She had found the mother lode that the
Indian girl had told of.
Drawing her revolver, she fired three shots, the danger signal, and
immediately it was answered by three shots, but from the side of the
river she had just quitted.
This surprised her, but in a moment she heard a shout. It was Ted.
Evidently thinking that something might befall her, he had followed, and
in a few moments she heard him splashing in the water.
"Hello!" he cried.
"Here I am, Ted," cried Stella, and in a moment she saw his face
outlined above her in the opening of the hole.
"How the deuce did you get there?" he asked.
"Oh, I just dropped in to take a look around, and what do you think I
found? I've found gold by the bushel. Ted, this is the mother lode."
Ben, Carl, and Clay were with Ted, and soon Bud and Kit, who had heard
the shots, came hurrying back.
When they heard what had happened they were much surprised.
"But this cannot be the place. Where is the sycamore tree Singing Bird
said was a landmark?" said Ted.
They had pulled Stella out of the hole, and now she pointed to the big,
old stump.
"That is what's left of it," she said. "If I hadn't that hunch to sit
down here, we wouldn't have found the mother lode in a blue moon."
As they were speaking they heard a sound behind them, and turned to see
Running Bear.
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