't get too far away to be back here at four-thirty sharp.
It's taken us over an hour to make this point, so we ought to start
back then at the latest. Remember, a little blazing will make the return
trip easier, and if nobody finds anything to-day, we'll take it up later
in the week. Go ahead."

The boys had been standing in little groups about him, and at the signal
most of these started off hotfoot, as if they expected to gain their
end by speed alone. Some hurried on toward the summit of the hill;
others turned to right or left and, pushing through the undergrowth,
disappeared along the side of the slope. Somewhat to Tompkins's surprise,
Ranny Phelps dawdled along until the others were out of sight. Then,
however, he turned swiftly and led the way almost directly downhill.

"What are you going back for?" asked Court Parker, in surprise.

"I've got a hunch," returned Ranny, briefly. Though instantly besieged
with questions, he did not continue until they were well away from the
clearing.

"It's just this," he said, without moderating his brisk pace. "We
certainly can't expect to find something that even the natives have lost
track of, by just tramping around aimlessly. Of course, we might happen
to stumble on it, but that would be a thousand-to-one chance. The
best way is to use system. Did any of you notice the old fellow who
brought over a load of fish this morning?"

"The man with whiskers you were talking to at the cook-shack?" asked
Frank Sanson.

"Yes. Well, he's lived around here all his life and is quite a character.
I was asking him about this lost mine just out of curiosity and
without having heard anything about the stunt this afternoon. He didn't
know much, but he finally did say his grandfather had once told him of
an old building they used as a smelter, or something."

"Gee!" exclaimed Sanson, excitedly. "And is this the way to it?"

"He hadn't any idea. He'd never seen it himself, and of course it must
have gone to ruin ages ago. But it stands to reason, doesn't it, that
a smelter would be more on the level and not on the side of a hill like
this? They'd have to cart stuff to and from it along some kind of a
road--"

"The one we came along!" put in Parker, eagerly.

"Maybe, though no road would keep open all this time without cutting.
Very likely that's just a lumbering-track. The point is, if we can only
locate this building, we'll be somewhere near the mine and won't have to
go prospecting