Williams news., 1914-09-24
CHAPTER vi-contlnued-

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 finally inquired; what are you look ing for?''
 And when Phil oracularly answered, -Gold!" the old man made motion to the boy to go on and sat down on . neighboring rock.
 Do you want to buy prospect?" he asked. and Bud glanced up at him grimly.
 We find our own prospects" an swered Phil.
 -But I know of a very rich pros pect," protested Mendez; "very rch!" He shrilled 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 I am poor man-very poor-I cannot de- nounce the mine. So I wait for some rich Americana to come and buy 1t have a friend-a very rich man--in 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 MT. 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 1t was lost padre mine.
 Sure" observed Phil, going back to his horse and picking up the bridle. ~that's what they all say. They're all lost padre mines. and you can sec them from the door of the church. Come on. Bud, let's go!"
 And 50 you could this!" cried Men dez, running along after them as they rode slowly up the canyon, from the old church that was washed away by the flood! This Is the very mine where the padres dug out all their gold! Are you going up this way? Come, then. and will show the very place, except that the Americana ruined it with blast!"
 He tagged along after them. vince 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-- Mde. series of gopher-holes, dumps and abandoned workings, looking more like badly managed stone quarry than 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 filled 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 series of timid tunnels driven into the<neigh- boring ridges.
 Under the circumstances it would certainly call for mining engineer to locate the lost lead, and De Lancey looked it over thoughtfully as he be- gan to figure on the work to be done Undoubtedly there was mine there and the remains of an old Spanish smelter down the creek showed that the ground had once been very rich but if Kruger had not told him in advance he would have passed up the job in a minute
 We'll he said, turning coldIy 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 it was that the Americana Crooka had his mine-rich with gold much gold!"
 He shrilled his voice emphaically, 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. dous wink; "how much do you want for this prospectT' -Four hundred dollars" answered Mendez in tone at once hopeful and apologetic 'It is very rich. Senor Crooka shipped some ore that was full of gold. packed it out for him ou my burros; but, I am sorry, I have no piece of it!"
 "Yes," responded De Lancey, T an sorry, too. So, of course, we cannot buy the prospecto since you have n< ore to show; but am glad for this Senor Mendez," he continued with !, k1nd4y amile: "it shows that you an