he fire was only to look at. And very quietly the
professor approached and squatted down beside them. He merely nodded
and then stared into the fire as Indian Joe was doing.

This continued for a long time, then the professor got up as quietly,
said goodnight and left.

After that Indian Joe and Old Mary were his devoted friends.

The professor returned to the house as pleased as if he had already
found the ancient ruins that he was seeking.

"I'm afraid you can't expect to get much help from the Indians,"
remarked Dad Patten. "There's a legend in these mountains to the
effect that Indians massacred a band of white men, and the daughter of
the old Indian chief cursed her own people. Within a year the tribe
had died out or wandered away. The village was deserted. Now the
daughter is supposed to appear at times when there is treachery going
on, a sort of warning to those who are doing wrong."

"That's a good idea," laughed Professor Gillette. "It has probably
kept many a man on the straight path."

"Maybe so, but I haven't ever noticed it. There is plenty of
crookedness goes on in the canyon. And no one, Indian or white man, is
safe from the ghost."

"Ah, that's interesting!" exclaimed the professor rubbing his hands
together in his excitement.

"The Mexicans believe it to a man," broke in Kit. "They will hardly
come into the canyon at night, especially if they have anything on
their conscience. Some white men are afraid of that ghost. Maybe you
believe in ghosts yourself, Professor Gillette?"

"No, I'm afraid not. But that ghost does complicate matters. The
Indians will not want to give me any information and I had planned to
save time by winning their confidence."

"Don't worry," replied Dad Patten. "Make friends with them and sooner
or later they'll let it slip out without meaning to. That is if they
know anything about a lost village. And truly, Professor, we always
thought that was just a lot of silly talk about there being an ancient
Indian town near here. I've never seen it and I've never seen anyone
else who has. So I doubt it."

"We'll see." The professor's eyes were aglow once more at the prospect
of finding the ruins and winning glory for himself. "If there is one
here, we'll find it, if it takes all summer. And now I'm very tired
and I'd like to go to bed," he added as simply as a child.

Ma Patten was in her glory. Here was another person for her to mother.
And she flutte