He was so evidently in earnest, that Joe and I by one impulse shook hands with him and declared that nothing would suit us better.
“And how about the ore, Mr. Yetmore?”I asked. “What will you do now?”
“If you don’t mind,”he replied, “I should like to drive straight up to Sulphide at once. If you will lend me the mules and wagon, I’ll set right off. I’ll return them to-morrow.”
“Very well,”said I. “And you can leave your own horse in the stable, so that whoever brings down the team will have a horse to ride home on.”
Yetmore, accordingly, climbed up to the seat and drove off at once, calling back over his shoulder: “Good-night, boys; and thank you again. I feel ten years younger than I did this morning!”
CHAPTER XVII
The Draining of the “Forty Rods“
As soon as Yetmore was out of sight, Joe and I turned into the house, where we found that Peter, wise man, had gone to bed; an example we speedily followed. But, tired though we were, we could neither of us go to sleep. For a long time we lay talking over the exciting events of the day, and going over the probable consequences, if, as now seemed certain, we had indeed discovered the source of our underground stream. First and foremost, by diverting it we should dry up the “forty rods” and render productive a large piece of land which at present was more bane than benefit; we should bring the county road past our door; we should more than double our supply of water for irrigation purposes—a fact which, by itself, would be of immense advantage to us.