"Four or five hours before they can get here," I announced.

"We'd better go to sleep, I think," said Miss Emory.

"Good idea," I approved. "Just pick your rocks and go to it."

I sat down and leaned against one of the uprights, expecting fully to
wait with what patience I might the march of events. Sleep was the
farthest thing from my thoughts. When I came to I found myself doubled
on my side with a short piece of ore sticking in my ribs and eighteen or
twenty assorted cramp-pains in various parts of me. This was all my
consciousness had room to attend to for a few moments. Then I became
dully aware of faint tinkling sounds and muffled shoutings from the
outer end of the tunnel. I shouted in return and made my way as rapidly
as possible toward the late entrance.

A half hour later we crawled cautiously through a precarious opening and
stood blinking at the sunlight.




CHAPTER XIV


A group of about twenty men greeted our appearance with a wild cowboy
yell. Some of the men of our outfit were there, but not all; and I
recognized others from as far south as the Chiracahuas. Windy Bill was
there with Jed Parker; but Señor Johnson's bulky figure was nowhere to