Part 29 (1/2)

There came another flash, and once more the gold-hunters felt the sensation of pins and needles. They noted, too, that the storm seemed coming more rapidly toward them.

”Up stakes and vamoose!” shouted one of the men, who had been living on a ranch. ”Let's get away from here before it's too late.”

”It'll be worse when the rain comes,” stated the man who had explained about the iron ore causing the trouble. That his theory was right was admitted by all the miners, when they had examined the character of the ground on which they stood. They lost no time in breaking camp, and they had only gotten the tents down and re-arranged the packs on the horses, when the storm broke in a fury of wind and rain.

Fortunately, this outburst seemed to take the edge off the electrical outburst, and they were hoping they would escape without any more shocks. But it was a vain hope. When the ground was thoroughly wet there came such a sudden glare of lightning that it nearly blinded every one.

The crash of thunder was not an instant in following, and such an electrical shock resulted that one of the men was knocked down. As for the horses, they were so frightened that it was with difficulty that they could be controlled.

”Hurry up!” cried Ted Jordan. ”We're likely to be killed if we stay here. Hurry, every one!”

The man who had been knocked down arose with a curious look on his face.

He ran at top speed until he came to a spot about five hundred yards from where the others were.

”It's all right here,” he cried. ”No iron ore here. You'll be safe when you get here.”

They made all haste to join him, slipping, stumbling and leaping over the rough way. The rain was falling in torrents, and even the slight discharges of electricity that followed the one big flash set their flesh to tingling, and made them fear that worse was to follow.

But they got safely across that patch of ore, and were soon on neutral ground. There they tried to establish a camp, but it was hard work in the storm. The boys helped as best they could, and so did Gabe, but his leg pained him too much to allow him to do a great deal.

At length, however, something like order was brought out of chaos. It was out of the question to get tents up, so strong did the wind blow, but the men used the canvas to shelter them somewhat from the downpour.

The horses were tethered to trees in the open.

”Look there!” cried Jed suddenly, pointing to the spot of ore which they had left. They all looked and beheld a curious sight. Right on the place where they had first camped the ground seemed covered with tiny blue and green spots. They leaped about here and there, and some seemed like tiny flames.

”It's the electricity,” called the man who had explained about the effect of the lightning on the iron ore. ”A connection has been made because of the rain, and that place is now charged like a battery. It's a good thing we got away from there.”

They all congratulated themselves on this score, and watched with curiosity, not unmixed with fear, the curious play of the lightning and the tiny flames seeming to come up from the earth.

The rain kept up for an hour more, and then ceased. By that time it was impossible to light a fire, so they had to eat cold victuals; but they did manage to get up the tents, though it was as bad inside them as it was out, for they were soaking wet.

But they all accepted it as part of the game they were playing, and as part of the price they had to pay for gold. The night seemed as if it would never end, but morning came at last, and with the advent of daylight every one felt better. The old miners knew how to get dry wood from the inside of hollow logs, and soon, over cups of steaming coffee, the terrors and discomforts of the night were forgotten.

”Forward!” cried Gabe when breakfast was over and the packs adjusted.

”Now for the place of the nuggets. You boys will have to show us the way soon.”

”We can do that, all right,” declared Jed. ”We'll show you where we hid the nuggets.”

They traveled on all the rest of that day. Jed and Will were able to direct the men along the same trail they had taken in retreating from Con Morton and his gang. As they advanced the various landmarks were pointed out by the lads.

”We're 'most there now,” said Will as they turned around a shoulder of the mountain and set off at right angles to the way they had been going.

”We'll be there in half an hour now.”

”Just in time to dig out about a thousand dollars' worth of the yellow boys and have grub,” remarked Ted Jordan. ”Well, it can't happen any too soon for me, boys. I've been down on my luck lately, and I need a change.”

They pressed on more eagerly, the two boys in the lead, as they alone knew where the secret spot was.

”Here's the place!” cried Will at length.