“Now,” Clay remarked, when the physical reception was all over, “I’m going to catch some fish. You see that swirl down stream? Well, there’s a big one in there waiting for me. See me get him.”
Clay and Don took the rowboat and dropped down with the current. The river was fairly smooth where the Rambler lay, but farther down there were obstructions which threw the current over to the west, making a treacherous passage for a small boat. Those on the Rambler saw the boys drop down to the fishing ground, and then gave their attention to the work of the day, which they discussed gravely for a long time.
When Frost brought out his “third paper” it was discovered that it did not describe the actual means of getting into the mine which David Durand had discovered years before, or even what was in it! told of the bonds in the old house at Yuma, and mentioned the mine, but said that those who found it should receive the proceeds thereof!
So the location of the wonderful mine was as much of a mystery as ever, except that the boys believed they had come pretty close to it in discovering the formation which resembled a sunburst on the canyon wall! It was decided that the bonds and the $50,000 belonged to the Durand boys, the money having been taken from their uncle. The mine was to become the property of whoever found it!
“I’m going up to the summit to take a look at that wall again,” Alex declared. “I can’t get there by ten o’clock, but I can look it over!”
“And I’ll go with you!” Tom insisted. “I want to see the place where our fortune is.”
“Why not three?” asked the banker. “I want to get a look at the cliff now, as we may have to blow it down to find the ore!”
So the three went away, and Case and King set about getting ready for the return of Alex and Don with the fish. Some moments before the lads had slipped around an angle in the canyon, so they were not in sight.
“Suppose we drop down and see if they are there?” suggested Case.
So the Rambler was swung down around the angle. There a surprise awaited the occupants. The rowboat was there, far over on the west side, crushed and broken, washed up on a rocky shelf, but the boys were nowhere to be seen!