een interest in the discussion.

"If I recollect aright," said John, "in that diary of Simon Moultrie's he
wrote that he was in the middle of Thorn's Gulch when he struck the vein
just right."

"That's so," spoke up Grant quickly, "I do remember that."

"Yea!" continued John, elated by the response which had greeted his words,
"and that isn't all. He says he followed it up and found the place he was
looking for. Didn't he say too that he had already had an assay made and
that it was great?"

"Wonderful, String!" said Fred. "You have proved yourself to be a great
man. That's exactly what was in the diary as I recall it. The only thing
then for us to do is to follow along the middle of Thorn's Gulch until we
strike the vein."

"Huh!" retorted Zeke, "you had better make arrangements to have breakfast
with the man in the moon than try any such plan as that."

"What shall we do then?" demanded John.

"We've got to decide first of all," explained Zeke, "about this claim that
old Sime staked."

"That's what we're trying to do," interrupted Fred glibly.

"Be patient with the child, Zeke," said Grant dryly. "He rides on a
half-fare ticket yet."

"Quit your fooling," spoke up John. "We want to find out about this."

"Well," said Zeke, "I've got a compass here, of course, but I haven't any
chain. How are we going to tell when we have covered the distance!"

"The only way," responded Grant, "will be for us to pace the distance
until we come to what we think is about the spot which Simon found."

"That will take a month of Sundays," spoke up George.

"It will take some time," acknowledged Grant, "but I don't know any other
way. Do you, Zeke?" he inquired, turning to the guide.

"Where are you going to start with your measurements?" demanded Zeke.

"Why, at Split Rock, of course," said Grant promptly.

"From the middle of the Rock, or the edge? From the near side or the far
side? From the top of it or--"

"I say," broke in Fred, "that we start from the edge of the Rock where it
touches the sand. Then we can follow the compass and we know just how many
paces there will be in a half-mile."

"It will depend on who does the pacing, I guess," said John drolly. "My
legs are longer than Fred's and I guess my steps wouldn't be more than
half as many as his."

"The best thing for us to do," said Grant confidently, "is to measure off
as nearly as we can do it just what a yard is. Then John, who can cover
any distance fr