to see that it was
riding easily, and led Baldy to where he could have a few mouthfuls of
grass. And when he came out the Forester was even more silent than
usual, and rode for two hours without uttering a syllable.

"Did you find everything going on all right for the pulp-mill?" asked
Wilbur, finally desiring to give a chance for conversation. But Merritt
simply replied, "Fairly so," and relapsed into silence. He wakened into
sudden energy, however, when, a half an hour later, in making a shortcut
to headquarters he came upon an old abandoned trail. It was somewhat
overgrown, but the Supervisor turned into it and followed it for some
length, finally arriving at a large spring, one of the best in the
forest, which evidently had been known at some time prior to the Forest
Service taking control, but now had passed into disuse. But Merritt was
even more surprised to find beside the spring a prospector of the old
type, with his burro and pack, evidently making camp for the night.

"Evenin'," said Merritt, "where did you get hold of this trail?"

"Allers knew about it," said the prospector. "I s'pose," he added,
noting the bronze "U. S." on the khaki shirt, "that you're the Ranger."

"Supervisor," replied Merritt. "Locating a mineral claim, are you?"

"Not yet," the other replied; "I ain't located any mineral to claim yet.
I'll come to you for a permit as soon as I do. But I'm lookin' for
Burns's lost mine."

"You don't believe in that old yarn, surely?" questioned the other
surprisedly.

"Would I be lookin' for it if I hadn't doped it out that it was there?"

"Where?"

"Oh, somewheres around here. I reckon it's further north. But if you
don't take any stock in it, there's no use talkin'."

"I'm not denying its existence," said Merritt, "but you know dozens of
men have looked for that and no one's found it yet."

"There can't be but one find it," said the prospector. "I aims to be
that one. I used to think it was further south. Twenty years ago I spent
a lot o' time down at the end of the range. Two seasons ago I got a
hunch it was further north. I couldn't get away last year, so here I am.
I've been busy on Indian Creek for some years."

"Got a claim there?"

"Got the only jade in the country."

"Was it you located that mine in the Klamath Forest?" queried the
Supervisor interestedly. "But that's quite a good deposit. I shouldn't
think you'd be prospecting now."

"I didn't for two years. But, pard, it was