The Go Ahead Boys and Simons Mine | Page 4

he explained,
and then as he stood erect and threw back his powerful shoulders his
young companions laughed. It did not seem possible that the strapping
young giant, who now weighed at least two hundred pounds, ever had
been reduced to such a condition as he described.

The immense strength of Zeke had never impressed the Go Ahead Boys
more than when he finished his simple task of interring the bones
which had been discovered by Fred and John.
"If I should meet him on the street alone," whispered Fred to John, "I
should kindly give him the whole sidewalk. I believe that he could do
what Grant says he can. Just look at those hands."
"What does Grant say he can do?"
"Why he declares that Zeke can bend the barrel of a rifle."
CHAPTER II
A CLUE
The thoughts of the two boys speedily were withdrawn from the
physical prowess of their guide. At that moment he had again taken the
little book he had found in the pocket of the coat of the dead man, and,
opening it, said, "I'm not sure, boys, whether this man was Simon
Moultrie or not. It sounds just like him, but there's so little writing that I
can't tell."
"What does it say?" inquired John eagerly.
"Why, it's a diary. Some days he didn't write anything and other days
when he did write, the pages are torn and the writing is so blurred that
no one can make out what he means."
"Let me see it," said Fred, extending his hand as he spoke.
Taking the little book Fred saw that it apparently was a diary as Zeke
had suggested. It was for the year 1914. One entry was quite distinct
wherein the unfortunate man had recorded the story of his journey to
Tombstone for fresh supplies.
When he commented upon this fact, Zeke said, "That's what makes me
think it might have been Simon. As I said to you he only came in twice

each year and then stayed just long enough to get supplies to last him
for the next six months. Of course he may have come in when I didn't
know anything about it."
"When did be make his trips?" inquired Fred.
"Usually about October and. April He didn't like to lose much time
from his prospecting so he would come in just about the time the snow
was gone and get fitted out for his work that summer."
"If he wont in last April," suggested John, "he must have lost some of
his supplies."
"Nobody knows just where he made his head quarters. It's more'n likely
though that the coyotes, if they could talk, might be able to tell you
more about what became of old Simon's bacon than any living man
could."
"Here's something!" exclaimed Fred excitedly. "This is worth while,"
he added, after he had looked carefully through the various pages of the
diary and in the back part of the book, distinct from the numbered
pages, he had found the following entry:
"June 1st.
At last I have found it. It seems good after twenty-three years of
disappointment to be able to say that I have found a good lead and that
there is a sure enough vein here. I thought I was on the right trail when
I was in the middle of Thorn's Gulch and I found pretty soon that I had
struck it just right. I followed the lead four days and every day I was
more convinced that I had found something at last worth while. The
assay will be great. Soon I shall have all the money I need, and my
poor old sister will no longer be broken hearted for me. I was
determined to find a mine and now I have one that is worth all my long
working and waiting."
"Any name signed to that?" inquired Zeke quickly when Fred ceased
reading.

"No."
"Then you can't be sure it's Simon's."
"Yes, you can, if the book belonged to him, as you think it did. It's
plain this Simon, if that was his name, was an educated man."
"How do you know that?" inquired John.
"Why, the words are all spelled as they ought to be and his penmanship
is good. The only thing is that there isn't a name signed nor any sign
that will show who wrote it. Hello!" he added quickly, "here's
something on the next page that ought to interest us."
"What is it?" inquired John, approaching and looking over the shoulder
of his friend.
"It looks to me like a map," said Fred thoughtfully. "Here's a place that
is marked Thorn's Gulch and over here on one side is a spot marked
Two Crow Tree, and a little further up on the same side