“Oh, matter of a hundred thousan’ years,” said Henry.
“Good night!” exclaimed the widow. “If we’d bought the claims, Doctor, you’d have had a good chance to prove the efficacy of rejuvenation by the gland treatment. Well, that for the opals!”—and she snapped her fingers. “They’re unlucky, anyway. Mary Temple says so. Now, Mr. Henry, what do you know about an undiscovered or an unexplored valley somewhere up in the mountains?”
“I know she’s there, ma’am—that’s about as much,” answered the mountaineer.
“Have you ever seen it?”
“Onct—from the top of a high peak. But nobody’s ever been there. They tried it—lots of ’em—an’ failed to make it. It can’t be done. Who told ye about that valley—Leach an’ Morley?”
“Yes,” said Charmian. “But I don’t agree with you when you say it can’t be done. We’ll pay you well to show us the valley from the peak that you mention, and for any hints or suggestions about reaching the valley that you can give us. Also, we want to find a certain mountain meadow that Morley told us of, where we can pasture our horses and such burros as we won’t need in the undertaking. What do you say?”
“I’ll help ye out,” Shirttail Henry promised. “An’ I’ll tell ye all I know. That’s more’n most of ’em in the Shinbone Country know, at that. But ye’ll never make it, ma’am. When I take ye to th’ top o’ the peak, where ye c’n see all over this country, ye’ll know I’m right.”
“Well, we’ll do our best, anyway,” Charmian told him. “And we’re ready to begin when you are.”
“Poor time o’ year to tackle a job like that. Better wait till May or June next year.”
“We’ll go as far as we can at any rate,” Charmian decided. “Then if we fail we will know better how to go about it to succeed next summer.”