utes had not been taking much interest
in the conversation now looked up from the place where he was standing
and said sharply, "I'm for looking for that lost mine."

"That's a good one," laughed Zeke.

"What is a good one?" demanded John tartly.

"Your lost mine. There wasn't any mine anyway. All there was to it was a
prospect. Old Simon maybe thought he had found a lead, but unless 'twas a
good deal surer than any other one he ever found, it wasn't worth much,
but all the same I'm for tryin' to find it if the other boys and Pete
agree to it."

CHAPTER III

TWO UNBIDDEN GUESTS

By this time the boys and their guide had returned to the place where they
had left their companions. Their two companions already were there and the
return of their friends was greeted by a shout from both Grant and George.

Other things, however, speedily were forgotten when Fred related the story
of their gruesome discovery in the sheltered place or cave on the sloping
side of the mountain.

Both George and Grant at once united in declaring that the decision which
their friends already had made to seek for the lost mine was to be highly
commended. Again and again the diary was inspected and the part wherein
Simon Moultrie had recorded his discovery of the great lead was read aloud
again and again.

Pete, the guide, a silent, bronzed man of thirty, openly scoffed at the
idea that any discovery worth while would follow their attempts to find
the spot indicated in the diary of the lost prospector.

"Nobody knows," declared Pete, "whether you found the bones of Simon
Moultrie or not."

"That doesn't make any difference," declared Fred sturdily, "if we can
only find the place he spoke of. Zeke says he knows where Thorn's Gulch
is--"

"Huh!" interrupted Pete. "I guess ev'rybody in this part o' th' country
knows where Thorn's Gulch is."

"But," continued Fred, winking at John as he spoke, "he doesn't know where
Two Crow Tree is nor just where Tom's Thumb is located. Of course you
know, so we came back to the camp."

"If I don't know I can find 'em, I guess," assented Pete sturdily.

"That's just what Zeke said," laughed Fred. "What we're looking for isn't
somebody who can _find_ them, but somebody who knows where they are."

"Don't you worry none about that," said Pete. "We'll find the spot if
there's any such place."

The camp was located in a most attractive spot, high above the roaring
river. It was on the sloping