and cart
through the law; and it's strictly up to the Forest Officer--or has been
in the past. If he reports the deposits valuable, and on that report a
patent is issued, why that settles it."

"Even if the mineral is a fake?"

"A patent is a patent. The time to head off the fraud is when the
application is made."

"Cannot the title be upset if fraud is clearly proved?"

"I do not see how," replied Thorne. "Plant is dead. The law is very
liberal. Predetermining the value of mineral deposits is largely a
matter of personal judgment. The company could, as we have seen, bring
an enormous influence to bear."

"Well," said Bob, "that land will average sixty thousand feet to the
acre. That's about a billion and a half feet. It's a big stake."

"If the company wasn't scared, why did they try so hard to head us off?"
observed California John shrewdly.

"It will do us no harm to investigate," put in Bob, his eye kindling
with eagerness. "It won't take long to examine the indications those
claims are based on."

"It's a ticklish period," objected Thorne. "I hate to embarrass the
Administration with anything ill-timed. We have much to do straightening
out what we now have on hand. You must remember we are short of men; we
can't spare many now."

"I'll tell you," suggested Amy. "Put it up to the Chief. Tell him just
how the matter stands. Let him decide."

"All right; I'll do that," agreed Thorne.

In due time the reply came. It advised circumspection in the matter; but
commanded a full report on the facts. Time enough, the Chief wrote, to
decide on the course to be pursued when the case should be established
in their own minds.

Accordingly Thorne detached Bob and Ware to investigate the mineral
status of the Basin. The latter's long experience in prospecting now
promised to stand the Service in good stead.

The two men camped in the Basin for three weeks, until the close of
which time they saw no human being. During this period they examined
carefully the various ledges on which the mineral claims had been based.
Ware pronounced them valueless, as far as he could judge.

"Some of them are just ordinary quartz dikes," said he. "I suppose they
claim gold for them. There's nothing in it; or if this does warrant a
man developing, then every citizen who lives near rock has a mine in his
back yard."

Nevertheless he made his reports as detailed as possible. In the
meantime Bob accomplished a rough, or "cruiser's" es