ithout
touching the great lode in the crack of the canyon side; and this being
so, they climbed back to meet Joses, who had been just about to descend
after them.

"You'll both be killing of yourselves before you're done, master," he
said, roughly. "No man ought to go down a place like that without a
rope round his waist well held at the end."

"Well, it would have been safer," said the Doctor, smiling.

"Safer? Yes," growled Joses; "send down a greaser next time. There's
plenty of them, and they aren't much consequence. We could spare a
few."

The Doctor smiled, and after continuing their journey round the edge of
the old mine, they made their way to the zigzag descent, whose great
regularity of contrivance plainly enough indicated that human hands had
had something to do with it; while probably, when it was in use in the
ancient ages, when some powerful nation had rule in the land, it might
have been made easy of access by means of logs and balks of wood laid
over the rifts from side to side.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

PREPARATIONS FOR SAFETY.

The descent was almost more arduous than the ascent, but there was no
danger save such as might result from a slip or wrench through placing a
foot in one of the awkward cracks, and once more down in the plain,
where the camp was as busy as an ant hill, the Doctor called the
principal Englishmen about his waggon, and formed a sort of council, as
he proceeded to lay his plans before them.

The first was--as they were ready to defy the Indians, and to fight for
their position there, to make the mountain their fortress, and in spite
of the laborious nature of the ascent, it was determined that the tents
should be set up on the top, while further steps were taken to enlarge
the interior of the opening as soon as the narrow entrance was passed,
so as to allow of a party of men standing ready to defend the way
against Indians who might force themselves in.

This was decided on at once, and men told off to do the work.

Then it was proposed to build three or four stout walls across the
sloping path, all but just room enough for a man to glide by. These
would be admirable means of defence to fight behind, if the enemy forced
their way in past the first entry, and with these and a larger and
stronger barrier at the top of the slope by the first turn, it was
considered by the Doctor that with ordinary bravery the place would be
impregnable.

So far so good; but then th