ring weapons and ammunition. There was still a
good supply of copper at hand, as well as lead, which had been
previously extracted.

[Illustration: _Fig. 11. Angel, his new suit, and the Gun._]

Thus the party put in several days of ardent work in the directions
indicated. One morning, while the garment-making was in progress, Angel
appeared wearing one of George's discarded jackets. He strutted around
in the most comical way, admiring himself, and, apparently, enjoying
the sensation of being clad. It was amusing to see him hunch his
shoulders as he looked at the jacket.

George laughed, and so did Angel. "Well, we must make you a suit sure."
Everyone, even to the Professor, took a part in the proceeding, but John
couldn't see a way to fit him with a pair of shoes.

As usual, whenever opportunity offered, the Professor was out
prospecting in the hills. When he returned several samples of new
minerals were deposited in the laboratory, and when the party gathered
there that evening Ralph was the first to notice a reddish ore which had
been found during the day.

"What is that, Professor?"

"It is a very fine sample of Cinnabar."

"I never heard of it before. What is it used for?"

"It is the ore from which quicksilver, or mercury, is extracted."

"Wouldn't it be fun to make a looking glass?"

"It is used for that purpose, but we have use for it in making a
thermometer, as well as a barometer," answered the Professor.

"Will it be much trouble to take the quicksilver out of the ore?"

"No, it is a very simple process. Metallic mercury is easily
volatilized, and separated from the gangue, at temperatures far below
redness. Our closed retort would be admirable for the purpose."

"Do you mean by volatilizing that it is put into a steam?"

"Volatilizing means to convert it into a gas, and this gas, on coming
into contact with a cooling surface, is converted into a mercury, which
we have in a liquid state, and is called the metallic mercury."

"Are there other kinds besides metallic mercury?"

"Oh, yes; it may be in the form of a nitrate, a sulphate, a chloride or
an iodide. The chloride is very poisonous, and is known as corrosive
sublimate. It would be just the thing to rid the stable of the rodents
that took the barley."

One morning the Professor called the boys together and informed them
that it had been the custom to take a certain day each week for hunting
or other recreation, and suggested that they