The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-08-08
CHAPTER W-continued.

finally inquired; what are you look
ing for?"
And when Phil oracularly answered,
"Gold!" the old man made a motion
to the boy to go on and sat down on
a neighboring rock.
DO you want to buy a prospect?"
he asked, and Bud glanced up at him
grimly.
I'VE find our own prospects," an
swered Phil.
But I know of a very rich pros
pect," protested Mendez; very richi"
He shrilIed his voice to express how
rich it was.
"Yes?" observed Phil; then why
don't you dig the gold out? But, as
for US, we find our own mines. That
is our business"
"Seguro!" nodded Mendez, glancing
at their outfit approvingly. But am
a poor man-very poor-I cannot de-
nounce the mine. So wait for some
rich Americana to come and buy it. l
have a friend-a very rich MANN
Gadsden, but he will not come; so /
will sell it to you"
Did you get that, Bud?' TESTED Phil
in English. THE old man here thinks
we're rich Americans and he wants
to sell US a mine
Bud laughed silently at this, and
Mr.. Mendez, his hopes somewhat blast
ed by their levity, began to boast of
his find, giving the history of the
Eagle Tail with much circumstantial-
ity and explaining that it was a lost
padre mine.
Sure" observed Phil, going back to
= that's what they all say. They're
all lost padre mines, and you can see
them from the door of the church.
Come on, Bud, let's go!"
And so you could thisi" cried Men
DEE. running along after them as they
rode slowly up the canyon, from the
old church that was washed away by
the food! This is the very mine
where the padres dug out all their
gold! Are you going up this way?
Come, then, and 1 will show you-the
very place, except that the Americana
ruined it with a blast!"
He tagged along after them, whee-
ding and protesting while they ban
tered him about his mine, until they
finally came to the place-the ruins
of the Eagle Tail.
It lay spraddled out along the hill
side, a series of gopher-holes, dumps
and abandoned workings, looking
more like a badly managed stone
quarry than a relic of padre days.
Kruger's magazine of giant powder,
exploded in one big blast, had de-
stroyed all traces of his mine, besides
starting an avalanche Of loose shale
that had poured down and filed the
pocket.
Added to this, Aragon and his men
had rooted around in the debris in
search of the vein, and the story of
their inefficient work was told by
great piles of loose rock stacked up
beside caved-in trenches and a series
of timid tunnels driven into the neigh
boring ridges.
Under the circumstances it would
certainly call for a mining engineer
to locate the lost lead, and De Lancey
looked it over thoughtfulIy as he be-
gan to figure on the work to be done.
Undoubtedly there was a mine there
and the remains OF an old Spanish
smelter down the creek showed that
the ground had once been very rich
but il Kruger had not told him in
advance he would have passed up the
Job in a minute
Well" he said, turning coldly upon
the fawning Mendez, who was all
curves in his desire to please, where
is your prospecto?'
AQui. senor!" replied the Mexican,
pointing to the disrupted rock slide.
Here 1t was that the Americana
Crooka had his mine-rich with gold
much goldi"
He shrilled his voice emphatically,
and De Lancey shrilled his In reply.
"Here?" he exclaimed, gazing
blankly at the hillside, and then he
broke into a laugh. "An right, my
friend" he said, giving Bud a face
tious wink; how much do you want
for this prospect"
-Four hundred dollars" answered
Mendez in q tone at once hopeful and
apologetiC ut is very rich. Senior
Crooka shipped some ore that was full
of gold. l packed 1t out for him on
my burros; but. 1 am sorry, / have
no piece of It'll"
Yes" responded De Lancey, 81 am
sorry, too. So. Of course, we cannot
buy the prospecto since you have no
ore to show; but I am glad for this,
Senior Mendez," he continued with a
kindly smile; "it shows that you are
an honest man, or you would have
stolen a piece of ore from the sacks.
So show US now where the gold was
found. the nearest that you can re
member, and perhaps, If we think we
can find it. we viii pay you to de
nounce the claim for u.s.
At this the one good eye Of Cruz
Mendez lighted up with a great hope
and. skipping lightly over the rock
piles with his sandaled feet, he ran
to certain spot, locating it by look
ing across the canyon and up and
down the creek
Here. senOres.'' he pronounced. sis