"
Fred did not reply although it was plain that his feeling of relief at the
return of Grant was as great as that of his companion.
The conversation speedily turned upon the exciting experiences through
which all three boys had passed that day. Zeke declared gruffly that there
wasn't one of them fit to be in the canyon. "I'm tellin' you," he said,
"this is no place for a kid or a tenderfoot. It's a man's job to work
one's way up this gulch, let me tell you, and we ought not to have any
infants along with us."
"We're not 'infants,'" spoke up Fred. "Except in the eyes of the law," he
added. "We're able to do the job and there isn't any one of us that's
trying to back out."
"No, I wish some of you would," growled Zeke. "What with your getting lost
and trying to slide over the edge of the Gulch there isn't much time to
look for any lost claim or find any prospect."
"How long do you think it will be before Jack and Pete come here?"
inquired Fred.
"Nobody knows," replied Zeke. "Maybe an hour, maybe a day, and maybe a
week and maybe never."
CHAPTER XVI
A STARTLING ARRIVAL
Whether the gruff words of the somewhat crusty guide cast a spell over the
boys or they themselves shared in the dark vision presented by him no one
knew.
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