"Never thought as how I'd have a village named after me," said he. "Hope she proves a buster."
"It looks as if she might," answered Bob, with a laugh.
A week passed and Mark grew steadily stronger. He wanted to go to work again, but the others thought he had best wait a few days longer.
"You don't want a relapse," said Bob. "It might prove worse than the original attack."
As they would not let him work, Mark spent the time in roaming around the mountain-side, looking at the various diggings and prospects. He kept his eyes wide open for the two villainous Mexicans, but they did not appear.
Since his sickness Mark had asked several times about Morgan Fitzsimmons, Sag Ruff, and Soapy Gannon. Then Si went to the settlement for a new pick and a washing pan and came back with the announcement that the three men had left for parts unknown.
"They were wanted too—by some men who were swindled at cards—but nobody knew when they got out, or how," said Si.
Mark had written a long letter to his step-father, explaining the situation. The letter was sent to San Francisco, but there was no telling when it would get to Philadelphia or when an answer could be expected.
On the second day of his journeying around the mountain Mark came to a particularly deep gully, located at the bottom of what had once been a landslide. Great rocks were on both sides of the opening and also the remains of some large trees.
"There may be gold down here," thought the youth, and resolved to investigate. It was no easy matter to reach the bottom of the gully, and he had to make use of a rope for that purpose. Then traveling along the bottom of the opening proved laborious and his progress was necessarily slow.