The secretary turned, retracing his steps, Don Luis bringing up
the rear.

"Oho! I have dropped my cigar case," remarked Don Luis a minute
later. "I will go back and get it."

The others waited near the shaft. Tom wondered, slightly, why
Dr. Tisco had not volunteered to go back after his employer's
missing cigar case.

Presently Don Luis appeared.

"Now we will go to number four," he said.

The cage carried them to a lower level. Here another foreman came
forward to meet them and to conduct them to the heading. Here were
some five tons of rock. Tom and Harry found it to be about the same
grade of ore as that seen above.

"Is this ore as good as you usually find in this vein?" Tom inquired
of the second foreman.

"Not quite, senor, though to-day's blasts have turned out to be
very fair ore," responded the foreman.

"I should say it is good ore," Tom remarked dryly. "Now, will
you set the shovelers at work moving this stuff back a little
way? I want to see a new drilling made and watch the results
of the blast."