"Never mind, it's done and that's the end of it," put in Roger, quickly,
for he could see how badly his chum felt over the occurrence. "I guess
you were pretty tired."

"I was, Roger. Just the same, I had no business to fall asleep. I'm mad
enough to kick myself full of holes," went on Phil, grimly.

"Let us see if they took anything with 'em," came from Tom Dillon, as he
turned to where their things and the animals were, but they had not been
disturbed.

"I guess they were too scared to touch anything," declared Dave. "They
were glad enough to save themselves. I imagine they ran away as soon as
they were free." And in this surmise our hero was correct. Link had been
the one to sever his bonds and he had untied Job Haskers, and then both
of them had lost not an instant in quitting the locality, being afraid
that some of the others might awaken before they could make good their
escape.

"Well, I am just as well satisfied," whispered Roger to Dave and Phil.
"I didn't want to hold them, anyway. All I want them to do is to leave
us alone."

"But you don't want them to discover the lost mine, Roger," returned our
hero.

"Oh, certainly not! We'll have to keep on the watch for them as well as
look for the mine," answered the senator's son.

A search was made, and it was soon ascertained that their enemies were
nowhere in that vicinity. Then breakfast was had, and a little later
the search for the lost Landslide Mine was continued.

As before, the different members of the party separated, and thus the
day went by. Several times one or another of the boys or the men thought
he had found some landmark, but each time the clew proved a false one.

"It looks as if we were going to be stumped,--just as those other
searching parties were stumped," remarked Roger, dismally. "Maybe the
lost mine will remain lost forever!" and he sighed deeply.

"Oh, I wouldn't give up yet!" cried Dave, cheerfully. "We have still
some more ground to cover."

"Of course, we have," said Phil. "Oh, we are going to find that mine, no
two ways about it!"

"I hope so," and Roger sighed again. He felt that if the mine was not
found, matters would look pretty blue at home for all concerned.

The following morning dawned bright and clear, with no warning at all of
what was in store. An early breakfast was had, and once more all hands
separated in the hunt for landmarks which might guide them to the lost
mine.

Dave was working his way along a small ridge of outcropping rocks, when
he came to one rock that stood out much higher than the rest. From this
point he gazed around, to see if he could locate any of the others of
the party.

As a distance he made out Roger and Phil, who had just come together.
Then, turning around, he glanced below him and made out several other
persons on a lower ridge of the mountainside.

"Link Merwell and Job Haskers, and that Sol Blugg is with them," he
murmured. "Evidently they are not going to give up the hunt."

Dave watched the party of three for several minutes and then continued
his own hunt. Roger and Phil had now disappeared from view, and Abe
Blower and Tom Dillon were far away,--almost to the top of the mountain.

A quarter of an hour passed and Dave discovered something which he
considered worth investigating. Just above his head was an opening
between the rocks,--an irregular slit fifteen or twenty feet high and
two to four feet wide.

He had seen many openings before, but this was peculiar for the reason
that one edge of the rocks looked as if it had been drilled and blasted
away. More than this, within the split lay the broken-off handle of a
shovel.

"Oh, what if I have found the lost mine!" he thought. "That
shovel-handle proves that somebody has been here, and, yes, that is
where somebody bored into the rocks and set off a blast! I must
investigate this, and if it looks promising I'll call the others. No use
in exciting Roger unless it's worth while."

Dave climbed up to the split and peered within. All was so dark that he
could see but little. Yet he made out what looked to be a fairly level
bit of flooring and he swung himself to this, first, however, placing
his handkerchief on a rock outside, for it had been agreed that if
anybody went into any sort of opening he should leave something behind,
so that the others, coming that way, might know where he was.

Each of the party had provided himself with a dry stick of wood, to use
for a torch if one was required, and Dave now lit the stick he carried
and swung it into a blaze. With this in hand he commenced an inspection
of the opening he had discovered.

The cave, if such it can be called, proved to be long and
narrow,--little more than a split in the rocks. At some points the
roofing was out of sight. The flooring, too, was irregular, and our hero
had to proceed with care, for pitfalls were numerous and he had no
desire to tumble into one of these.

"This mountainside is a good deal like Cave Island," he muttered, as he
advanced. "That was honeycombed with caves and so is this. No wonder
they have landslides here. The ground and rocks are bound to settle,
with so many openings to fill up."

He had gone forward about a hundred and fifty feet when he found the
opening leading upward. Then of a sudden he gave a cry of wonder and
delight.

Just ahead of him were a number of heavy timbers, such as are used for
shoring in mines. And among the timbers lay a pick and a crowbar and the
remains of a smashed lantern.

At that instant Dave remembered one thing that Roger had told him, which
was that Maurice Harrison had always branded all of his tools with his
initials. Eagerly, our hero caught up the pick and held the handle in
the light of his torch. There, on the broad part of the pick's handle,
were the initials:

_M. H._

"It's the lost mine!" shouted the youth. "The lost mine as sure as fate!
Oh, I must get out and tell Roger and the others of this!"

But then he hesitated. What if this should prove to be only some
abandoned "prospect" and not the real mine at all?

"I'd better look around a little first and make sure," he reasoned. "If
I can only find some of the gold Mr. Harrison spoke about, I'd be
sure."

He looked at the lantern and the crowbar and saw that both contained the
initials found on the pick. He placed the three articles in a heap, and
then climbed over the broken timbers to the opening beyond. As he did
this a current of pure, cold air struck him.

"There must be other openings to this cave or mine," he reasoned.
"Otherwise it wouldn't be so well ventilated. Well, I'm glad to have the
fresh air. Where is that gold? If this is really the mine I ought to see
some of it in the rocks."

He walked along, throwing the light of his torch on the rocks as he did
so. For several minutes he saw nothing that looked like gold, and his
heart sank. But suddenly he gave a low whistle and in his excitement
almost dropped his torch.

For in a crack of the rocks he had come across a small "pocket," as it
is termed by miners. In the pocket lay a quantity of sand, and on top of
this an irregular object about as large as a small hen's egg.

"A nugget! A nugget of gold!" cried Dave, as he rubbed it off and
inspected it by the light of the torch. "A nugget of gold just as sure
as sure can be! Oh, this must be the lost mine!"

In feverish haste he set his torch up in a crack of the rocks and
commenced to scoop the sand from the pocket with his hands. Out came
another nugget and then another, and then half a dozen, all about the
size of hickory nuts. Then the pocket grew so deep and narrow he could
not reach down into it. He took up the crowbar, and with it ascertained
that the opening with the sand and nuggets was of unknown depth.

"It's the lost Landslide Mine!" said Dave to himself. "The lost mine
beyond a doubt, and all this gold belongs to Mrs. Morr! Oh, won't Roger
be glad when I tell him the glorious news!"

Gathering up the nuggets he had found, Dave placed them in his pocket to
show to the others, and then started to leave the place.

As he did this, he heard a peculiar rumbling sound, coming from a
distance. He stopped to listen, and the rumble grew louder and louder.

"What in the world can that be?" he asked himself. "Sounds like a train
of cars rushing through a tunnel. I wonder----Oh!"

Dave stopped short, and it is no wonder that a sudden chill passed over
him. The very rocks on which he was standing had begun to quake. Then
from overhead several stones fell, one so close that it brushed his
shoulder.

"It's an earthquake, or another landslide!" he gasped. "I must get out
of this, or I'll be buried alive!"

And then, torch in hand, he started for the opening to the mine.

He had hardly covered half the distance to the outer air when there came
another quaking, and more rocks fell, one hitting him on the arm. The
torch was knocked from his hand and he tripped and fell. Then came a
crash and a roar, and to Dave it seemed as if the end of the world had
come. He was more than half-stunned, and he fell against a wall of
rocks, wondering what would happen next.




CHAPTER XXIX

ANOTHER LANDSLIDE


It was another landslide, crashing and roaring down the side of the
mountain, carrying rocks, dirt, and brushwood before it. The earth
roared and shook, and it was said afterwards that the slide could be
heard many miles away.

Down in the mine that he had but just discovered, Dave remained
crouching against a wall of rock, murmuring a prayer for his safe
deliverance from the peril that encompassed him. Every moment he
expected would be his last--that those rocky walls would crash in on him
and become his tomb. Roar followed roar, as the landslide continued and
more rocks fell. Then the air around him seemed to be compressed, until
he could scarcely breathe.

"Oh, if I were only out of this!" he thought, and at that moment he
would have gladly given all he was worth to have been in the outer air
once more.

Gradually the roaring and the quaking ceased, and Dave breathed a little
more freely. He groped around in the darkness and managed to locate the
fallen torch, which still glowed faintly. He swung it into a blaze with
nervous energy.

Was the landslide at an end? Fervidly he prayed that it was. Torch in
hand, he tried to make his way to the spot where he had entered the
mine.

He soon found this impossible, for the reason that the passageway had
shifted, and huge rocks blocked his way. Several times he tried to climb
over the rocks, only to fall back helplessly. He cut his hands and broke
his finger-nails, but this availed him nothing.

"But I've got to get out! I've got to!" he told himself, over and over
again. "I can't stay here!" And then he tried to climb the rocks in
front of him once more.

It was hard work, especially with the torch in hand. Once Dave tried to
carry the torch between his teeth, but it was too short, and his face
was scorched, while the smoke almost strangled him.

Suddenly he slipped on some wet rocks and went down and down, he knew
not whither. He was stunned by the fall, and the precious light slid
from his grasp and rolled several yards away.

"Oh!" he murmured as he gathered his scattered senses and arose slowly
to his feet. Then he saw that the torch was on the point of going out
and he made a dash for it, and swung it once again into a faint blaze.

As he stepped around he noticed something else that added to his dismay.
In his fall he had twisted his left ankle, which gave a twitch that made
him shut his teeth hard, to keep from crying out with pain.

"Oh, I hope I haven't broken it!" he muttered. "However am I going to
walk on it, even if it is broken?"

In sheer desperation he commenced to climb up the wet rocks down which
he had tumbled. The ankle hurt not a little, yet in his excitement the
youth scarcely noticed the pain. His one thought was to get out of the
cave before another landslide or earthquake occurred.

A few minutes later found Dave on the level from which he had fallen. As
he scrambled over the rocks something caught the glare of the
torchlight. The youth picked up the object.

"Another nugget!" he told himself. "The place must be full of them!"

But what good would these nuggets be to him or his friends if he could
not get out of the mine-cave? He was deep underground and this new
landslide or earthquake might bury him and the contents of the mine
forever!

"I've got to get out!" he repeated over and over again. "I've got to get
out somehow!"

Trying to pierce the gloom ahead, Dave swung his torch behind him. Was
he mistaken, or was that a glimmer of daylight in the distance? He
stumbled forward, over some loose stones, and presently came to a split
in the narrow passageway.

From overhead came a faint ray of daylight! He almost felt like giving a
shout of joy, so welcome was the sight. But then his heart sank once
more as he realized that the thin shaft of light came from a split in
some rocks which were fifty or sixty feet above his head. The walls were
so steep and slippery that to scale them was utterly out of the
question.

In front of Dave was now a solid wall of rock, so the youth knew that he
could not get out in that direction. With a heavy heart he retraced his
steps, trying to locate the opening by which he had entered the cave.
But the landslide, or earthquake, had changed the surroundings to such
an extent that he hardly knew how to turn to make the next move.

A youth less stout of heart than Dave might have sat down and given up
the case as hopeless. But our hero was not made of such stuff. He moved
on slowly, in one direction and then another, trying out what looked as
if they might be passages to the outer air.

And then came another distant rumble, showing that the earthquake, or
landslide, was not yet at an end. The boy held his breath, wondering if
it would come closer and annihilate him. But the rumble remained at a
distance, and in less than a minute passed away completely.

"Thank fortune, that didn't come here!" he murmured, and passed his hand
over his forehead, upon which the thick beads of cold perspiration had
gathered. He strained his ears for several seconds longer, but all
around him was now as silent as a tomb.

"Oh, I must get out!" he muttered, despairingly. "I must! There must be
some kind of an opening somewhere!"

Again he stumbled onward, into one passageway after another. Once the
place was so narrow that he became fairly wedged fast and had all he
could do to draw back. Then a sudden chill swept through his body,
making his teeth chatter.

Must he give up? Was that cave to become his tomb?

The thought forced itself upon Dave in spite of his effort to take a
more cheerful view of the situation. He was hemmed in--not an avenue of
escape seemed open.

"I won't give up! I won't! I won't!" he muttered, half savagely, and got
up from the rock on which he had sunk down to rest. Climbing around in
that place where the footing was so uncertain had taken both his wind
and his strength, and he was panting, and his knees shook beneath him.
Only a short time had elapsed since that dreadful first shock had come,
yet to the youth it seemed an age.

He looked at the torch. It had burned well down and would not last much
longer. And when it was gone he would be left in total darkness!

This was a new cause for fear, and it made Dave move around faster than
ever.

Suddenly he stopped short. A new sound had reached his ears--a strange,
weird sound that made his flesh creep and his hair stand on end.

It was the cry of a wildcat--shrill and uncanny in that pent-up space.
Slowly it came nearer, although from what direction our hero could not
at first make out.

He waited behind a spur of rocks and the cry--it was more a whine of
fright than anything else--came closer. Then, on a shelf of rocks but a
short distance away, Dave caught sight of the beast.

It was limping along on three feet, dragging a bleeding hind leg and a
bleeding tail behind it. Evidently it had been caught between the
falling stones as in a trap and had pulled itself loose in a mad effort
to save its life.

For the moment Dave forgot his other perils as he faced the beast.
Evidently the wildcat had scented the youth, for it gave a savage cry
as of defiance. Perhaps it thought that Dave was responsible in some way
for the pain it was suffering.

The youth's hand was on the rocks and almost unconsciously it closed on
a sharp stone about as big as his fist. Raising the stone, he took quick
aim and threw it at the wildcat.

As my old readers know, Dave was a good baseball player and, at Oak
Hall, had often filled the pitcher's box with credit. He threw the stone
with accuracy and vigor, and it landed fairly and squarely on the head
of the wildcat.

There was a weird screech, and the beast whirled around and around on
the rocks, coming closer and closer to our hero. Once it clawed savagely
at Dave, but he shoved the creature off before any damage was done. Then
it fell down in a cleft of some rocks, where it snapped and snarled
until Dave sent down a heavy boulder on top of it, thus ending its
misery.

"Phew!" gasped the youth, after the excitement was over. "That was
almost as bad as when we shot the mountain lioness!"

He had dropped the end of his torch, but now picked it up once more and
commenced to move around as before. He proceeded blindly, not knowing in
what direction to turn to reach the outer air.

"Where can the others be?" was a question he asked himself more than
once. Were they, too, caught underground, or had the awful landslide
carried them down into the valley and buried them?

In the course of his climbings Dave presently came to a new turn, one
which had before escaped his attention. This turn led upward and gave
him fresh hope. But, just as he fancied that he was getting close to the
outer air, he reached a flat wall, and further progress in that
direction was out of the question.

His heart sank like lead in his bosom, and he walked slowly back to the
point from which he had started. How to turn next he did not know.

Half an hour passed, and Dave was almost in despair. His torch had
reached its end and was on the point of going out. Then, not knowing
what else to do, he set up a cry for help.

There came no reply, and he cried again. Then he pulled out his pistol
and fired a shot.

The discharge of the weapon echoed and reechoed throughout the cave and
brought down several small stones. Then, to Dave's intense surprise and
joy, an answering shot came back.

"Who is it?" he yelled. "I am here! This way! _This way!_"

"Hello!" was the long-drawn-out answer, coming from some point that
appeared to be over his head. "Where--are--you?"

And then, as Dave's torch gave a final flicker and went out, our hero
saw a shaft of light move over the rocks above his head.

"It's Roger's flashlight!" he told himself, and then he set up another
cry.

The rays of the flashlight became stronger and of a sudden they shot
downward, directly in Dave's face.

"It's Dave!" came in Roger's voice. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," was the ready reply. "That you, Roger?"

"Yes. Phil is with me."

"Were you hurt?"

"Shaken up a bit, that's all," replied Phil, and now Dave saw his chums
standing in an opening that was about eight feet above his head.

"We had better get out of here," went on Roger, quickly. "Another
landslide may bury us alive!"

"I've found the mine!" cried Dave. "I've got some nuggets from it--and a
pick, a crowbar, and a broken lantern, all with your uncle's initials on
them!"

"Good for you!" cried the senator's son. "Phil and I found some
evidences of the mine up here--an old coat of my uncle's and some of his
stakes. But we had better get out now--we can talk this thing over
later."

"I can't get out down here--the passageway is blocked with rocks."

"Did you get in from below?" cried Phil. "We got in from up here."

A few words more passed, and the two boys on the upper ledge of rocks
passed down a length of rope they carried, and by that means Dave was
soon enabled to climb up and join them. There were no more quakes, so
all began to breathe more freely. Yet they felt that it would be
advisable to leave the cave-mine without delay.

"It certainly is the lost Landslide Mine!" exclaimed Roger. "Oh, how
glad I am that it has been found! And how glad my folks will be to get
the welcome news!" Even the peril of the present situation could not rob
him of his joy over the discovery that had been made.

He and Phil had picked up several small nuggets, so that all were sure
they had really discovered the lost mine.

"But they will have to be careful how they work this mine," said Dave,
as he walked along with his chums. "They can't work it from below--it
will be too dangerous."

"Oh, they'll find some way, don't fear," answered Roger. "As long as
they know the gold is there, they'll find a way to get it."

"Where are the others?" went on Dave, as he saw daylight ahead, much to
his satisfaction.

"That we don't know," answered Phil. "But we are hoping they are safe."

"By the way, did you see Merwell and Haskers?" cried Dave, suddenly.

"Why, no--not since they ran away from our camp," returned Roger.

"I saw them--just before I found this opening. They were below me, the
two of them and Sol Blugg."

"Maybe they got caught," muttered Phil.

No more was said just then, for the boys had to do some climbing over
several big rocks, and needed their breath. Then they made a turn, and a
moment later came out into the sunlight.

"Oh, how good it seems to be out in the air once more!" murmured Dave.

"Thank heaven, none of us were killed," added Roger.

"No more underground exploring for me," avowed Phil. "More than once I
thought we would be buried alive!"

"That is what I was afraid would happen to me," said Dave, seriously.
"Yes, we can all thank heaven we are out of it."

"And now to hunt up Blower and Mr. Dillon," came from the senator's son.

"If only they are safe!" murmured Dave. For the time being those who had
been on the mountainside below them were forgotten.

It was hard work to make their way from rock to rock. All the trails
were gone, and they had to proceed with extreme care, for fear of
dislodging some rock and rolling down into the valley with it.

"There they are!"

It was Dave who gave utterance to the cry, about half an hour later. He
pointed to a distant spur, and there, sure enough, they beheld Abe
Blower and Tom Dillon. The old miners had the horses with them.

"I wonder if they were hurt?" queried Phil.

"They seem to be all right," returned Roger. "I wish they would look
this way."

"We'll have to signal to them," said Dave.

"How are you going to do it?" asked the shipowner's son. "You can't call
to them at such a distance. They wouldn't hear you."

"We can give 'em a pistol shot, Phil."

"Why, to be sure! How foolish I was, not to think of it!"

"I'll fire a shot," said Roger, and brought out his weapon.

To the first shot there was no reply, but when a second was discharged
both Abe Blower and Tom Dillon were seen to turn around. Then the boys
commenced to wave their hands vigorously.

"They see us!" exclaimed Dave, half a minute later. They saw the two old
miners wave their hands in return, and Abe Blower discharged his
pistol.

"See, they are doing some kind of signalling!" cried Phil, a little
later.

All watched with interest. They saw that Abe Blower had taken up a long
bit of brushwood and was waving it in a circle to the northwestward.

"They want us to come around in that direction!" said Roger. "Don't you
think so, Dave?"

"That's the way it strikes me," was our hero's reply. "See, what is left
of the trail is in that direction. But, my! how the whole face of the
mountain is changed!"

"Not much trail left!" grumbled Phil. "If we are not careful we'll break
our necks reaching them!"

"We'll have to take it slowly," answered Dave.

The three youths set out, and they were glad to see the two miners do
the same. The men were on horseback, and the other steeds came behind
them.

As the boys had surmised, progress was difficult, and often they had to
halt, not knowing how to proceed. Here and there they could see a small
portion of a trail, but for the most part the way was new and
exceedingly rough.

"If they ever do any mining here they'll have to spend a lot of time
first building a roadway," was Phil's comment.

"If the mining pays it won't take long to get a roadway--and bridges,
too," answered Roger. "Money can do almost anything, you know."

"Oh, I know that."

"The main thing will be to guard against the landslides," said Dave,
grimly. "But I guess they'll know how to do that, too."

On went the boys, over the rough rocks and across patches of freshly
turned up dirt. All were utterly worn out, yet not one of them
complained.

"There they are!" cried Dave, some time after noon, as they made a turn
around some rocks; and in a few minutes the friends were together once
more.

"All safe?" asked Abe Blower, anxiously, and then, when assured that no
harm had come to the boys, he added: "Mighty glad to know it!"

"So am I glad!" put in Tom Dillon, heartily. "It was sure some
landslide! Almost as bad as the one that wiped out the mine!"

"We've got good news!" cried Roger. "We have relocated the lost mine!
Dave did it!"

"You and Phil did it, too," said our hero, modestly.

"Wot! Have ye located the Landslide Mine?" roared Abe Blower.

"We sure have," returned Phil. "Look here!" And he brought out some of
the nuggets he carried. And then Roger and Dave did the same.

"This is grand!" exclaimed Tom Dillon. "Nuggets, an' pretty big ones,
too. But how do you know it's the mine?"

"We found some landmarks," answered Roger. "And my uncle's coat and a
note-book----"

"And his pick, crowbar, and lantern," added Dave. And then the three
boys told their story in detail.

"It must be the lost mine," said Abe Blower. "An' if it is, I
congratulate ye!" And he shook hands all around. "Tom, they got ahead o'
us," he added, with a grin.

"So they did," was the answer. "Well, I'd rather have it that way than
have those other fellers locate the mine. By the way, I wonder how they
fared in the landslide?" the old miner continued.

"Three of them, Merwell, Haskers, and Blugg, were below me," answered
Dave. "They were over yonder," and he pointed with his hand.

"Wot! Down on thet ledge?" cried Abe Blower.

"Yes."

"Humph! Then I reckon it's all up with 'em," went on the old miner.

"What do you mean?" asked Roger.

"I mean it's likely they was wiped out," was the reply. "When the fust
quake an' slide came I was lookin' down towards thet ledge. I saw some
heavy rocks go down, and a big mass o' dirt, too, an' the ledge was
buried out o' sight. If they was down thar, it's more'n likely they was
buried alive!"

"Oh, I'd hate to think that!" cried Dave, with a shudder.

"Do you think the landslide is at an end?" asked Phil, anxiously.

"There is no tellin' about that, lad. We'll go up on the mountain, and
to the safest place we can find, and then wait," said Tom Dillon.

This was done, and an hour later, worn out completely, all sat down to
rest and to partake of lunch. They could look far along the mountainside
and see just where the avalanche of rocks and dirt had swept downward, a
portion halting here and there, and the remainder going clear to the
valley far below.

They had been resting about an hour when they saw a figure approaching
on foot. It was a man, hatless, and with half his clothes torn from his
back. As he came closer they recognized Larry Jaley.

"Jaley, where are you going?" demanded Tom Dillon.

At the sound of the miner's voice the man halted and then threw up his
hands. Then he staggered forward once more.

"Save me!" he yelled, wildly. "Save me! Don't shoot me! Save me from the
landslide!" And then stumbling, he fell at the feet of Dave and his
friends.

"Are you alone?" asked Abe Blower.

"Ye--yes! Save me! Oh, save me!" whined Jaley, and he turned a face full
of fear on those before him.

"Where are Merwell and Haskers and Blugg?" asked Dave.

"All gone--swept away by the landslide!" was the whining reply. "Oh, it
was awful! It smashed them all up--and smashed up the horses, too! Oh,
save me! Save me!" And then Larry Jaley gave a gasp and fell in a heap,
unable to say another word.




CHAPTER XXX

THE NEW CLAIM--CONCLUSION


"Poor fellow, he is scared stiff!" said Dave, as he bent over the
shrinking man.

"I reckon the landslide made him about loony--thet an' seein' them
others carried off to death," murmured Abe Blower.

"I wonder if they really were killed?" said Roger. "If it's true, what
an awful death to die!"

"Men before now have been killed by landslides," said Tom Dillon. "And
just remember, we ain't out of it ourselves, yet," he added, gravely.

Larry Jaley was cared for and given something to eat and to drink, and
then he told his story. The landslide had come upon his whole crowd
without warning and he had escaped by what was little short of a
miracle. The sight had so weakened and sickened him that he had rushed
away, not knowing in what direction, until he had come to our friends'
camp.

"Jest help me to git off o' this mountain an' I won't never follow ye
ag'in," he whined, to the miners and the boys. "Jest help me to git
away, thet's all!"

"You can take your chances with the rest of us, Jaley," answered Tom
Dillon, somewhat sternly. "And you mind how you behave yourself, too!"
he added, by way of a warning.

By the following morning the scare was over, and the boys took Abe
Blower and Tom Dillon into the upper entrance to the mine. Just a brief
examination was made, but it was sufficient to prove to the old
prospectors that the lads had really rediscovered the lost Landslide
Mine. Then the old miners put up the proper stakes, as a new claim for
Mrs. Morr.

In the meantime, Larry Jaley had been given some stores and told to go
about his business. Abe Blower had directed him to a trail to the
southward. This was a long way around, but the trail seemed to be
perfectly safe, and Jaley was only too glad to take to it. It was the
last the boys saw of the man.

"And now to get back to town and establish this claim," said Roger, some
time later. "Won't my folks be pleased!" And his face showed his
satisfaction.

"And then to get to Yellowstone Park for a good time!" returned Dave.
"We'll have to wire the folks that we are coming."

The journey down the mountainside was by no means easy, and it took the
party two days to get to a point where traveling on horseback was safe.
When they came down they kept their eyes open for some sign of Merwell,
Haskers, and Blugg, but all they found was a portion of the latter's
camping outfit and the body of one of their horses.

"Poor chaps! They must be buried under tons and tons of earth and
rocks!" murmured Dave.

"It certainly looks like it," answered Phil.

"What a fearful end!" said Roger, with a shudder.

The coming of our friends into Black Cat Camp created quite a stir, and
many wanted to learn the particulars of the landslide. These were told
in detail, but not a word was said about relocating the lost mine.

"The news will leak out soon enough," said Tom Dillon. "We want the
cream of the chanct up there." It may be as well to state that he had
located a claim for himself on one side of the Morr claim, and Abe
Blower had located a claim on the other side.

As soon as the boys got back to Butte the claims were properly filed,
and the lads lost no time in sending off half a dozen telegrams and
letters. Then they took a good wash and changed their rough mining
clothing for more presentable suits.

"And now for a first-class, six-course dinner!" cried Phil. "I say,
doesn't it feel good to get back to civilization again!"

"It certainly does," answered Dave. "But I'll feel more at home when we
join the folks in the Park."

"Huh! you're thinking of Jessie!" cried the shipowner's son, slyly, and
at this "knock" Dave blushed deeply.

The boys had hardly eaten their dinner when there came a telegram from
Senator Morr.

"Listen to this, boys!" cried Roger, and read the following:

     "Good news received and we are much delighted. You boys are
     certainly wonders. Will await letter with interest."

"I wish I could have seen mother's face when dad read my message to
her," went on the senator's son, wistfully. Later on he received a
letter written by both his parents in which they told of the joy the
news had brought. Later still, the newly-located mine was opened, under
the directions of Abe Blower and Tom Dillon, and the three claims were
thrown into one, a stock-company being formed for that purpose, with
Senator Morr as president. Both Dave and Phil were given stock in the
mining company, and it paid very well.

"Now, if only your father can hold his position," said Dave, to Roger,
one day, "your folks will be well fixed."

"He is going to try to hold it, in spite of his political enemies,"
answered Roger. And this Senator Morr eventually did, being elected to
another term at Washington.

It was a happy day for the three boys when they bade good-by to Abe
Blower and Tom Dillon and left Butte to go to Yellowstone Park. The old
miners were sorry to part with the lads.

"Never mind, we'll be back here some day!" cried Roger.

"Surest thing you know!" added Dave.

They had already sent word ahead as to what train they were taking, and
when they arrived at Livingston they found Dunston Porter on hand to
greet them. Then a quick run was made to Gardiner, and there all took a
stage into the Park to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

"There they are! I see them!" cried Laura.

"Oh, look how sunburnt they are!" exclaimed Jessie, and then both girls
made a wild dash from the hotel veranda to where the stage was stopping.
In the meantime, Dave had jumped from the seat and soon he was shaking
hands with Jessie and had kissed his sister. Then the others came up,
and there was general rejoicing.

"We have been around the Park once, on a stage," said Laura.

"But we are going again, on horseback and to camp out!" declared Jessie.

"Fine!" cried Dave. "Couldn't be better!"

"And to think you found that mine!" cried Laura, to Roger. "Oh, how glad
I was to hear it!"

"We were all glad!" put in Mrs. Wadsworth.

"And you shot a mountain lion!" cried Jessie. "Oh, Dave!" And she fairly
beamed on the youth.

"I suppose you'll be after fresh adventures before long," said Dunston
Porter, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Maybe," answered Dave. "But I think I'll be content to stay here for a
bit and take it easy," and he smiled openly at Jessie, who had to turn
away to hide her blushes.

What next befell our hero will be related in another volume, to be
entitled "Dave Porter at Bear Camp; or, The Wild Man of Mirror Lake." In
that we shall learn the particulars of a queer mystery and what Dave did
towards solving it.

It was certainly a happy gathering, and the boys were sorry that Ben and
Shadow and some of the others were not there to enjoy it. But they had
departed for the East with the others on the personally-conducted tour.

"You'll have to tell us the whole story from beginning to end," said
Laura to her brother. "Jessie and Belle and I are just dying to hear
every word of it."

"Poor Link Merwell!" sighed Belle Endicott. "I feel sorry for his
folks!"

"Yes, what a fearful ending for Merwell and for Haskers, too!" murmured
Laura.

"And so you will be rich after all, Roger!" cried Laura.

"Yes, and I am very thankful," returned the senator's son, and then he
took a long walk with Laura, while Dave paired off with Jessie, and Phil
went with Belle. The young friends had a great deal to tell each other,
and nobody thought of disturbing them.

"Well, it certainly was some trip," said Phil, to Dunston Porter, Mrs.
Wadsworth, and Belle. "And that landslide! Excuse me from falling in
with one of those again!" And he shook his head gravely.

"You can be thankful you were not buried alive," said Mrs. Wadsworth.
Belle said nothing, but she looked at Phil in a manner that warmed his
heart.

That evening all of the party had a grand celebration at the hotel.
Every one was in the best of spirits, and the boys fairly outdid
themselves telling jokes and funny stories.

"I can tell you, it was a trip well worth taking," said Roger, when
about to retire.

"So it was," declared our hero. And here we will leave Dave Porter and
say good-by.


THE END




DAVE PORTER SERIES

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER


     "Mr. Stratemeyer has seldom introduced a more popular hero than
     Dave Porter. He is a typical boy, manly, brave, always ready for a
     good time if it can be obtained in an honorable way."--_Wisconsin,
     Milwaukee, Wis._

     "Edward Stratemeyer's 'Dave Porter' has become exceedingly
     popular."--_Boston Globe._

     "Dave and his friends are nice, manly chaps."--_Times-Democrat, New
     Orleans._


    DAVE PORTER AT OAK HALL
        Or The School Days of an American Boy

    DAVE PORTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS
        Or The Strange Cruise of the _Stormy Petrel_

    DAVE PORTER'S RETURN TO SCHOOL
        Or Winning the Medal of Honor

    DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH
        Or The Pluck of an American Schoolboy

    DAVE PORTER AND HIS CLASSMATES
        Or For the Honor of Oak Hall

    DAVE PORTER AT STAR RANCH
        Or The Cowboy's Secret

    DAVE PORTER AND HIS RIVALS
        Or The Chums and Foes of Oak Hall

    DAVE PORTER ON CAVE ISLAND
        Or A Schoolboy's Mysterious Mission

    DAVE PORTER AND THE RUNAWAYS
        Or Last Days at Oak Hall

    DAVE PORTER IN THE GOLD FIELDS
        Or The Search for the Landslide Mine

    DAVE PORTER AT BEAR CAMP
        Or The Wild Man of Mirror Lake

    DAVE PORTER AND HIS DOUBLE
        Or The Disappearance of the Basswood Fortune

    DAVE PORTER'S GREAT SEARCH
        Or The Perils of a Young Civil Engineer

    DAVE PORTER UNDER FIRE
        Or A Young Army Engineer in France

    DAVE PORTER'S WAR HONORS
        Or At the Front with the Fighting Engineers