The entire party
increased their speed and rapidly moved forward.

Twenty minutes had elapsed when they stood beneath the tree which had been
discovered by Zeke.

"What kind of a tree is it?" inquired Fred.

"It's a Two Crow Tree," retorted George glibly.

"I wish I was dead sure of that," spoke up Zeke.

"Don't you think it is?" demanded Grant.

"Yes, I think it is, but of course I can't be sure."

"What shall we do now?" demanded Fred.

"Cook our dinner here and decide what we'll do next."

As soon as the simple meal had been prepared the young prospectors were
summoned to the repast. Their interest was so keen, however, in the tree
under whose branches they were seated that all the Go Ahead Boys were
ready to declare that the first landmark indicated by Simon Moultrie had
been found.

"The only thing for us to do," said Zeke after he had listened to all that
the boys had to say, "is for Thomas Jefferson and myself to leave you here
while we go ahead to see if we can find anything that looks like Tom's
Thumb. If we find it then we may be pretty sure that we're on the right
track."

"How will you know?" inquired John.

"Have to use our common sense," said the guide sharply.

"Did you ever see Tom's Thumb?"

"If I did I didn't know it by that name," said Zeke. "What do you boys
think we had better look for?"

"I say a rock shaped like a man's thumb," said Fred.

"I don't," spoke up John. "What I would look for would be a place in the
mountains ahead."

"I suggest a formation in the rim of the Gulch," said George.

"What do you say?" demanded Zeke as he turned to Grant.

For some reason the guide manifested greater confidence in the judgment of
Grant than in the opinions of the other boys.

"It seems to me," said Grant slowly, "that I should be on the lookout for
all of them. I'm inclined to think, however, that if you find it, it's
likely to be something in the shape of the ground that makes one think of
a man's thumb."

"Don't none of you boys stir from this tree," ordered Zeke abruptly. "Jeff
and I will go ahead and--"

"For a time you'll be the Go Ahead Boys," laughed Fred.

"I don't care much 'bout what you call us, but if we can get there you'll
hear from us before a great while."

The interest of the Go Ahead Boys was still keen after the departure of
the guide and the Indian. Silently they watched the two men as they
steadily proceeded on their way until at last they were lost to s