the one that's got the deeds to this island in it, and
all my other valuables, including my dead wife's jewelry and a thousand
dollars in gold."

By this time the boys were examining the old man's head. They saw where
the rock had struck him, making quite a cut, from which the blood had
flowed over one ear. It was much swollen, and over it Uncle Barney had
tied a bandanna handkerchief.

"I'll get some snow and wash it off with that!" cried Fred, and did so.
Then the wound was bound up once more, and Uncle Barney said he felt
better. He told his story in detail.

"What am I going to do?" he groaned. "Those rascals have got my treasure
box!"

"Who were they?" questioned Randy.

"I don't know exactly. I heard them talk, and faced them with my gun.
They were in the dark, so I couldn't distinguish them very good. Then
one of them threw a big rock, and that is all I can remember. As soon as
I became unconscious they must have grabbed the box and run away with
it."

"It must have been either Asa Lemm and Mr. Brown, or else Slugger and
Nappy," said Randy.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, now those deeds are gone--not to say
anything about my wife's jewelry and all that gold!" groaned the old
lumberman.

"Just you take it easy, Uncle Barney. You mustn't excite yourself now,"
said Jack kindly. "We'll do what we can toward getting the box back."

The boys had brought some food along, and they insisted upon it that the
old man eat and drink something. This seemed to strengthen Uncle Barney
greatly, and he arose to his feet.

"Now we'll get after those rascals," he said, with something of the
old-time fire in his eyes. "I'm not going to allow 'em to rob me in this
fashion!"

While the old lumberman had been eating, the Rover boys had glanced
around the cave curiously. It was a place partly natural and partly
artificial. On one side it looked as if a little mining had been done,
and Jack, who had studied geology, gazed at the surface of rocks and
dirt with much interest.

"Why, Uncle Barney, this looks to me as if it was zinc ore!" he cried
presently.

"Hush, hush, boy! I don't want anybody to know about that!" answered the
old man quickly.

"Then it is zinc ore, is it?" queried Randy, who had also been
inspecting a side of the cave.

"Yes, if you must know," was the surprising reply. "Right here, in the
middle of this island, is one of the most valuable zinc ore beds to be
found anywhere."

CHAPTER