The Go Ahead Boys and Simons Mine | Page 5

is Tom's
Thumb. Across the Gulch is a place marked Split Rock. Not far away
from it is another mark which he calls his stake. Then right opposite it
are three other marks,--1/2 m N.E., 1/4 m S.E., 1/4 m N.N.E. Here's a
picture of it," Fred added.
X Two Crow Tree. X Tom's
Thumb. .---------------------------------------------- . Thorn's
Gulch . .--------------------------------------------- . . X Split Rock. / / Stake
1/2 m N.E. | | o 1/4 m S.E. | | 1/4 m N.N.E.
[Illustration: Map]
"That's interesting," said Zeke thoughtfully. "I know where Thorn's
Gulch is."
"How far is it from here?" inquired Fred.
"Oh, I should say it is a good forty miles."

"Is it hard to get there?"
"I haven't ever been this way," replied Zeke, "but I'm thinkin' we can
make it."
"In which direction does the Gulch run?"
"It's a funny place," explained Zeke; "it runs mostly north and south. It
takes a sharp turn at the lower end."
"Probably that was to let out the water that had been caught in there."
"Probably," said Zeke scornfully. The guide had slight confidence in
the explanations which the boys had to give for the formation of the
great chasms found near the Colorado River and its tributaries. "I'm
thinkin' that the One who made that Canyon could just as well make it
the way it is as the way you say."
"No doubt about that," Fred laughingly had conceded. "It isn't a
question of ability, it is simply how it was done."
"According to what I can find out," said Zeke, "there seems to be styles
in explainin' things, same as there is in clothes. My wife doesn't want to
wear the dress she had two years ago even if it isn't worn out very
much. When I ask her what's the matter with it she says it's out o' style.
It's the same way with explaining how this great hole in the ground
came here. There seems to be a sort of 'style' about it. Some people say
it's erosion, others say it's the work of a big glacier. Then too I have
heard some say as how it was neither and some said it was both. That
doesn't make any difference though, but I know where Thorn's Gulch is
and I can go there if you want to."
"If Simon found a mine what was it?"
"Can't say," replied Zeke sharply. "It might be gold, it might be zinc
and more likely might be copper. Most likely of all though is that he
didn't find no mine 't all."

"There isn't anything more in the diary about it anyway," said Fred,
who now had looked through all the pages without discovering any
further description. "How long is Thorn's Gulch?"
"Somewhere between fifteen and twenty miles," answered Zeke.
"Whew!" whistled John. "If we're going to look up the lost mine we'll
have some 'looking' to do I'm thinking."
"Right you are," said Fred soberly. "Do you think we had better try to
find this place?"
"That's for you to say," said Zeke. "It's all one to me whether I help you
find a copper mine or whether I keep you from, tipping over in the boat.
I'm inclined to think the boat business is a good deal safer than the
other."
"But we can't throw away a clue like this," protested Fred. "Here it is,"
he added, again looking at the map. "Two Crow Tree and Tom's
Thumb and then across the Gulch about half way between the two
places on the other side is Split Bock and then back of that is the stake.
I don't know what these figures mean."
"I do," said John confidently, "it's a half-mile northeast, then you go a
quarter of a mile southeast and then you turn and go a quarter of a mile
north northeast. Why, it's just as simple as the multiplication table."
Zeke smiled and shook his head and although he did not speak it was
plain that he did not accept John's explanation of the somewhat
mysterious figures as correct.
"Did you ever hear of Two Crow Tree?" asked John.
"I never did," said Zeke solemnly.
"Well, did you ever hear of Tom's Thumb?"
"Can't say that I have."

"Then, it's plain," said John, winking at Fred as he spoke, "that we'll
have to get somebody who is more familiar than you are, Zeke, with
this part of the country."
"Huh!" snorted Zeke. "Don't you believe it. There ain't nobody in these
diggin's that knows the country like I do."
"But you don't know where Two Crow Tree is or Tom's Thumb, to say
nothing about Split Rock on the opposite side of the canyon."
"That doesn't mean that I can't find them," retorted Zeke. "You mustn't
forget