"Are there any mines in the foothills?" was the young man's next question.
"There used to be a few, but they have all been abandoned because they did not pay."
"Perhaps this Captain Grady has struck something that will pay."
"Hardly. My father and Uncle Barnaby went over every foot of the ground half a dozen times, and they were both better prospectors than the captain."
Noel Urner was about to ask more questions, but a sound outside of the stockade caused him to pause. They all listened, and then Chet gave a shout.
"Somebody is coming! It must be Allen or Ike Watson! Come on out and see!"
CHAPTER XI.
Ike Watson's Arrival
Let us go back to Allen.