Part 29 (2/2)
”No, it isn't,” declared Jed. ”It's farther on.”
”It's here,” insisted Will. ”Don't you remember this big rock? I said at the time that the nuggets were about five hundred feet from it.”
”Which way?” asked Gabe quickly. ”That's important to know.”
”Right in line with that dead tree,” answered Will. ”I'll show you.”
He walked confidently to the spot.
”Yes, that's it,” spoke Jed, convinced that his brother was right.
Will began to dig, while the men gathered about him, with eager eyes watching him. It meant a lot to them, for some of them were down to their last dollar, and a rich strike would prove a fortune to them.
”Did we put 'em as deep as that?” asked Jed, when Will had removed considerable dirt and had not come upon any of the precious yellow nuggets.
”Must have, but I don't remember that we went very deep.”
”Let me have a try,” suggested Ted. ”I'll soon turn 'em out.”
He took the pick from Will and began to dig. He went quite deeply into the ground, and turned it up for some distance in a circle. But there were no nuggets.
”They're--they're gone!” gasped Will at length.
”Somebody's taken them! Morton and his gang!” came from Jed. ”He saw where we hid them!”
”He couldn't,” insisted Will.
”Are you sure this is the place?” asked Gabe anxiously. ”Take a good look, boys.”
Much depended on the two young gold-hunters. The men gazed at them anxiously.
”I'm sure that's the rock,” said Will. ”Aren't you, Jed?”
”It certainly looks like it.”
”Is that the only mark you went by when you uncovered and then hid the nuggets?” went on the old miner. ”Now, think carefully.”
”No, there was another stone near the big rock,” said Jed suddenly. ”I remember now. It looked like a man's face. I thought at the time that it looked like Con Morton. There were two rocks close together, a big one and a little one.”
”Where's the little one?” asked Gabe.
”It's gone.”
”Maybe it's the big one that's gone,” suggested the old miner.
”What do you mean?”
”I mean maybe the big stone got displaced by reason of the storm last night. It might have rolled several hundred feet out of the way. In that case you'd be all out of your calculations. Suppose you look for the little rock?”
<script>