rd. When I got a good look at his face, I saw that my
unbidden guest was no other than Rodrigo Sandez, who was fabled all
through that region to have found the entrance to the famous Lost
Mine, whose wealth had been coupled with legends for many years.

"It seems that this mine had been known to the earliest Spanish
explorers, many of whom went back to Spain fabulously rich. Then, for
many years, all trace had been lost of it, and numerous miners and
prospectors laughed incredulously at any mention of it. Then came
Rodrigo Sandez with his friend, who likewise was Spanish, or as I
think Spanish-Mexican, and rediscovered the Lost Mine, probably
through some information long hidden, that had come to them in Mexico,
through some unknown sources.

"The man was half frozen from exposure to the elements, and when he
was thawed out physically, it did the same for his powers of speech.
I eagerly hoped that he would have something to say that would give me
a clue to the whereabouts of that mine, not that I expected he would
make me his heir, but I was anxious to make a stake in those days, for
one reason, if not for another, so I had hopes.

"In the three weeks that he stayed in my cabin before the storm broke,
not a hint could I get out of him, though he would talk volubly about
other matters, telling me of his travels in Mexico and South America.
All the time he was with me I kept wondering what had become of his
partner, but when I had it on the tip of my tongue to ask him,
something in his manner of looking at me held me back.

"Physically he was not impressive, this man, being short and stocky.
His complexion was very dark, and his hair was short and bristly.
But there was a peculiar power in his eyes at times, and when he was
disturbed about anything, instead of becoming sharp and brilliant they
took on a kind of glaze, that gave you a creepy feeling when he looked
at you.

"I might say right here that though Sandez and his partner had been
trailed many times in the effort to find where this mine was located,
they were always lost track of. Either they dropped out of sight as
though the earth had swallowed them, or something happened to the
party that was following them.

"When Sandez left my cabin to go on his way south, the weather having
cleared, I decided to take up his back trail in hope of finding some
trace of his partner, and thus getting a possible clue to the location
of the mine. So I started out one clear