ere? Well, we haven't looked around that much. Why
not try it to-morrow?"

"Abe Blower and Mr. Dillon both seem to think the opening to the mine
was above that, Dave," said Roger.

"True, but the landslide changed things, remember. We may now find an
opening down there,--not the opening your uncle made, but another, made
by the slide."

"It won't do any harm to look down there. While we are here I am going
to look in every spot I can reach."

"Sure thing!" cried Phil. "But say, if we are going to climb around
these rocks all day to-morrow I am going to bed and get a good night's
rest."

"I guess we all need a rest, so we'll turn in at once," answered Roger.

Their camp was located between the rocks and not far from the trail by
which they had come to the vicinity. The horses were tethered at a point
where a patch of coarse undergrowth gave them something to nibble at.
The animals were of no use to them, now they were in the district where
the lost mine was supposed to be located.

It was a little after nine o'clock when the boys turned in, and a few
minutes later the two old miners followed them. So far they had not
deemed it necessary to have a guard, for none of their enemies nor wild
beasts had come to annoy them.

Roger and Phil were soon sound asleep, and it was not long before their
snoring told that Abe Blower and Tom Dillon were likewise in the land of
dreams. But Dave, for some reason he could not explain, was restless,
and he turned over several times, sighing heavily.

"If I were at home I should say I had eaten too much supper," he told
himself. "But here rations are too scarce. I don't know what keeps me
awake, unless it is that I'm too tired to go to sleep."

The campfire had burned so low that the spot was almost in total
darkness. There was no moon and only a few stars shone in the sky, which
was partly obscured by clouds. A gentle breeze was stirring, but
otherwise all was quiet.

At last Dave thought that if he had a drink he might go to sleep with
more ease, and he turned over to sit up and get to his feet. A bucket of
water was close at hand, so he would not have to go far for what he
wanted.

Just as Dave sat up he saw something that startled him. A dark figure
was moving at a distance from the camp, coming closer slowly.

At first the youth could not make out if the figure was a man or an
animal. He strained his eyes and then made out the form of a person.

At once our hero though