He rested his weight on the rocking stone again and tried to throw it forward; but its balance seemed perfect. Just the same, when they mounted their horses and took the back track for the Silent Sue, the rocking stone still was balancing to and fro as though about to plunge over the brink of the plateau.
From the level of the caved-in shaft the boys descended a slanting path just within the border of the forest. Through openings in the trees on the right hand they occasionally caught a view of the avalanche-swept space which they had seen a few moments before from the higher level.
Chet’s thought was naturally upon the trouble at the Silent Sue and his father’s fate; so it was Dig, visually the less observant, who stopped his mustang suddenly and put out a warning hand to his chum.
“Hey! look there!” said Dig.
Chet glanced out upon the barren mountainside. A figure was just coming into sight, walking up the gully. The sides of this gulch were so steep that the boys could see right down into it.
“Lame John!” exclaimed Dig. “Now, what d’you suppose he’s followed us over here for?”
“Maybe he didn’t follow us,” Chet said slowly. “I reckon this side of the mountain is free, too.”
“See him sneaking up?” growled Dig. “Of course he’s following us. He told us that old shaft was caved in—”
“No. He only told us we couldn’t get down into the mine by that shaft.”
“Well, he’s followed us over to see what we are going to do about it—My glo-ree! Look at that!”