That night they stayed in the town where the government assay office was located and to reach which there had been such an exciting brush between the two automobiles, the one run by Noddy, and that run by the Motor Boys. They saw several men whom they knew slightly, and who appeared much surprised to see them again.
“Well, well, well, where in the world did you come from?” asked the proprietor of the hotel, as the auto drew up in front of his place. He had been quite friendly with the boys while they stayed at the mine, and had sold them many supplies.
“We’ve been down to Mexico for a change of air,” said Jerry.
“I suppose it didn’t agree with you, or you wouldn’t be coming back so soon,” went on the proprietor.
“Well, we thought our mine needed looking after,” Jerry remarked.
“Looking after? I should say it did,” the proprietor continued. “Jim Nestor was here the other day and he said if you didn’t come back pretty soon and do something, there wouldn’t be any mine.”
“Is that right?” asked Ned, thinking the man might be trying to scare them for a joke.
“Straight as a string,” was the answer. “It seems that the title to the place is in doubt.”
“I know, Nestor wrote us about that,” put in Jerry. “But he is still in possession, isn’t he?”
“Can’t say,” replied the hotel man. “He was very anxious the last time I saw him, and that was a week ago. If I was you I’d look after it the first thing in the morning.”