ckon as how we are in the right
passageway now, lads!" he continued, in a more hopeful tone.

"I am sure we are!" came from our hero. "But we have a pretty good
distance to go yet."

"Yes, an' be careful thet ye don't go down in none o' them pesky holes,"
cautioned the old miner.

Quarter of an hour later they reached the spot where they had shot the
lioness. Looking ahead, they saw a torch waving in the air.

"Hullo! hullo!" came in the voice of Phil. "Where are you?"

"Here we are!" answered Dave and Roger.

"You've been a long time in here," went on the shipowner's son.

"We got lost," announced Roger.

"And we shot the mate of that mountain lion," added Dave.

They soon reached Phil, and then the whole party quickly made their way
out of the cave. Those who had been left outside listened with interest
to what Dave and the others had to relate.

"Well, that sure must be some cave!" exclaimed Tom Dillon. "An' as Abe
says, we must come back and examine it more closely some time. There
may be a lot of gold an' silver in it, an' maybe other metals."

"Perhaps radium!" cried Phil. "Say, wouldn't it be great to find a
radium mine!"

"I don't think ye'll find any o' thet new-fangled stuff here," answered
Tom Dillon. "An' anyway, gold an' silver is good enough for me," and he
smiled broadly.

Nightfall found the party still among the loose rocks that overspread
the mountainside where the great landslide had taken place. Looking at
the forsaken and desolate region, the boys could well understand why the
search for the lost mine had been given up. There was nothing to be seen
that looked in the least promising. Rocks and dirt rested on all sides,
and that was all.

"We looked over the rocks and the dirt putty well, too," explained Tom
Dillon. "But there wasn't nary a sight o' gold; eh, Abe?"

"Not enough fer to buy a plug o' tobaccer with," answered the other
miner.

As one spot was no better than another apparently, they did not spend
much time in looking for a place to camp. In one place was a little
rough brush and here the horses were tethered. Then a tiny fire was
kindled in a hollow of the rocks, and over this they prepared their
supper,--a rather slim affair, considering that every one was
tremendously hungry.

"Not a seven-course dinner," said Phil, with a sickly grin.

"Never mind," returned Dave, cheerfully. "Just wait till after we have
found that lost mine and get into Yellowstone Park. I'm s