in the upbuilding of the West, that this tale of the
Discovery of Gold in California has been written.

No nation can afford to forget its builders.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. El Feroz

II. Death of the Miner

III. The Skin Map

IV. At the Conroyal Rancho

V. Off for the Gold-Mines

VI. The Sign of the Two Red Thumbs

VII. Caught in the Flood

VIII. Accused of Murder

IX. The Testimony of Bill Ugger

X. The Missing Button

XI. An Unexpected Witness

XII. Hammer Jones

XIII. Explanations

XIV. The Luck of Dickson

XV. Around the Supper Table

XVI. Unexpected Company

XVII. Pockface Again

XVIII. Story of the Great Discovery

XIX. Some Exciting Moments

XX. Robbed

XXI. Pedro

XXII. The Mystery of the Tent

XXIII. On the Shore of Goose Neck Lake

XXIV. In Lot's Canyon

XXV. The Cave of Gold

XXVI. The Catastrophe

XXVII. Home

ILLUSTRATIONS

"You lie!" and the hard fist landed squarely on the man's chin

The skin map

"You can turn your horses around and ride back the way you
came"

"Is there any! just look there! and there! and there!"

Bud bent and stretched his free hand down to Marshall

"It is gold! it is gold! and enough of it to make us all
rich beyond our fondest dreams"

The Cave of Gold

CHAPTER I

EL FEROZ

"Whoa!"--"whoa!" With quick jerks on their bridle reins Thure Conroyal
and Bud Randolph pulled up their horses and listened shiveringly.

Again that same shrill whistling scream of dreadful agony and fear, that
had caused them to rein up their horses so suddenly a moment before,
came from the valley beyond the brow of the little hill up which they
had been slowly riding, and chilled the very marrow in their bones with
the terrible intensity of its fear and anguish. Then all was still.

"What--what was it?" and Thure turned a startled face to Bud. "It didn't
sound human and I never heard an animal scream like that before. What
can it be?"

"I don't know," Bud answered, his face whitening a little; "but I am
going to find out. Come on," and, swinging his rifle into position where
it would be ready for instant use, he started up the hill, his eyes
fixed in the direction whence had come those fearful screams.

"We'd better go a little slow, until we find out what i