ngle-shot rifle, and was therefore without further means of defence
until he could find time to slip another cartridge into the chamber.

"Oh! I guess so," answered Thad; "what you see moving must be the
whelps. Yes, I can see one right now, and he's a savage looking little
beast on my word. We'll have to knock him on the head, Aleck. Wolves
must be killed wherever they are found. Nobody ever spares them, Toby
Smathers says. They're of no use at all, and do a great amount of harm,
killing game and sheep, and even weak cattle in the winter season."

Aleck soon dispatched the growling cub with the stock of his gun, and
then looked around for more.

"Do you expect that this was the only whelp?" he asked.

"Well, no, but the other must have escaped, somehow," replied Thad.
"It doesn't matter to us, though, for the little beast will perish,
without a mother to supply it food."

But although Thad never dreamed that such a small thing could have any
bearing on their fortunes, it proved to be a fact, as would be shown
before a great while.

"Shall we go on, now?" asked Aleck, after they had looked down on the
big lean wolf that would never again hunt game in the passes and
valleys of the Rockies; "I'm anxious to see what lies beyond, you
know, Thad."

"Well, I don't blame you a bit, either, Aleck; in fact, to tell the
honest truth, I'm feeling somewhat that way myself, even if I haven't
got the interest you have in the matter. So let's go right along. Have
you loaded up again?"

"I'm just finishing now, Thad," came the reply.

Accordingly, the forward progress was resumed. Thad saw that they were
rapidly drawing near what would likely prove to be a chamber of some
size; and he anticipated that whatever was to be found would greet
them here.

Just as he expected, a couple of minutes later they passed out from
the tunnel which was a continuation of the fissure they had entered,
and found themselves in a vaulted chamber. It was of some height, for
the dim light of the lantern just reached the roof.

"Oh! what a strange place!" exclaimed Aleck, looking around with
something like awe; "and to think that this was that my father saw
that time. Do you expect this can be the silver lode, Thad?" and he
pointed to the wall, where a broad streak of darkish ore cropped out.

Thad was no miner, but he had been interested in geology at school,
and knew a little about the appearance of precious metals in their
natural state.