"Here we are losing time that ought to be spent in work. This may cause us serious delay in getting the gold out; it may cost us billions of dollars before we get through."
His companion's face lighted up with its odd, gleaming-eyed expression at the mention of the topic.
"That's right, Seth," he assented, "we ought to be at work. We may be keeping the youngsters here out of a fortune as well as ourselves."
Tom caught Rufus' eye at this juncture and thought that he detected a friendly gleam in it, but he gave no sign and soon averted his gaze for fear it might attract the men's attention. It cannot be said that Tom and Jack felt much enthusiasm, but they made a good assumption of it and seized upon picks and shovels as if they were going to make their fortunes the next minute.
The "mine," as has been said, was at the foot of the tall, conical peak. On close inspection, Tom and Jack were amazed at the amount of work the two fanatics had done on it. Tons of dirt and gravel had been excavated. A deep hole ran right into the ground under the sharp pointed peak.
"Quite a hole, eh, boys?" asked Stapleton in a satisfied tone.
"Indeed it is," assented Tom. "Why, you have done more work than I should have thought possible for two men to accomplish."
"Ah, we'll get along twice as fast now with four pairs of arms," chuckled poor, crazed Stapleton gleefully. "The gold can't be far off, either."
"But if we keep on," objected Jack, hoping it would have some weight, "we shall undermine the whole of that conical mountain above there."
The same crafty glitter that Tom had been the first of the boys to note in Stapleton's eyes now shone in those of his taciturn companion.