pictures of 'em, and I've been waiting until the
owner came along."

"Why?" asked Tom, wonderingly.

"Because I've got a proposition to make to you," went on the miner, who
said his name was Abe Abercrombie. "I've been a miner for a good many
years, and I'm just back from Alaska, prospecting around here. I haven't
had any luck, but I know of a gold mine in Alaska that will make us all
rich. Only it needs an airship to get to it, and I've been figuring how
to hire one. Then I comes along, and I sees this big one, and I makes up
my mind to stay here until the owners come back. That's what I've done.
Now, if I prove that I'm telling the truth, will you go to Alaska--to
the valley of gold with me?"

"I don't know," answered Tom, to whom the proposition was rather sudden.
"We've just had some pretty startling adventures, and we're almost
starved. Wait until we get something to eat, and we'll talk. Come aboard
the Red Cloud," and the lad led the way to his craft which was in as
good condition as when he left it to go to the diamond cave. Later he
listened to the miner's story.

Tom Swift did go to the valley of gold in Alaska, and what happened to
him and his companions there will be told of in the next volume of this
series, to be called "Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice; or, the Wreck of
the Airship."

It did not take our friends long, after they had eaten a hearty meal,
to generate some fresh gas, and start the Red Cloud on her homeward way.
Tom wanted to take Bill Renshaw with him, but the old man said he would
rather remain among the mountains where he had been born. So, after
paying him well for his services, they said good-by to him. Abercrombie,
the miner, also remained behind, but promised to call and see Tom in a
few months.

"Well, we didn't make any money out of this trip," observed Mr. Jenks,
rather dubiously, as they were nearing Shopton, after an uneventful
trip. "I guess I owe you considerable, Tom Swift. I promised to get you
a lot of diamonds, but all I have are those I had from my first visit to
the cave."

"Oh, that's all right," spoke Tom, easily. "The experience was worth all
the trip cost."

"Speaking of diamonds, look here!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, suddenly, and he
pulled out a double handful.

"Where did you get them?" cried the others in astonishment.

"I grabbed them up, as we ran from the cave," said the eccentric man;
"but, bless my gaiters! I forgot all about them until you spoke. We'll