"Bud could have told if they hadn't knocked him out," suggested Nort. "He says he saw them pounding rocks and digging in the sides of the cave. They were after something besides cattle, that's sure."
"Diamonds!" some one said.
"That's been mentioned before," remarked Dick. "It is out of the question, I think, but it may be something always associated with diamonds."
"What's that?" exclaimed several.
"Gold, maybe," was the quick answer, and into the eyes of every man there came a sudden, new gleam.
"By golly!" cried Yellin' Kid in his loudest tones, "I'll bet you're right! There's a gold mine in that cave and those fellers want to keep it for themselves! Whoopee! Let's get them there gas masks and rustle the whole bunch over the border. Then we'll have the gold for ourselves! Come on!"
CHAPTER XX
GLITTERING YELLOW
Such excitement followed the Kid's outburst that the very horses seemed imbued with it. The cowboys, keeping well out of the way of that floating, white cloud of gas—more or less poisonous, it was not to be doubted—had mounted their animals and were on their way, by a roundabout trail, to the ranch house.
"Gold!" muttered Snake. "Do you really think there's gold in that cave?"