CHAPTER XXVII.

AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION.

The Aurora mine had been reached at last!

Oliver Bright, as he sat on his mule, drew a long breath. His tedious journey had come to an end.

“The Aurora mine!” he repeated. “That way, beyond that row of buildings, is the Aurora mine?”

“It is the shaft leading to it,” said Cottle. “It is a very peculiar mine, running, as it does, parallel to the mountain for some six hundred feet. I could never understand how Colonel Guerotaz, as he is called, could abandon it, seeing as it paid so well; but when he approached it from the extremity of the Cortez I began to smell a mouse, and what you have told me makes it as plain as day. He will be greatly surprised to see you.” And the guide gave a long, low laugh.

“I have been thinking I had better go down alone,” said Oliver. “He will know you, Mr. Whyland, and you too, Cottle.”

“I have been thinking the same thing,” replied the former. “But you had better take Gregory with you, and if you get into any trouble fire off your pistol. You know what to say.”

“Of course,” replied Oliver; for he and Mr. Whyland had had too many conversations on the matter for him to make any mistake.

A little later Oliver and Gus rode forth from the bushes in which the confab had taken place, and headed directly for the group of buildings below.

“Hope you ain’t nervous, Olly,” said the stout youth, as they moved on at a rapid gait.

“I am anxious but not nervous,” was the low reply. “This Colonel Mendix has grossly wronged my father, and I intend to have matters set straight.”

“I’m feeling mighty funny myself――”

“If you want to go back――” began Oliver.

“Not a bit of it; not if I knew I was going to have my head taken off,” cried Gus. “What, after all you did for me on the Polly Eliza! Not much!” and he spurted on ahead.

In a few minutes they had arrived at the row of buildings. Only a single man was in sight, the rest probably being at work.

“Is Colonel Men――I mean Colonel Guerotaz anywhere about?” asked Oliver.

The man stared at them.

“Reckon you’ll find him over there in the office,” was the slow answer. “Anything particklar?”

But Oliver did not reply. Riding over to the building indicated, he dismounted, followed by Gus, and rapped loudly upon the door.

“Come,” said a sharp voice from the inside; and they entered.

It was a plain room, furnished with a desk, a small safe, and half a dozen chairs. In one corner lay a number of specimens of ore; and that was all.

In front of the desk sat Colonel Mendix, deep in the perusal of a number of written statements. He glanced up in surprise as the two entered. He had expected to see some of his own workmen.

“Hello! Who are you?” he exclaimed.

“Is this Colonel Guerotaz?” asked Oliver, advancing as calmly as he could, though his heart beat as it never had before.

“That’s my name,” was the short reply. “And you are?”

“A couple of mine-hunters all the way from San Francisco,” returned Oliver. “This is my friend Mr. Gregory. My name is Oliver.”

The Spaniard bowed.

“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Oliver,” he said, falling into a natural mistake, as Oliver had intended he should. “You are looking for a mine?”

“Yes; a mine that was located a number of years ago.”

“And what mine was that?”

“The Aurora.”

The Spaniard turned pale, and clasped his hands together.

“I――I――know of no such mine around here,” he faltered.

“Not at all?” asked Oliver sharply.

“No, no; I am quite sure. What makes you think there is a mine by that name near here?”

“I did not say it was near here, did I?” asked the boy innocently.

“Oh!” Colonel Mendix breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought――”

“But I am told it is quite near here,” went on Oliver.

Colonel Mendix jumped to his feet.

“Who told you that?” he demanded.

“Mr. Arthur Bright.”

“Arthur Bright! I don’t know such a man.”

“His son says you do.”

“His son!” the man staggered back. “Where did you meet his son?”

“His son was in San Francisco about a week ago.”

“I――I――did not know he had a son,” faltered the colonel.

Oliver could not help but smile, the man was so confused.

“If you do not know the man it is not likely that you would know he had a son,” he said.

Colonel Mendix jumped to his feet.

“I want none of your smart sayings, young man!” he said.

“And I haven’t anything very smart to say,” replied Oliver. “I only want to know the location of this Aurora mine.”

“What do you want to know that for?”

“I want to find out about it for Mr. Bright.”

“Did he send you?”

“No; but he could not come himself, and so I came for him. He said the mine was somewhere out here, and I promised to look it up.”

Colonel Mendix looked at Oliver sharply for a moment.

“Who ran this mine?” he asked slowly.

“Colonel Mendix.”

At the mention of that name the Spaniard could not help but flinch. But he quickly recovered.

“Ah, yes, I knew Colonel Mendix,” he replied. “He went to South America several years ago.”

“He did?”

“Yes. If you are after the mine he opened I can tell you all about it. But it is of small consequence, I can assure you.”

“Why?”

“Because the mine is utterly worthless. Colonel Mendix had great hopes of it proving a bonanza and sunk a good deal of money in it. The investment made him a poor man.”

“Was it all his own money he used?”

“I think he had some Eastern capitalists interested; but when he saw the mine was a failure he never tried to settle the matter; simply sold off the machinery to pay off the indebtedness, and cleared out.”

“Have you heard from him since?”

“Never.”

“And where is the mine? I would like to be able to tell Mr. Bright that I had seen it.”

“It is about a quarter of a mile below here, and half-way up the mountain. Follow the wagon-track that leads to the south and you cannot miss it.”

Of course Oliver knew that the man was telling a falsehood; yet he wished to hear all the colonel might have to say.

“And the claim is quite abandoned?” he asked.

“Entirely. It would not pay to reopen it under any consideration. This mine of mine, the Cortez, pays but poorly, and it is by far the best in the district.”

“Thank you, we will take a look at the mine you speak of and then come back,” said Oliver; and the two withdrew, leaving the Spaniard gazing after them earnestly.