Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/218

204 entrance up there. The moon's coming up. Give me some of those spikes and a hammer. I'll tackle it with the rope. The rock isn't so hard. I can drive them in as I go. Then we'll have a ladder with a rope for hand-rail."

"I'll have a job to manage it," said Healy, dubiously.

We'll git you up there, 'Ealey," said Larkin. "Where we go you go, hold pal, till this job's through with, located, develluped, an' the girl is found and 'as got 'er share. Your arm hain't so bad. I saw you lifting with it this afternoon." Healy made no answer and Larkin went on.

"Let me tackle it, Stone," he begged. "I'm a two-'anded climber and a bit of a hacrobat, though you mightn't think it ter look at me. I hused to be a steeple-jack once. If I can't myke it, you 'ave a try."

He took off his boots and socks while the round moon rose and flooded the mesa, silvering the eastern side of the butte, flinging its rays fairly into the chimney. It was getting cold, but they did not notice it. Harvey cut down some prickly-pear cactus and made a hedge across a hollow at the foot of the cliff in which to place the burros. They had watered themselves and the beasts with what they carried in their canteens.

"Only enough fodder for another meal for the burros," Harvey said. "We'll have to take a trip with them back to the grass to-morrow."

"It won't take long to blast out all the gold they