"Ditto," cried Betty, then added with bright eagerness: "Girls, I know what we can do! Let's go down to the place where Allen found those two men last night. That's where the mines are, you know, and we might stake out claims or something."
"Your mother might have something to say to that," said Grace, making a funny face. "It isn't quite the thing to stake out claims on somebody else's property."
"Oh well, you needn't be so particular," cried Betty airily. "Come on, girls, who's with me?"
It seemed they all were, and, fairly dancing with excitement, they made their way to the corrals where Andy Rawlinson saddled their horses for them.
The horses seemed to catch some of the girls' excitement, and it was all that the latter could do to hold the animals in.
"It must be in the air," laughed Grace, as she pulled in Nabob sharply. "We've all got the gold fever."
"Let's give them their heads," said Mollie suddenly. "I'd like a regular gallop this morning."
"All right, let's go," sang out Betty, and in another minute they were off, the horses galloping like mad and the girls laughing and shouting in utter abandonment to their high spirits.
At this rate it took them only a few minutes to reach the spot where Allen had had his adventure the night before.
They reined in sharply, and Betty jumped down, throwing the reins over Nigger's neck and giving him a fond little pat on the flank.