lady, Tom?" Harry asked his
chum when he could do so privately.

"A fine-looking girl," Reade answered briefly. "But I fear she
would be highly offended if she knew that, all through dinner,
my every thought was on the mine and the problems that we shall
find there."

"I want to talk with you about that mine, and about some impressions
that I have formed here," murmured Hazelton.

"Then another time, my dear fellow, for here comes Don Luis, and
I see Dr. Tisco returning from the garden."

That forestalled conversation for the time being. When the young
engineers, still relentlessly attended by Nicolas, sought their
own rooms Hazelton was so drowsy that he undressed hurriedly and
dropped into bed.

Later in the night Harry sat up suddenly in the dark. Some one
was moving in the parlor that separated the two bedrooms. An
instant after awakening Harry slipped off the bed, then stole
toward the next room.

In the darkness he made out a moving figure. Like a panther Harry
sprang, landing on the all but invisible figure.

"Now, I've got you!" Hazelton hissed, wrapping his arms around
the prowler.

"And small credit to you," drawled Tom's dry voice. "Hist!"

"What's up?" demanded Hazelton, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"You and I are."

"But what's the matter?"

"I couldn't sleep," Tom whispered.

"You--troubled with nerves!" gasped Hazelton.

"Not just the way you understand it," returned Tom. "But I was
thinking, thinking, and I sat by the window yonder. Come over
there, Harry, but step without noise."

Wondering what it all meant, Hazelton softly followed his chum
to the open window.

"Now, look," said Tom, pointing, "and tell me what you see."

"A moment ago I thought I saw a light twinkling over there among
the hills."

"Look sixty seconds longer, and you'll see more lights, Harry;
those lights are on the trail that leads from the nearest gold
mines to _El Sombrero_. It is the trail Don Luis pointed out
to us to-day."

"But what--"

"Harry, I'm going to get on my clothes and slip over in that direction.
Do you want to go with me?"

"Yes; but what--"

"I can tell you better when we're on the way. Come on; dress! We can
easily leave the house without being detected."

Though Harry had already been through hosts of adventures, he
felt creepy as he dressed with speed and stealth, bent on slipping
unobserved out of their employer's house. But he was used to
following his chum