"There you are, Curly!" exclaimed Mack. "There's a spring in the cave
beneath us. There's drift wood, enough to run a factory with. Have I
delivered the goods, or not?"
"Everything is as per advertisement except the gold," replied Curly.
"Oh, well, I don't vouch for the gold!" said Mack. "I just said the
Indians claim they get it here. There's some grazing for the critters
up here on the plateau, you see, and not a bit below. So we'll drive
'em back up here and leave 'em. With a little feed of oats once in a
while, they'll do. Come ahead! It'll be dark in the Canyon inside of
two hours."
The cave proved to be a hollow overhang of the plateau ten or fifteen
feet deep, and twice as wide. The floor was covered with sand.
"All ready to go to housekeeping!" exclaimed Curly. "Judge, you
wrangle firewood while Mack and I just give this placer idea a ten
minutes' trial, will you?"
"Go ahead!" said Enoch, "all the gold in the Colorado couldn't tempt me
like something to eat. If you aren't ready by the time the fire's
going, Mack, I shall start supper."
"Go to it! I can stand it if you can!" returned Mack, who had already
unpacked his pan.
From that moment Enoch became the commissary and steward for the
expedition.
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