gs of the old mine up in the range. We'll dig till we reach water
if we have to tap Hades. And the Lord send that we don't have to waste
much time on a detail like that!"

"Right-O! Those must be buzzards circling toward the mountains. Rog,
what do you suppose the folks at home are doing about now?"

"Thinking about us. It's pretty early to be homesick, old boy."

Ernest smiled in his gentle way. His eyes looked bluer than ever in his
parboiled face. "Don't worry about me, old man. I'm not getting cold
feet, only your folks were pioneers and mine were not. We Germans are
gregarious."

"Shucks!" replied Roger. "Some of the best pioneers in this country were
Germans. And you aren't German, anyhow. You're an American. Buck up,
Ernest!"

"I will! See what's coming!" Ernest pointed with a laugh to a tiny
figure flying toward them along the trail.

"I came further than I dared to come!" screamed Felicia, "but you were
so slow. And Charley's got a great big supper for you. Dicky shot some
quail. And oh, I've missed you both so!" This last as she climbed up on
the wheel and Ernest lifted her to the seat.

"Now, everything's all right," said Ernest.

Eight o'clock the next morning found Roger and Ernest finishing the
living tent. By noon the kitchen tent, which really was a fly resting on
four poles, was up, and the gasoline stove installed. It required the
remainder of the day to knock together a rough table, two long benches
and to prepare supper. And at eight o'clock that night both men were
glad to go to bed.

The next day they began work on the well. The ultimate success of the
plant rested on the premise that not too far below the surface of the
valley there was water. Dick was pessimistic on the subject. He came
down one evening to view progress when, after three days of toil, the
boys had dug to the depth of about ten feet. The three men lighted their
pipes and squatted in the sand by the well hole.

"I don't see why you don't establish your plant up in the range and use
your power for mining," said Dick. "You'll never strike water here."

"Unless we can develop irrigation plants, the idea would be just a toy
here," replied Roger. "There's bound to be water here, if we go deep
enough. You tell me the lower levels of the mines up in the ranges on
both sides are wet."

"Yes, they are," agreed Dick. "Why don't you fellows get an Indian to
help you on this kind of work?"

"Where would we get one?" asked Ernes