“You will stay here, and get back on your job,” Frank remarked. “The new superintendent will settle all troubles until I can come back. The Cherry Blossom mine has been idle for two days. You must work all the harder, men, to make up for lost time. And we’re going to get that gold back, if anybody can; understand that!”
Shouts greeted these words. Those rough men could appreciate nerve, and to hear the son of their employer talk so boldly pleased them greatly.
“Three cheers for Frank Haywood!” called one big miner.
It thrilled the boy to hear those lusty shouts. He felt that somehow he had succeeded in winning a complete victory over these turbulent spirits. Where the obstinacy of Mr. Riley had failed, Frank’s methods had carried the day. They were all his friends now, and just as ready to build up as they had recently been to destroy. The spirit of a mob changes like the weather, and is just as fickle.
Mr. Riley led the two boys to the office. Sandy McCoy lingered to address the crowd, and try to get them to return immediately to work.
“Here’s the building, Frank,” remarked the former superintendent, as they arrived in front of a low, squat house, built of stone for the most part, and particularly strong.
“Now come back with me and I will show you just how these smart thieves tunneled under the stone wall, and managed to come up inside the strong room, without having the trouble to break the lock on the door. Every time I was in the office I saw that padlock in place, and never dreamed the bank could be empty back of that oak door.”
As he said this, Mr. Riley led the way to the rear of the building. Here it happened that there grew more or less scrub, partly concealing the foundation of the wall.
Parting this, Mr. Riley showed the boys what looked like the big burrow of a rabbit, or a hedgehog, running down at an angle of forty-five degrees, so as to pass under the stones forming the foundation of the wall.
“You can see how slick a game they set up,” remarked the man, gritting his teeth with anger and chagrin. “Perhaps they worked at this thing more than one night, and all the time I never tumbled to it. When the tunnel was finished, one of ’em just crawled through, passed out the three sacks of gold; and then they vamoosed.”