lmost guarantee that he'll
get five times that sum back. So, as long as he doesn't feel that he
can help me out, I guess I'd better be traveling on."

"Hold on! Wait a minute. Don't be in a hurry," said Mr. Swift.

Mr. Peterson was an old friend, and when he and Mr. Swift were young
men they had prospected and grub-staked together. But Mr. Swift soon
gave that up to devote his time to his inventions, while Mr. Peterson
became a sort of rolling stone.

He was a good man, but somewhat visionary, and a bit inclined to "take
chances"--such as looking for lost treasure--rather than to devote
himself to some steady employment. The result was that he led rather a
precarious life, though never being actually in want.

"No, pardner," he said to Mr. Swift. "It's kind of you to ask me to
stay; but this mine business has got a grip on me. I want to try it
out. If you won't finance the project someone else may. I'll say
good-bye, and--"

"Now just a minute," said Mr. Swift. "It's true, Alec, I had about made
up my mind not to go into this thing, when this accident happened to
Tom. Now you practically saved his life. You--"

"Oh, pshaw! I only acted on the spur of the moment. Anyone could have
done what I did," protested the fortune-hunter.

"Oh, but you did it!" insisted Mr. Swift, "and you did it in the nick
of time. Now I wouldn't for a moment think of offering you a reward for
saving my son's life. But I do feel mighty friendly toward you--not
that I didn't before--but I do want to help you. Alec, I will go into
this business with you. We'll take a chance! I'll invest ten thousand
dollars, and I'm not so awful worried about getting it back,
either--though I don't believe in throwing money away."

"You won't throw it away in this case!" declared Mr. Peterson, eagerly.
"I'm sure to find that mine; but it will take a little capital to work
it. That's what I need--capital!"

"Well, I'll supply it to the extent of ten thousand dollars," said Mr.
Swift. "Tom, what do you think of it? Am I foolish or not?"

"Not a bit of it, Dad!" cried the young man, who was now himself again.
"I'm glad you took that chance, for, if you hadn't--well, I would have
supplied the money myself--that's all," and he smiled at the
fortune-hunter.

CHAPTER III

PLANNING A BIG GUN

"BUT, Tom, I don't see how in the world you can ever hope to make a
bigger gun than that."

"I think it can be done, Ned," was the quiet answer of the youn