it's somewhere in the Rockies, but the exact
location is a mystery. That is why I need your help. You will soon
understand the reason. Well, as I said, myself, Folwell and the others,
who were not exactly prepossessing sort of men, started west. When we
got to a small town, called Indian Ridge, near Leadville, Colorado,
the men insisted that I must now proceed in secret, and consent to be
blindfolded, as they were not yet ready to reveal the secret of the
place where they made the diamonds.

"I did not want to agree to this, but they insisted, and I gave in,
foolishly perhaps. At any rate I was blindfolded one night, placed in
a wagon, and we drove off into the mountains. After traveling for some
distance I was led, still blindfolded, up a steep trail.

"When the bandage was taken off my eyes I saw that I was in a large
cave. The men were with me, and they apologized for the necessity that
caused them to blindfold me. They said they were ready to proceed with
the making of diamonds, but I must promise not to seek to discover the
secret until they gave me permission, nor was I to attempt to leave the
cave. I had to agree.

"Next they demanded that I give them a large sum, which I had promised
when they showed me, conclusively, that they could make diamonds. I
refused to do this until I had seen some of the precious stones, and
they agreed that this was fair, but said I would have to wait a few
days.

"Well, I waited, and, all that while, I was virtually a prisoner in the
cave. All I could learn was that it was in the midst of a great range,
near the top, and that one of the peaks was called Phantom Mountain.
Why, I did not learn until later.

"At last one night, during a terrific thunder storm, the leader of the
diamond makers--Folwell--announced that I could now see the stones made.
The men had been preparing their chemicals for some days previous. I
was taken into a small chamber of the cave, and there saw quite a
complicated apparatus. Part of it was a great steel box, with a lever on
it.

"We will let you make some diamonds for yourself," Folwell said to me,
and he directed me to pull the lever of the box, at a certain signal.
The signal came, just as a terrific crash of thunder shook the very
mountain inside of which we were. The box of steel got red-hot, and when
it cooled off it was opened, and was given a handful of white stones.

"Were they diamonds?" asked Tom, eagerly.

Mr. Jenks held out one hand. I