otten hold of a cylinder of the poison
gas and sprayed it on these men so as to get a chance to use his Elixer
to revive them?"

Before Bud could answer there was a noise as of men and horses coming
up the defile, and, thinking it was some of the former gang returning,
guns were whipped out. But they were not needed. Two mild-mannered
and inoffensive appearing men rode into sight. They had the look of
college professors. Behind them rode Billee Dobb.

"Hello, boys!" greeted Billee, all unaware of the recent sensational
happenings. "Here's the mine experts your dad sent out to look over
our gold prospects, Bud. They're going to test the quality of the ore,
and see how much it assays to the ton. That's the right way to express
it; ain't it?" He turned to the older of the two men.

"That is perfectly correct, Mr. Dobb. And if you will show us the mine
we can soon tell you, approximately, how valuable it is."

"It's in that cave. You'll find lots of gold there. And the first lot
that comes to me is goin' to be spent for a self-playin' piano. But
what happened here?" Billee asked, for he was now aware that something
unusual had taken place.

"The darn scoundrels!" he exclaimed when he had been told of the death
of the cattle and the plight of the men. "So they come back; did they?
Well, we'll soon have a big force here takin' out gold and we'll keep
better guard."

Meanwhile the mining experts went into the cavern to test the gold mine.

CHAPTER XXIV

A STRANGE DISCOVERY

Billee Dobb, having listened to the stories of Bud and his cousins, and
the tale told by Sam and his pals, shook his head dubiously.

"I can't figger it all out," he said. "But you sure done a noble job,
Tosh, and we thank you for it. Can you tell us anything about those
rascals with their tanks of gas?"

"I don't know nothin' about gas tanks," said the old man. "But more
than once I've warned you men about----"

What the warning was he did not get a chance to explain, for at that
moment Professor Dodson, the mine expert, with his assistant, Professor
Snath, emerged from the interior of the cave, into whose black depths
they had disappeared some time ago, while Bud and the others were
talking.

"By golly!" exclaimed Billee, suddenly changing the subject. "They got
their report ready pretty quick. I reckon the gold's so thick in there
they don't need to make much of a test. Whoopee! I'll soon have my
self-playin' pi