The Go Ahead Boys and Simon's Mine by Ross Kay

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"I don't see how you know that Jim jumped upon a log," suggested John when
the guide's story had been told.

"That was easy," declared Pete. "We saw the prints of his feet leading
right up to the log and marks where he stood on the top and then over on
the other side there was nothing but the bones of the poor fellow."

Fred recalled the somewhat gruesome tale as he entered further within the
shades of the canyon.

The sight, however, was so fascinating that he still continued on his way.
The vivid coloring of the sides seemed to be more marked most of the way
just a little in advance. Led on by the continued hope of discovering some
place of special beauty, Fred was astonished when at last he looked at his
watch and saw that more than an hour had elapsed since he had left his
friends.

The Go Ahead Boy was less interested in the sights which greeted him on
his return than when he at first entered the canyon. Occasionally he
stopped before some sight that was unusually impressive, but he was eager
to retrace his way for he was aware that the guide would soon want to
resume their journey.

When he came nearer the place he was seeking, Fred's thoughts were turned
once more to the mine for which the search was to be made. At the thought
his eagerness again increased and he began to walk more rapidly.

It was strange that he did not discover the place before him where his
friends were awaiting his coming. He steadily continued on his way,
walking occasionally with increased speed.

At last really puzzled by his failure to discover the camp he stopped and
looked keenly about him in all directions. Why was it that he had not
found the place where they had stopped for their noonday meal? Indeed, as
he now looked about him on all sides he failed to recognize the region.

There was a sinking of Fred's heart and yet the boy refused to believe
that he had lost his way or that he was really in peril. There were many
small canyons or gulches, as has been said, which opened into the larger
gulch. Into several of these Fred entered, hoping to discover something
that would convince him that he was moving in the right direction.

His alarm increased, however, when he soon discovered that he was moving
through a region that was entirely unknown. Not a familiar object was to
be seen.

The fear in his heart deepened and again the troubled boy stopped to look
keenly about him.

As Fred tried to obtain his bearings his confusion apparently increased.
The stream in the bottom of the gulch was wider than the one he had seen
in the first part of his journey. He peered in one direction in his search
for landmarks only to fail and then turn and try the same experiment in
another gulch. All his efforts were alike unavailing and a great fear now
welled up in the heart of the troubled boy.

He looked up to the rim and saw the passing clouds that seemed to be close
to the ground. There was no help to be found from that direction and
suddenly he laughed aloud as he thought of his rifle. He would fire the
gun and as soon as he heard the response of John he would know in which
direction to move.

Accordingly he discharged his gun and then as there was no immediate
response, he waited in suspense until he was convinced that no answering
report had been given. Again he fired and once more he waited for the
answering shot. No answer, however, was given and now thoroughly alarmed
Fred again turned and retraced his way.

CHAPTER XIV

CLIMBING

After he had advanced several hundred yards Fred was by no means certain
that he really was retracing his way. Either he was greatly confused or
the places by which he was passing were strange.

By this time the Go Ahead Boy was thoroughly alarmed. The thought of being
lost in Thorn's Gulch, or in some one of the myriad branches of the
majestic chasm that extended for hundreds of miles in the course of the
mighty Colorado, was alarming. Fred had a momentary glimpse of his home.
He even pictured to himself what would occur there when the report was
brought that he had been lost in one of the canyons. Doubtless his three
friends would tell how they had searched for days and perhaps weeks, and
with all their efforts had been unable to find any trace of his presence.

Finding almost a pleasure in his picture of misery, Fred nevertheless was
aware that, unless he aroused himself at once, all the horrors of which
he had dreamed might become a terrible reality.

Stepping within the shadow of a great cliff he did his utmost to be calm
and try to think out what his problem was. He pictured to himself the
sights of Thorn's Gulch through which he and John had been led several
miles by the guide. Closing his eyes he endeavored to fix accurately in
his mind the direction in which Thorn's Gulch extended.

Having satisfied himself as to this he next tried to think of the angles
in which the various branches extended. As he recalled his own actions it
seemed to him that he had gone in a half-dozen different directions. It
was therefore now well nigh impossible to fix accurately the direction in
which he ought to move.

Again he looked keenly all about him, trying to find his bearings.

At last he turned back over part of the way by which he had come. At times
the frightened boy ran swiftly and then frequently stopped to glance at
the sky far above the rim of the canyon. More and more his mind became
confused and in his terror he increased the speed at which he was running.

Soon breathless from his endeavors, he was compelled to halt and once more
he did his utmost to calm himself. He recalled the time which had elapsed
since he had left his friends. Glancing at his watch he saw that more than
two hours had passed and that now it was late in the afternoon.

Darkness would soon be at hand and would come suddenly when it arrived.
Already Fred fancied he could feel the chill of the night air. He had no
food anywhere about him and visions of hunger increased the suffering of
the troubled boy. Besides he was afraid of what might occur in the hours
of darkness.

When at last night came Fred had not found his way back to the spot where
he had left his friends so many hours before. He was convinced now that he
would be compelled to pass the night alone in the canyon. Whether or not
he ever would be able to escape from the gulch was more than a question in
his mind.

Chilled and hungry as well as alarmed, Fred did not dare look for a place
where he might sleep. In the darkness it would be impossible for him to
tell whether or not rattlesnakes were near or the eyes of some prowling
beast might already be fixed upon him.

It was a night of agony. How the long and weary hours at last passed Fred
had no conception. There were times when he felt numb as if all power of
sensation had entirely left his body. Again he tried resolutely to assure
himself that safety would come with the morning light and that soon either
he would find his friends or they would discover him. Somehow he was
convinced that neither Pete nor John would search together for him. It was
likely also that one of them would remain in the spot from which Fred had
started so that if the lost boy in some way should be able to make his way
back he would not be tempted to depart again under the impression that his
friends already were gone.

When at last the morning came, almost with the suddenness with which
darkness had fallen upon the canyon, Fred's spirits revived in a measure.

Above the rim of the great gulch he saw a huge bird circling high in the
air. He was unable to determine whether or not the bird was an eagle but
it certainly reminded him of one.

The sight of the circling bird recalled the emblem of his country,--the
majestic eagle. With what powerful wings the great birds had been endowed.
What wonderful and graceful sweeps they took in their encircling flights.
For a moment he almost envied the great bird he saw above him. If he too
had wings he might be able to escape from the place in which he was
practically imprisoned.

A moment later he was almost ashamed of his complaint. If the bird was
able to make its way not only up the canyon but also far above it why
should not a man be able at least to gain the rim?

The very fact that there were difficulties to be solved was what made the
work of a man worth while. The difference between a man and a lump of
earth was that one was living and was able to use his will and brain,
while the other was a clod always to remain a diminishing bit of the
surface of the earth.

"I'll be a man!" declared Fred resolutely. As he spoke he sprang to his
feet and drew his belt more closely about him. He recalled stories of Zeke
in which that worthy guide had explained that the feeling of hunger was
greatly assuaged by drawing one's belt more tightly.

Convinced that he had been helped already, Fred raised his rifle to his
shoulder and fired. He was eager to give some token to his friends if they
were nearby that he was not far away and in good condition.

He fired three shots, but no answering shot was heard.

For a moment he thought of the anxiety of John and the guide. The picture
of the distress of his friend was not inspiring and almost in desperation
Fred again raised his rifle and fired.

Still no response was made and the troubled boy was convinced that he was
indeed lost.

He was aware too that the lack of food and loss of sleep had combined to
make him weaker. He was still following the course of the stream but his
halts were longer and more frequent. Whenever he came to a steep place the
difficulty of climbing became more manifest.

And yet the determined boy did not abandon hope. Resolutely he continued
in his efforts and at times was surprised to find how rapidly he was
moving.

It was long since he had taken any thought of his surroundings. His sole
purpose now was to keep on until he should come to some place that would
enable him to gain the plateau above. Once there, he believed he would be
able to discover where he was and perhaps be able to find his friends.

He had no conception of distance or direction. He might be moving farther
and farther all the time from his companions, but there was nothing else
to be done and so he doggedly held to his purpose and continued on his
way.

He was convinced that he was steadily climbing all the time. The rim
appeared to be nearer and although the brook was not much below him its
swifter current indicated that it was passing over ground much higher
than it had been when Fred first had followed it.

Fred had been unable to obtain anything to eat. He had not seen any living
creatures except a few hideous and huge lizards and the birds which had
been flying far above the border of the canyon.

He now had approached a part of the canyon where the way appeared to be
much more open than before. For some strange reason which he was unable to
explain he had been able to follow what appeared to be almost a pathway.
Seldom had he been compelled to climb from rock to rock or make many
detours.

He was aware that far away was the steadily rising rim of the canyon from
which he had made his ascent. He saw the sloping side of the hill before
him which extended perhaps two hundred feet. On the opposite side of the
canyon the colored rocks took on very vivid tints but whether or not there
was a sheer fall on his side just beyond the portion he could see he was
unable to determine.

Suddenly Fred stopped and stared in amazement before him. For a moment he
was fearful that hunger and weariness had combined to make him see
visions. He pinched his arm to assure himself that he was awake. There was
no mistaking the object at which he was looking. At that very moment it
turned and he saw a man rise from the rocky side of the canyon and peer
eagerly down at the sloping border.

Fred's amazement increased when a moment later he discovered two objects
in the distance apparently crawling up the hillside. He stared blankly at
the sight but there was no escape from the impression he had first
received.

Three men were plainly before him. It was also evident to the Go Ahead Boy
a moment later that the one whom he had first discovered was assisting the
other two. He saw the long lariat or leather rope several times rise and
fall above the ground and then he was convinced that an accident had
occurred and that the two whom he saw slowly making their way up the side
of the mountain had been the victims. He was unable to determine whether
they were friends or foes, they were so far before him. He hesitated after
he had raised his gun to his shoulder to proclaim his presence by a shot,
and then lowered his rifle. A shot might startle the unsuspecting men who
were struggling to gain the rim and the report of his rifle might increase
their danger. At the same time, however, he began to advance more rapidly
and in a brief time was able to recognize the men whose actions he had
been so keenly watching.

CHAPTER XV

THE SEARCH

A strange feeling of excitement now possessed Fred. He already had
recognized George and a moment later was certain that the two Indians who
had entered their camp were the ones who now were assisting his friend.

Pushing forward as rapidly as he was able, Fred had not gone far before in
his loudest tones he shouted, "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

At the sound instantly all three of the persons he had seen turned and
looked blankly in the direction from which the unexpected hail had come.
For a moment Fred was startled for fear that the surprise might harm
George who might lose his grip on the steep and loose side of the gulch.
His one thought, however, had been that by the announcement of his coming
he might encourage all three to use their utmost endeavors until he should
arrive at the place where he might help the Indian.

His alarm, however, was unfounded. Fred, desperately fighting his feeling
of weariness and hunger, pushed forward rapidly on his way and was
greatly relieved when he saw that George and both Indians also were
renewing their efforts. Slowly and yet steadily George was making the
ascent. Occasionally he stopped for rest, but not once had he looked
behind him. The advice of Thomas Jefferson to look only above him when he
was climbing had been strictly followed.

It was nearly at the same time when Fred and George arrived at the place
on the brink of the canyon where Kitoni, the Indian, was standing. Each
boy was aware of the emotions that filled the heart of his friend. For a
moment they were both unable to speak and then Fred, whose tongue was
seldom silent long, said eagerly, while his eyes filled with tears, "You
must have had a close call, George."

"I did," replied George. "Somehow I slipped over the edge here and went
sliding down that incline. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't get any
brace or foothold until I came to the little shelf down there. That small
tree saved my life."

"Were you alone?" inquired Fred.

"Yes," replied George foolishly. "I must have dropped behind Grant and
Zeke. We were pretty well spread out here anyway."

"How long ago did it happen?"

"About fifty years, I should judge by my feelings," replied George dryly.
"I fancy it really was about an hour or two."

"Why didn't Grant and Zeke come back and look for you?"

"Perhaps they did. They may have passed the place without knowing that I
was anywhere near. But how is it that you are here alone? Where are String
and Pete?"

"That's what I don't know," said Fred.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I say, I haven't the slightest idea where they are."

"Where did you leave them?"

"Way back near the entrance of Thorn's Gulch. We stopped in the middle of
the day yesterday and after we had eaten our luncheon I began to make some
investigations of my own. That's the last I've seen of either Pete or Jack
and besides I haven't had a mouthful to eat since yesterday noon."

"You haven't?" exclaimed George. "I'm afraid we can't do anything for you
until we find Grant and Zeke. They have most of the supplies. Let me get
into my pack and see what I've got."

George's pack which Thomas Jefferson had insisted upon taking when he
rescued the Go Ahead Boy was now opened but there was no food in it.

"There's nothing else to be done," said George, shaking his head.

"Yes, there is something to be done," said Fred tartly. "We've got to do
something. You don't know where Soc and Zeke are and I don't know where
String and Pete may be. We've got to find them."

"We'll find them," suggested Thomas Jefferson quickly.

Both young Indians had been silent during the conversation although they
were intensely interested in the conversation of the two boys.

"I shall go to look up the two who went ahead of you--" began Thomas
Jefferson.

"But they may have passed this place and gone in the other direction,"
interrupted George.

"I shall see," said the Navajo quietly. "I shall go in that direction and
Kitoni will go in the other looking for the other two."

"But he may not find them," suggested George quickly. "They probably
thought Fred was lost and they have been staying where they were when he
left them."

"We shall see," was the laconic reply of Thomas Jefferson.

"But what makes you think they will be where Fred left them?" demanded
George.

"I do not know," replied the Indian. "One may look and one may stay. If
they think he is lost one may stay in the camp so that he will know where
he is if he finds his way back to it. You must both stay right here where
you are," he added. "Do not move even if no one comes for a day and a
night. It is your only hope."

"Hi! Hi!" exclaimed George abruptly. "I've found something in my pack!
It's good to eat."

George, greatly alarmed for his friend, had renewed his search among his
belongings hoping to discover some food that might be prepared for the
hungry lad. Strips of bacon quickly were cut and the boys, in spite of
George's lameness and Fred's hunger, insisted upon making a fire and
cooking the food. They were eager for the Indians to begin their search
for their missing friends as speedily as possible.

It was not long before the two Navajos started on their expeditions,
Thomas Jefferson moving in the direction in which Grant and Zeke had gone,
while his companion retraced his way in the hope of discovering John and
the other guide.

It had been agreed that neither should remain away longer than the
following evening. If the Indians were not back in camp by that time it
was agreed that the meeting place which previously had been selected for
the two parties should be the spot which all should seek when they
returned with the lost members of the party.

It was also agreed that neither of the boys should try to withdraw from
the place where they then were. The overhanging ledge protected them from
the heat of the sun, and if they should be compelled to spend the night
there they would be safer from the attacks of any prowling beasts than
would likely be the case in a more open or exposed spot on the way they
had followed.

"George," said Fred when the light had faded and the silence that rested
over the great cliff was tense, "do you really think there's anything in
what the Navajo said?"

"What did he say?"

"Why, don't you remember that he said that whoever tried to come in here
to find the lost mine was certain to get into trouble? It seems to have
worked pretty well with us so far. I lost my way and you fell and bruised
your leg, to say nothing about trying to slide over the precipice and land
in the valley below."

"I guess what Thomas Jefferson said didn't make you lose your way,"
replied George.

"I know," acknowledged Fred thoughtfully. "But how do you account for it
that he should have said what he did and then before we get very far on
our way into the Gulch something happens to both of us and something may
have happened to John, to say nothing about Grant and Zeke."

"I guess you're tired and nervous, Pee Wee," said George, who was aware of
the feeling in the heart of his friend.

"Well, all I can say," declared Fred, "is that I hope there won't be
anything worse happen to us than has come already."

"Why should there be anything worse?"

"There shouldn't, that's just what I mean."

"Of course we've got a job ahead of us. It isn't any easy thing to locate
a valuable claim. If it was there wouldn't be anything in the copper, or
silver, or gold, or whatever the metal is that we want to get. That's why
men use gold for money. It's so scarce and so hard to find and then after
you have found it it's harder still to mine it. Hark," he added abruptly,
"it seems to me I heard somebody speak."

Both boys listened intently and a moment later Fred declared, "You're
right, Pop, there is somebody coming."

The sound of voices was faintly heard coming from the direction in which
Thomas Jefferson had gone in his search for Grant and Zeke.

The sound became steadily clearer and in a brief time the dim outlines of
the three approaching men were seen not far away.

"Hello, there!" called George.

"Hello, yourself!" came back the reply which both boys recognized at once
as the voice of their missing comrade, Grant. A few minutes later all
three arrived at the place where George and Fred were awaiting their
coming.

"You're a great fellow!" exclaimed Grant to George. "Why didn't you keep
up with us?"

"Why didn't you come back and look for me?" retorted George. "It's a great
idea that a man slips down the side of the canyon and almost falls over a
precipice and nobody cares enough about it even to stop and say good-by to
him."

"We did come back," explained Grant, "and then we decided that you must
have gone on again, so we turned back, then we stopped for we didn't know
what to do. That was just about the time when the Navajo caught up with us
and told us that you and Fred were back here together. He told us too
about Fred's wandering around the canyons trying to see if he too couldn't
get lost. According to Thomas Jefferson he came mighty near succeeding
too."

Fred did not reply although it was plain that his feeling of relief at the
return of Grant was as great as that of his companion.

The conversation speedily turned upon the exciting experiences through
which all three boys had passed that day. Zeke declared gruffly that there
wasn't one of them fit to be in the canyon. "I'm tellin' you," he said,
"this is no place for a kid or a tenderfoot. It's a man's job to work
one's way up this gulch, let me tell you, and we ought not to have any
infants along with us."

"We're not 'infants,'" spoke up Fred. "Except in the eyes of the law," he
added. "We're able to do the job and there isn't any one of us that's
trying to back out."

"No, I wish some of you would," growled Zeke. "What with your getting lost
and trying to slide over the edge of the Gulch there isn't much time to
look for any lost claim or find any prospect."

"How long do you think it will be before Jack and Pete come here?"
inquired Fred.

"Nobody knows," replied Zeke. "Maybe an hour, maybe a day, and maybe a
week and maybe never."

CHAPTER XVI

A STARTLING ARRIVAL

Whether the gruff words of the somewhat crusty guide cast a spell over the
boys or they themselves shared in the dark vision presented by him no one
knew. At all events silence soon rested over the little camp and in a
brief time all were asleep.

Now that Fred and George had been cared for and the immediate peril into
which they had fallen was gone a feeling of relief had come to the three
Go Ahead Boys. They were still anxious concerning their missing companion,
but their confidence in Pete and their knowledge that John was not likely
to incur any unnecessary risks, to say nothing of the search which Kitoni
was making, all combined to strengthen their hope that the missing Go
Ahead Boys would soon be with them.

When the light of the following morning appeared the camp was astir and
Zeke, who was awake before his young charges had opened their eyes, was
already preparing a simple breakfast. It had been difficult for him to
obtain wood with which to kindle the fire but after a diligent search in
the barren region where they had halted he at last obtained a sufficient
number of dead and dried branches that had fallen from the few trees on
the side of the canyon.

When breakfast had been prepared and eaten, the courage of the boys
promptly revived. Frequently each turned and looked far down the great
gulch, hoping to obtain a view of John or the absent guide, but as yet
nothing was seen to indicate that the young Navajo had found the missing
member of the party.

Already in the sunlight the air was Intensely warm. In the shade, however,
it was so cool that Fred declared an overcoat would not be uncomfortable.

"I'm getting in a hurry," he said.

"It won't do you any good if you be," said Zeke solemnly. "You'll have to
take things as they come."

"The trouble is they don't come," laughed Fred. "I want Pete and John
here."

"I guess you'll have to put up with those of us that haven't got lost or
tried to fall over the rocks," growled Zeke, his eyes twinkling as he
spoke. "Here's Thomas Jefferson," he added, "he'll help you pass the
time."

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