h a
bound he sprang forward, reached the place and was standing before the
opening when his companions arrived.

"There it is!" he cried, stooping and pointing into the cave. "And,
look, there are the remains of my fire which the rain nearly put out."

Weston was greatly excited now, and drawing a candle from his pocket,
he lighted it, and together the three made their way into the mine.
They had not proceeded far when the richness of the cave became most
apparent, and Weston stared in amazement at the wealth he beheld on
every side.

"Why, it's a regular King Solomon's mine!" he exclaimed. "It has never
been worked, and being so far up the side of the hill it has been
missed by the prospectors who have scoured this region. The place is
full of gold! Just look at that!" and he held out a handful of earth
he had taken from the right hand wall. "Our fortunes are made."

"Suppose we get something to eat," Reynolds suggested. "I am almost
starved. We can examine our treasure afterwards."

It did not take Natsu long to prepare their simple repast at the mouth
of the cave, as their luncheon consisted merely of sandwiches and cake.
But there was plenty, and they thoroughly enjoyed the meal. When it
was finished Weston and Reynolds leaned back against a big rock, filled
and lighted their pipes.

"My! this is comfort," Reynolds remarked. "It is not much like the
first time I visited this place. I little expected to be here so soon
again."

"And it won't be the last time, either," Weston replied, as he puffed
thoughtfully at his pipe. "The amount of gold in this cave astonishes
me."

"You thought it was all a cock-and-bull story I was telling you, I
suppose?"

"I really did," was the candid confession. "I believed that the
fearful experiences through which you passed had affected your brain
for a time, and that you imagined you had discovered a rich mine."

Reynolds laughed as he looked down the steep cliff.

"How are we to get the gold out of this place?" he asked. "It will be
difficult to take it by the way we have just come."

"Oh, that will be no trouble, as we can easily get it to the Tasan, and
from there take it down on _The Frontiersman_. I have been some
distance up the river and know that it can be navigated. We can----"

Weston never finished his sentence, for the sharp crack of a rifle
suddenly split the air, and a bullet, passing through the top of
Reynolds' hat, spattered on the rock