that it is gold the whites who come into their mountains are in search
of, and I guess they know every place where it is to be found. A redskin
always has his eyes open. A broken branch, a stone newly rolled down on
a path, the ashes of a fire, the slightest thing that is new, he is sure
to notice, and the glitter of gold, whether in a stream or in a vein,
would be certain to catch his eye, and if this place is specially rich
they are safe to know of it, and would keep some sort of watch to see
that it is not found out by the whites."

"That is so," Dave agreed; "of course we don't know how the party that
Mexican got the map from got wiped out. It may have been on their way
back, but it is more likely it was at the mine itself, and we may find
signs of them when we get there. I hope they had been at work some time
before they were attacked; if so we may like enough find a store of gold
without the trouble of working for it. It is no use to the redskins.
They don't do any trade with the whites, and they don't wear gold
ornaments. They are wise enough to know that if they were to show much
gold about them it would make the whites more eager than ever to come in
among their mountains in search of it, so if the Mexican party gathered
some up afore they went under, like enough we shall find it."

It was with deep satisfaction that they at last caught sight of the
mountain with three sharp peaks, but it was four days after they first
saw it that they reached a point due south of it. They were now in a
wide valley running east and west; to the south a wall of rock rose in a
seemingly unbroken line. On the northern side of the valley the hills
sloped away, rising one above another, with the peaks of the Sisters
visible above them all.

They had left their animals in charge of Boston Joe, in a clump of trees