"Oh, but I mean it!" insisted Billy, quickly; "and I know my uncle does, too. As I told you before, his name is Richfield Thornton, and his place—which is a big one—is near Sageville, in Kansas. I have lived with my uncle nearly all my life—ever since my father and mother died when I was a small chap. I never had any brothers or sisters, and my uncle took care of me—he and his wife.
"When I grew old enough I used to help him with his business, after he found out that he couldn't trust several men whom he had made his confidential secretaries. That's why he gave me this work to do for him in the East. I came on to school, but I'm afraid I'm more interested in my uncle's affairs than in lessons. Though after I clear this mystery up I'm going to buckle down to study."
"But what is the mystery?" asked Frank.
"It has to do with a big irrigation scheme my uncle wants to carry out," replied the Western lad. "You see, in addition to raising cattle my uncle has a big tract of grain and other crops, and he's in a region where it doesn't often rain. Not far from his place is a small stream, and a lake, and he figured that by building a dam across a valley he could make a larger lake, and have water stored for irrigation purposes whenever he wanted it. He would also have water to sell to other ranch owners.
"He started to get possession of the necessary land, and I helped him. We found that a certain parcel, that was much needed, was owned by a small corporation out East, and I came to get their signatures to the papers, allowing us to buy and flood their property. I did get their consent, and then the trouble about Golden Peak cropped out. That's what we're up against now, and it looks as if we were going to have a hard time."
"But what is Golden Peak?" asked Andy.
"As I said, it's a big hill that would come about in the middle of the lake my uncle intends creating by the building of a dam. This hill is covered with a lot of yellowish rocks, and I think that's how it got its name. But there are certain men, or rather one man in particular, who seems to think that there is a real treasure of gold in the peak, and he's doing his best to prevent us from surrounding it with water."
"Who is this man?" asked Frank.
"His name is Sam Shackmiller, and he's the lame man who I believe attacked me," answered Billy, quietly.
"What! the black-bearded man who was hanging around here a while ago?" cried Andy.