"I don't doubt it one little bit, Aleck," he said, with a quiver to
his voice. "And see here, you can tell that some one has pounded off
pieces of the ore; why, I can even note where the hammer struck; and
on the ground small bits still lie, just as they fell years ago, when
your father found his way in here, and made this grand discovery.
Shake hands, Aleck! I want to be the first to congratulate you on
finding the hidden mine again. You're a lucky boy, let me tell you.
I'm glad for your sake, Aleck; and for that dear little mother who is
thinking of you right now, no doubt."

"Thank you, Thad," replied the other, with a break in his voice,
although it was joy that almost overcame him. "And what do I not owe
to you, and the chums of the Silver Fox Patrol? For if you hadn't come
to my rescue, when that scoundrel of a Kracker had me caged on that
horrible little shelf of rock up the cliff, like as not I'd be there
still, and ready to tell all to save my life."

"I don't believe that!" cried the scoutmaster, quickly. "I've seen
enough of you to know you'd have died before you gave him what
belonged only to your mother. And the chances are, you'd have found
some way of getting down from there, when it came to the worst."

"Yes, fallen down, most likely, when they had made me so weak I
couldn't look over without getting dizzy. But Thad, let's forget all
that now, and look around here. How it thrills me just to think that
dad found this mine so long ago, and that during these years it's
remained hidden from all men; just as if something might be holding
it back until I grew old enough to come up here with that chart, to
discover it again. Why, I can almost believe that _he_ is here right
now, and smiling his approval on my work; for he was a good dad, I
tell you."

They prowled around for a long time, examining the walls of the
chamber, and following up the wide lode of rich ore, until Thad,
inexperienced as he was, could estimate that it must prove to be a
very valuable mine, once placed in working condition.

"Here, let's both of us fill our pockets with specimens of the ore,"
the patrol leader remarked, when they began to think of once more
seeking the exit, so strangely hidden from the eyes of any possible
passer by; "like as not you'll want them, to convince some capitalist
that you've got the goods, when making arrangements to sell a part of
the mine, so as to get the money to work with."

"Yes, that sounds sens