"My! Gold has brought Bob's brains uppermost!" teased Eleanor.
"Who knows but this claim has been staked years ago!" said Anne,
meaningly.
Polly and Eleanor exchanged glances. But Barbara wondered.
"What do you mean?" asked she.
"Well, look out in front: there's a ledge cleft in the side of the
mountain wall. Between it and the other lower ledge is a canyon that
might be the one Montresor found on his up-climb. Yonder the slope
meets the chasm and above is the steep sides leading to Top Notch
Trail. Could not the land-slide have buried this wall and then a great
wash-out have cleared it again? If we only had a gushing mountain
stream pouring from the cliff-side the setting would be complete!"
Barbara gasped, but Polly clapped her hands. "Nolla, that's it! The
subterranean stream we found in there. Some big upheaval changed its
outlet, or maybe this gold vein runs clean through and Montresor's
claim is staked opposite this side--just where the river pours out. We
must look over that side to-morrow."
The two younger girls then told of the pit and the river and all agreed
that it might be the stream found by the prospector before the
landslide covered his claim.
CHAPTER XV
MONTRESOR'S CLAIM is JUSTIFIED
Polly turned to place the nuggets in the pannier and almost collided
with Noddy.
"Hello, darling! What do you want--eh?" said she, patting the burro's
head.
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