rrow Chiquita will go
with the prospector to the stream where yonder mountain meets the sky.
Chiquita will watch and wait until Jack and Yamanatz shall return. The
prospector will find an old vein of mineral in which is gold. He must
work upon that while Yamanatz and Jack go toward the setting sun, where
the buzzards roost waiting for those who venture into Death Valley."

This satisfied the prospector, who answered, "It is not much thet bird
gets to put inside his 'bone box' sence the fools quit a-goin' ter ther
'Pegleg' mine. Ye hev bin told about thet, I guess, and ye don't look
thet crazy as would attempt even a one hour's ride into thet furnass.
I'll go with the Injun gal, and good luck ter ye."

"We will be gone five sleeps," said Yamanatz.

The second day found Jack and the Ute chief inside the well-concealed
stone covered opening which led to the river bed. Armed with horsehair
whips and gnarled pinon torches which blazed and smoked, they made their
way, leading horses and pack mules along the subterranean passage.
Occasionally the swashing of water smote their ears, and at intervals
open fissures extending to the stream far below them were encountered,
whereby cooling drink was obtained by means of a lariat and camp bucket.
It was not difficult to replenish the leathern pouches provided for
water.

The middle of the fourth day they reached the crumbling, disintegrated
mass of quartz, honeycombed with gold. It was necessary to crush the
decayed ore and extract the huge nuggets by washing in a pan.
Occasionally the breaking of some of the rock revealed solid masses of
pure gold, while in pockets of rusty, discolored quartz great handfuls
of gold sand were disclosed. All that day and night Jack worked with a
frenzied fervor, loading saddlebag after saddlebag with the precious
metal. Yamanatz assisted until all their receptacles were filled, then a
couple of hours of rest--sleep was out of the question. The heat and
excitement rendered it useless to attempt it.

Packing the valuable pouches together with the few camp requirements
which had been used on the trip, the return was commenced. The entrance
was reached in less time than it required going; but now it became
necessary to mark a trail by which Jack could find the way back to the
cavern alone. Monuments of stone were erected in triangles, which gave
the needed bearings for future use. More time had been consumed than had
been allowed, and starvation rati