you are
bright and energetic and may succeed."

"And what will you do?"

"I shall continue my search for a mine, and some day I may strike it."

Brooks was a college graduate, a civil engineer, and a mineralogist, and
believed he had great advantages in searching for a mine, but, as has
been indicated, thus far their tramp and search had been a dead failure.

"I'll stick with you," said Desmond.

"No, lad, you must go back."

"I swear I will not; I like this life, and remember, we have gathered
some wash dust and we may gather more. I don't know the value of what we
have gathered from the bottom of that stream we struck, but I do know
that it would take a long time to accumulate as much money in trade.
Remember, we have been in the mountains only six weeks."

"That is all right, but we might stay here six years and not make a
find."

At that instant there came a sound which caused Brooks and Desmond to
bend their ears and listen. Some of the Indians were on the warpath; a
band of bucks had been making a raid and had been pursued by the United
States cavalry into the mountains. Indians, as a rule, do not take to
the mountains, but sometimes when pursued hotly they will separate into
small bands and scatter through the hills; these fellows are dangerous.
They would have murdered any white men they might meet for their arms
alone, without considering the spirit of wantonness or revenge that
might animate them.

Brooks and Desmond rose from their seats beside the fire and moved
slowly away. At any moment an arrow or even a rifle shot might come and
end the life of one or both.

Desmond had become a very expert woodsman; he and Brooks had been
chased by Indians several times and had exchanged shots with one band.
They knew a cover in a crevice in the wall of rock which ran up abruptly
each side of the gulch; from this spot they could survey and also make a
good fight in an emergency. They had good weapons, plenty of ammunition,
and what was more, coolness, skill, and courage. Desmond, especially,
was a very cool-headed chap in times of danger; the use of firearms was
not new to him, nor was the woodsman life altogether a novelty, for he
had been raised in a very wild and desolate mountain region.

Quickly they stole to cover, although they believed it possible that
they might have been seen, for they had absolute proof, well known to
woodsmen, that if there were foes in the vicinity they had been
discovered. On