To this the old miner agreed, and a few minutes later set off on horseback, taking Lew Billings’s mount with him. Then the Rovers reëntered the general store and asked the proprietor if he could give them their supper.
“Sure thing! And breakfast, too,” answered Gus Terwilliger. “That’s what my wife and two daughters are here for—to wait on all customers.”
The boys were shown a place where they could wash, and a little later they and their uncle were conducted to a small but comfortable dining room and there treated to a home-cooked meal that, while perhaps not as elaborate as those served on the train, was entirely satisfactory. The two Terwilliger girls waited on the table and smiled broadly at the visitors.
“Going to work in the mine?” questioned one of the girls, a miss of fifteen.
“No. We came out to hunt elephants,” answered Andy, with a wink, and thereupon both girls giggled and soon became quite friendly.
After the meal the horses were brought out and examined and Tom Rover, with the aid of the boys, selected five of the mounts, and also hired the sixth animal for the purpose of transporting their baggage up to Sunset Trail.
“Well, Uncle Tom, things don’t look very bright, do they?” questioned Jack of his uncle when they were ready to turn in.
“They certainly do not, Jack,” was the sober reply. “This unexpected disappearance of Lew Billings upsets me a good deal. I hardly know what to expect when I reach the mine.”
“Do you think you’ll have trouble with this Peter Garrish?” questioned Randy.