Dick Hamilton's Fortune Part 33

As he and his chums left the a.s.sayer's office they met Tim, who had returned to the hotel, and, on inquiring, had learned where they had gone.

"Have a good time?" asked d.i.c.k, of his newsboy friend.

"Not so very," replied Tim, rather solemnly.

"Why not?"

"Because I was chasin' after a fellow what called himself Simon Scardale, and I couldn't catch him."

"Simon Scardale here?" exclaimed d.i.c.k.

"That's what he is, and he's on to our game," replied Tim. "d.i.c.k, youse has got to act quick, I guess."

For a few moments d.i.c.k was too surprised to know what to say. He began to see through it now. Simon was a friend of Vanderhoof, and, though he might not be mixed up in the swindling games, he had, likely, given information that would prevent the millionaire's son from accomplishing his object. d.i.c.k was in a maze. He was not altogether sure that the mines were a swindle, but he strongly suspected it. Simon's presence in the western city seemed to argue that some strange game was about to be played.

"We must talk this over," decided d.i.c.k. "Come on, boys. We'll go back to the hotel and have a conference. Then we can decide what to do."

In d.i.c.k's room the chums went over all the points of the matter. But, try as they did, they could not see a reason for Simon's presence in Yazoo City, nor for his remarks to Tim.

"But dat government feller give youse good advice," declared the newsboy. "Why don't youse go out to de mine? Maybe youse kin git on to der game. I'm wid youse."

"I believe I will," decided d.i.c.k. "Tim, you and Frank and I will go.

Yes, Walter, you and Bricktop had better stay at the hotel," he added, as he saw a look of disappointment come over the faces of the other two boys. "Five would be too many, and, by some of us staying here, there will be less liability of suspicion. We'll make a night trip to the mine and, if it's at all possible, I'll go down inside."

"Dat's de way to talk!" exclaimed Tim.

Cautiously they made their plans. d.i.c.k decided he and his two companions would walk to the mines, as, if they hired a rig, it would become known to Smith or Simon, who were probably spying on their actions. Tim related how he had tried to follow Simon when he rode off on the pony, but had been unsuccessful.

"It's a nice moonlight night," said d.i.c.k, when the plans had been made.

"We can take some candles with us and I guess we can get down the cable at the mine. Then we'll see if there's any crooked work going on."

After supper Tim, Frank and d.i.c.k started off. They little realized what was before them, or perhaps they would not have been so light-hearted.

CHAPTER XXV

DOWN IN A GOLD MINE

"It's going to take over two hours to get out there," said d.i.c.k, as he and his companions tramped on. "I don't know how long we'll stay. It all depends on circ.u.mstances. If they discover us we'll not stay as long as we otherwise would," and he laughed. "But I guess it's an all-night job.

Well, the road is a good one, and it's a nice night."

"That's what it is," answered Frank. "That moon looks as if it was pure silver, hung up there in the sky."

"You're getting poetical," commented d.i.c.k.

"Dat oughter be a gold moon to be right in de swim," was Tim's opinion.

"What do you expect to do when you get to the mine?" asked Frank, as, now that they were beyond the borders of Yazoo City, they were not afraid to talk of their object.

"I hardly know," answered d.i.c.k. "What I want to find out is whether or not that mine is a fake one."

"How do youse tell a fake gold mine?" asked Tim. "Is it like a lead nickel or counterfeit money so youse can tell by bitin' a chunk of it?"

"Hardly," replied d.i.c.k, with a laugh. "I've been reading up about mines lately, and, according to the book, the most common way of making a fake mine is to 'salt' it, or 'sweat' it."

"Salt it?" repeated Frank. "I've heard of salting cattle, but never mines."

"That doesn't describe it very well," went on d.i.c.k, "but that's what they call it. Sometimes it is termed 'sweating.' By either way it means making the ore in the mine look as if it was filled with gold, when, in fact, the gold had only been put there by some man who wanted a worthless mine to look like a good one."

"How do they do it?" asked Tim.

"The most common way is to take some real gold dust, put it into a shotgun, load it heavily with powder and shoot it at the side of the mine. The gold particles are shot into the rock a little way and it appears like real ore. They do this several times down the sides of a rocky mine and it looks very much like the real thing. After a man has bought the mine and begins to dig, he discovers it's all a fake."

"Wow!" exclaimed Tim. "T'ink of shootin' gold out of a gun. I wish somebody'd take a few shots at me. Easy ones, of course, so's I could live to enjoy it."

"There are other ways of making fake mines," went on d.i.c.k, "but I didn't read much about them."

"Do you think the Hop Toad and Dolphin mines are fakes?" asked Frank.

"That's what I'm afraid of. But I'm pretty sure Smith and his confederates didn't use any such method as shooting the gold into the rocks. It's in too deep for that, and they could hardly hope to fool the a.s.sayer that way. No, they must have some new scheme, and maybe I can discover it."

The boys walked along briskly, and, almost before they realized it, they saw that they were approaching the mine.

"Now, go easy," advised d.i.c.k. "We first want to see if there is anyone in sight. If not, we'll take a trip down."

Near the mouth of the shaft was some machinery used to lift the bucket from the mine. The boys could see the dull gleam of the coals under the boiler of the hoisting apparatus, for the fire had been banked. But there was no sign of anyone around, and, after peering cautiously about, the boys reached the edge of the shaft.

"Now, if dey had an elevator fer us it would be dead easy," spoke Tim.

"But I don't see how youse is goin' to git down."

"Wait until I take a look," replied d.i.c.k.

He approached the mouth of the mine and uttered an exclamation that brought the other boys to his side.

"There's a ladder leading down," he said. "We can use that. Now to explore a gold mine."

Seeing that he had his candles and matches ready, d.i.c.k began to descend.

The other boys waited until he was down some distance and then followed.

The ladder, as they could see, was built against the side of the shaft, and it was far enough away so that the ascending or descending bucket did not touch it.

"Hold on!" cried d.i.c.k, from the dark depths. "I'm going to light a candle."

Presently a faint gleam came up the shaft, and Tim and Frank could make out d.i.c.k's form standing below them on a rung of the ladder. They also lighted candles, and the descent continued. In about a minute d.i.c.k called again:

"Easy now, fellows; I've struck bottom. Got down to the first level, I guess."