e valley below, reached the ears of our friends.

"Phantom Mountain has been destroyed, just as I said it would be," spoke
Mr. Parker, solemnly. Once more he had prophesied correctly.

For a few minutes the adventurers hardly knew what to say. They arose
awkwardly from the ground where the shock had tossed them. Then Tom
remarked, as calmly as possible:

"Well, it's all over. I guess we may as well get back to our airship."

"What became of Munson and the others?" asked Mr. Damon.

Mr. Jenks pointed to the trail, far below. The figures of some men,
running madly, could be seen.

"There they go," he said; "I fancy we have seen the last of them." And
they had, for some time at least.

There was little use lingering any longer on Phantom Mountain--indeed
little of it was left on which to remain. Looking back toward the place
where the cave had been, Tom and the others started forward again.
The diamond-making machinery had all been destroyed. So, also, had the
finished diamonds stored in the cavern and the large supply which had
probably been made by the last terrific crash. No one would ever have
them now. Tom and Mr. Jenks felt a sense of disappointment, but they
were glad to have escaped with their lives. They sought their former
camp, but the tent and all their food was buried under tons of earth and
rocks.

Three days later, after rather severe hardships, they were near the
place where they had left the Red Cloud. They had suffered cold and
hunger, for they had no food supplies, and, had it not been that Bill
Renshaw knew the haunts of some game, of which they managed to snare
some, they would have fared badly, for they had left their guns in the
cave.

"Well, there are the trees behind which I hope my airship is hidden,"
announced Tom, as they came to the spot. "Good old Red Cloud! Maybe we
won't do some eating when we get aboard, eh?"

"Bless my appetite! but we certainly will!" cried Mr. Damon.

"There's somebody walking around the place," spoke Mr. Jenks.

"I hope it's no one who has damaged the ship," came from Tom,
apprehensively. He broke into a run, and soon confronted an aged miner,
who seemed to have established a rude sort of camp near the airship.

"Is anything the matter?" asked Tom, breathlessly. "Is my airship all
right?"

"I guess she's all right, stranger," was the reply. "I don't know much
about these contraptions, but I haven't touched her. I knowed she was an
airship, for I've seen