familiar than you are, Zeke, with this
part of the country."

"Huh!" snorted Zeke. "Don't you believe it. There ain't nobody in these
diggin's that knows the country like I do."

"But you don't know where Two Crow Tree is or Tom's Thumb, to say nothing
about Split Rock on the opposite side of the canyon."

"That doesn't mean that I can't find them," retorted Zeke. "You mustn't
forget either that those names may be the ones that Simon gave the places.
They may not be on the map at all and nobody else may ever have called
them by those names."

"Well, shall we try to find the place? That's the question," said John
somewhat impatiently.

"Not until the other boys and Pete come back here."

Pete was the name of the second guide and on most occasions Zeke professed
to despise his judgment and belittle his information.

"Oh, Pete will do just what you say is the thing to be done," said Fred,
winking at John as he spoke.

"That 's likely," assented Zeke. "All the same I'm not going to start off
with you two boys and leave the other two here for Pete to look after. I'm
afraid Pete couldn't keep off the coyotes, to say nothing of the
buzzards."

"Zeke," said Fred abruptly, "how long do you think it took the coyotes and
the buzzards to strip those bones that we found?"

"Not more than a half-hour."

"What?"

"That's right," said Zeke positively. "A job like that doesn't take a
half-dozen coyotes any time at all. And I'm thinkin' they had to divide
with the buzzards anyway."

John, who apparently for a few min