that lovely? Kit, do you think it's rich ore?"

"I can't tell you that, Bet, but Dad said there were a lot of fine
claims up this way."

"Oh, isn't it glorious?" enthused Bet. "We'll stake them out and own a
mine!"

"And if we find any good claims, we'll locate them today, for Dad gave
me some location blanks to give to the professor. Dad thinks that it
is all foolishness to hunt for a lost Indian village, so he was trying
to persuade the old man to go in for mining. And I have those blanks
in my saddle bag right here." And Kit waved her hand back toward the
canyon where Powder was standing patiently waiting his mistress's
return.

The girls had reached the flat and here they found a large outcropping
of greenish ore. Delightedly they set to work. On the legal forms
that they had brought with them, they filled in a description of the
claim. They erected a monument built of stones in the center and then
paced off the required number of feet and placed a small pile of stones
at four corners.

"It's a good thing I've watched Dad and other folks build their
monuments. Now I know just how to do it." Kit was jubilant. It was
thrilling to be able to show the girls the way to locate claims.

Kit took the blank that had been filled in and placed it in the center
of the monument. "There!" she exclaimed. "The first time we come back
here we'll bring a tin can and put that paper in it and bury it in the
rocks again. That will keep it dry."

"What a funny thing to do," laughed Bet.

"It's the rule up here. We're doing it the same as all the prospectors
did. Every claim was located that way!" Kit carefully covered the
blank, then folded up another, a duplicate and handed it to Bet. "Keep
this one."

"What for?" asked Shirley.

"That is the one we send in to be recorded at the County Office."

"I'm excited!" cried Bet as she dropped beside the pillar of rock in
the center of the claim. "Isn't it just too wonderful for anything to
own a mine like this? I feel rich already. And just think there may
be a big mine on this very spot some day!"

"Bet, you should have been a prospector. Every old miner in the hills
thinks that his own particular claims are going to be the biggest mine
in sight," laughed the Arizona girl. "As soon as he builds a monument
he begins to talk of private cars and mansions."

"I almost wish I were a prospector. It must be lots of fun to have
marvelous hopes of success. If I