Part 3 (1/2)

”No sooner was I inside than I let the heavy bar down across the door, and, when it fell into place, I drew a full breath, for I felt nervous at the action of the dog, and it was terrible loneso adrift on a raft in this ocean”

”I'd take the land every time,” cut in Tom ”It's what's under you makes you so scarey on the ocean”

”I don't know but that the constant motion of the sea makes it kind of company for a man,” remarked Jim

”Don't tell me that,” said the shepherd with a quizzical look in his eyes, ”from my recent experience that same motion will separate you fro of pine on the coals in the fireplace, and the flaan to blaze up, I felt more cheerful, for it seelow

”After I had toasted hly, I wrapped them around me, and laid down near the fire, withhound was just back a bit, between me and the door, and I felt quite secure and perfectly co hard all day, and I soon dropped off into a sound sleep

”I do not kno long I had slept, when I sat up suddenly throwing the blankets off fro my rifle The fire had died down and there was that chill in the air that cramps a low on the stone hearth

The dog had risen and was growling towards the door Then I heard the blow of a stick, I suppose it was, against the door

”I tell you, it ht, in such a lonesome, utterly desolate place I was kind of superstitious in those days, too, and I was afraid of as outside there, because it didn't see huain came the blow upon the door; then I crossed to theand very cautiously looked out

”It had evidently heard ainst the pane and ale of asaw him too, but as he did not seem to be inspired with his usual ferocity, I decided to take a chance and let hiht like that

”So with my weapon ready, I unbarred the door, and the ed to soood look at his face, I saw that o Sandez, as fabled all through that region to have found the entrance to the faends for many years

”It seems that this mine had been known to the earliest Spanish explorers, many of ent back to Spain fabulously rich Then, for many years, all trace had been lost of it, and nuhed incredulously at any o Sandez with his friend, who likeas Spanish, or as I think Spanish-Mexican, and rediscovered the Lost Mine, probably through so hidden, that had coh some unknown sources

”The man was half frozen from exposure to the elements, and when he was thawed out physically, it did the saerly hoped that he would have soive me a clue to the whereabouts of that mine, not that I expected he would make me his heir, but I was anxious to make a stake in those days, for one reason, if not for another, so I had hopes

”In the three weeks that he stayed in et out of hi me of his travels in Mexico and South A what had becoue to ask hi at me held me back

”Physically he was not i short and stocky

His complexion was very dark, and his hair was short and bristly

But there was a peculiar power in his eyes at ti, instead of becoave you a creepy feeling when he looked at you

”I h Sandez and his partner had been trailed many times in the effort to find where this mine was located, they were always lost track of Either they dropped out of sight as though the earth had sed the theo on his way south, the weather having cleared, I decided to take up his back trail in hope of finding so a possible clue to the location of the uide and coeneral direction that the two partners traveled, for their trail was not lost until they had gone some twenty miles northwest of my cabin I made fast time over the frozen snow on h onto fifteenahead of ulch

”In a second or two he set up a howl long-drawn-out and I knew then that he had found the quarry I discovered the body of the ulch He had not been frozen to death either, for there was a slit in his back, where the knife had been driven

”No wonder that I had found it hard to ask the Senor Sandez what had become of his partner Here was the answer It was evident that this deed of treachery had been the end of a bitter quarrel, perhaps over the division of the wealth or some other matter of dispute I always felt that there wasto establish the identity of the dead man, neither his name nor his place of residence

”I did find, however, in an inner pocket the picture of a rather pretty Spanish wo a certain part of the mountain I instantly jumped to the conclusion that it was the clue to the Lost Mine I spent several ot most of the way by the map and then I came to a mark that fooled me completely, and I lost the trail”

”What did you do with that diagram, Jeems?” asked Jim intently