a couple of miles, it opened out into a beautiful little valley; and
there, near its upper end, stood a huge round-topped mountain, bald of
head, except for three tall trees that stood out against the horizon
like three lonely sentinels.

"Hurrah!" yelled Thure, the moment his eyes caught sight of this
mountain. "There is Three Tree Mountain! We sure are on the right trail.
Bully for Dickson!"

Our friends now had passed beyond the realm of the hitherto ubiquitous
miner. The wilderness was supreme. Everywhere around them mountains and
forests and valleys and streams stood unchanged, as they came from the
hand of God.

Game of all kinds was abundant. Bud shot a young buck elk, which they
ate for supper, when they went into camp for the night at the foot of
Three Tree Mountain.

The guard was doubled that night and the camp-fire was kept blazing
brightly, so that no one could creep into camp unseen under cover of the
darkness. These precautions proved effectual; and the night was passed
without alarm.

Dickson found no trouble in following the trail during the day. At every
turning point some remembered landmark would show him the right way to
go. A short time before night they passed over a ridge of rocks and
looked down into a quiet little valley, near the center of which lay a
beautiful little lake.

"Behold!" cried Dickson, pointing to the water, that shone like red gold
in the red rays of the setting sun. "Behold, Goose Neck Lake! It was
while standing at this very spot and looking down on the peculiar
necklike bend of the lake, that Stackpole gave it the name, Goose Neck
Lake. There is a little grove of trees on its north shore that will make
us a fine camping place. And tomorrow afternoon sometime we should be in
Lot's Canyon! Come on," and he hurried down the ridge toward the lake.

It was dark when they reached the north shore of the lake and pitched
their camp in the little grove of trees. All were in high spirits; for
on the morrow they would be in Lot's Canyon, almost at their journey's
end, almost within reach of the Cave of Gold!

For the last two days they had not seen nor heard a sign of their
enemies and they were beginning to hope that, in the maze of deep
gulches and ravines and little mountain-enclosed valleys through which
they had been passing, they had given them the slip, and this hope added
to their cheer. Consequently the little group that gathered around the
camp-fire that night was