“Where do these Indians make their headquarters?” Ned asked, returning to the others.
“No one knows,” Norman answered. “They come and go like ghosts. It is common talk that they know where great deposits of gold are located but no one has ever been able to follow them to their store-house. They always have plenty of virgin gold, and are very independent.”
“Have you ever tried following this Sigma?” asked Ned.
“I followed him one moonlight night,” Norman replied. “He climbed the cliff which faces the east and backs against the Devil’s Punch Bowl. He made his way almost to the summit, and there disappeared. I searched the locality thoroughly, but all I discovered was a great smooth space of rock overlooking the east. Carved in deep lines upon this rock were the outlines of the flag of Spain, crown and all! I don’t think anyone ever saw it before—anyone save the Indians. After discovering it, however, I found no difficulty in tracing it out from the valley.”
CHAPTER XX
THE FLAG ON THE CLIFF
“And the flag on the cliff indicates the spot where the gold was stored by nature long ago!” Frank whispered to Ned.
“I beg your pardon, boys,” suggested Gilroy stepping forward to where Ned and Frank were standing, “but if you’ll kindly direct me toward the camp, I’ll manage to get on alone. The fact of the matter is,” he continued, “that I’m faint with hunger.”
“Faint with hunger!” echoed Jimmie. “Mother of Moses! If you were half as hungry as I am, you’d be eating rock. I haven’t had anything to eat in so long that I wouldn’t know whether to chew a bear steak or to drink it. I’m near dead right now.”
“I think we’d all better hurry back to camp,” Ned suggested. “We may find something of a mixup there.”
“May I go with you?” asked Norman humbly.