reached the foot of
the "bubble," when, leaving Yetmore to take care of the mules, Joe and I
climbed up to the crevice, and having presently, by feeling around with
our hands, found the hiding-place of the sacks, we pulled them out and
carried them, one at a time down to the wagon. All this, being done in
the dark, took a long time, and it was pretty late when we drew up again
at our own door.

Here, for the first time, Yetmore, striking a match, examined the ten
little sacks.

"It's all right, boys," said he, with a great sigh of relief. "These are
the sacks; and none of them has been opened, either." He paused for a
moment, and then, with much earnestness of manner, went on: "How am I to
thank you, boys? You've done me a service of infinite importance. The
loss of that ore almost distracted me: I needed the money so badly. But
now, thanks to you, I shall be all right again. You don't know how great
a service you have done me. I shan't forget it. We've not always been on
the best of terms, I'm sorry to say--my fault, though, my fault
entirely--but I should be very glad, if it suits you, to start fresh
to-night and begin again as friends."

He was so evidently in earnest, that Joe and I by one impulse shook
hands with him and declared that nothing would suit us better.

"And how about the ore, Mr. Yetmore?" I asked. "What will you do now?"

"If you don't mind," he replied, "I should like to drive straight up to
Sulphide at once. If you will lend me the mules and wagon, I'll set
right off. I'll return them to-morrow."

"Very well," said I. "And you can leave your own horse in the stable, so
that whoever brings down the team will have a horse to ride home on."

Yetmore, accordingly, climbed up to the seat and drove off at once,
calling back over his shoulder: "Good-night, boys; and thank you again.
I feel ten years younger than I did this morning!"

CHAPTER XVII

THE DRAINING OF THE "FORTY RODS"

As soon as Yetmore was out of sight, Joe and I turned into the house,
where we found that Peter, wise man, had gone to bed; an example we
speedily followed. But, tired though we were, we could neither of us go
to sleep. For a long time we lay talking over the exciting events of the
day, and going over the probable consequences, if, as now seemed
certain, we had indeed discovered the source of our underground stream.
First and foremost, by diverting it we should dry up the "forty rods"
and render productive a l