“Tell you what,” Dick had become heir to a strange excitement, “let’s continue following the path up out of this hole and see what we can see. We’ll skirt around to the back of the lake.”
“It certainly wouldn’t do any harm.”
The path led away across the slope, swerved sharply to the left and came to an abrupt stop at the foot of a wall of solid sandstone, more than forty feet in height. Cut into the sandstone, to the boys’ utter amazement, was a rough flight of steps.
“May wonders never cease!” gasped Sandy. “Who do you suppose did this?”
“A path leading down to the water,” cried Dick. “Sandy, we’re closer now. I’m convinced of it.”
“Dick, I’m shaking like a leaf.”
They went up the steps slowly, Sandy in the lead. Reaching the top, they paused again, looking carefully about them.
With a wildly beating heart, Dick noticed that the path still threaded its way through a veritable graveyard of broken rocks and tomb-shaped ridges of sandstone.
CHAPTER XVII
SANDY EXPLORES THE MINE
Sandy’s whoop of joy was the first intimation Dick had of the actual discovery of the mine. Unable to suppress his excitement and eagerness, the young Scotchman had loped down the path well in advance of his two friends, and had reached the coveted goal at least five minutes before Toma and Dick put in their belated appearance.