he
character he was.

And while Ramon refused, at first, to go on with the assessment work on
the stolen claims, he knew that he would do it in the end, and that Kie
would also give him supplies while he was working on the job.

Ramon did not like to meet the girls and perhaps Judge Breckenridge.
The professor, he felt, was harmless, a silly old man who roamed
through the hills, but the impressive looking judge was a different
matter.

Yet the next morning when the professor arrived with the girls, Ramon
was digging away at the farthest claim, and did not even look up.

"Guilty conscience!" whispered Bet to the professor.

"He complicates matters considerably," frowned the old man. "I hardly
know how we are going to proceed, if he stays around here."

"With Ramon watching, the only thing to do was to go on with the
drilling on the Orphan Annie claim. Bet fumed and fussed, scolding
anyone who came near her. She insisted on being the professor's
helper, holding the drill in place with the strong wire while he
hammered. This gave her an audience and was an outlet for her anger
against Kie Wicks and his Mexican hanger-on.

"Take it easy, child. There's lots of time to find that treasure--that
is if there is one. We don't need it right away, you know," soothed
the professor.

But it took Bet a long time to regain her poise. The other girls had
recovered from their disappointment and were trying to make friends
with the Mexican before Bet would even smile.

"I do wish we could tell which of us he's talking to. His eyes are so
crooked they overlap," whispered Enid to Bet. The Mexican did not want
to make friends with the girls. He answered a few words to their
questions then went moodily on with his work. But not for long.
Without a master over him, the man grew lazy and before the morning was
far advanced he had disappeared in the canyon.

"I thought he'd get tired of it," smiled Kit. "A Mexican miner has to
have someone to keep him on the job. And I don't believe that Kie
Wicks will spend much time over here."

Ramon was no sooner out of sight than the professor dropped the drill
and they rushed for the wall to begin digging there. They had just
started to work when Judge Breckenridge rode up.

"Let's have a look at that treasure tunnel, Professor," greeted the
Judge with a laugh. "How much bullion have you found?"

"Not any yet, but who knows?" returned the old man, his eyes shining
with exci