“He’s an old fellow, and won’t be ketched napping,” said Jerry.  “The only way is to meet him, on his own ground.  I’ll fix him!  You get two or three of them splinters, and light ’em, and foller me.”

We cautiously advanced upon Bruin, torches in one hand and revolvers in the other, but his low, angry growl caused us, even then, to hesitate a moment before venturing further.

“Now, you take this ’ere torch, youngster,” said Jerry, addressing Ned, “and hold it so you kin see, and then I kin.  My narves is steadier’n clock-work, and I’ll do the shootin’.”

Another forward movement, and another growl saluted our ears.

“Steady, there,” said Jerry, “I see him;” and the next instant, he fired.

As soon as the almost deafening reverberations and din, caused by the discharge, had subsided, holding our torches so as to throw the light as far in advance as possible, we entered the cave, and in one corner found a large black bear—­dead.

“Hurrah!” cried Ned.  “We’ve got him!  Ain’t he a noble fellow?”

“Here’s room enough for all,” said Jerry, as the extent of the cave was made apparent.  “We’ll get our critters in, and have bar meat for supper, sure.”  The apartment in which we were standing was about twenty feet square, and nearly as many high, and, in one corner, we found a spring of clear, cool water.

“Nothing could be nicer than this,” declared Ned.  “I’d like to stay here for a month; it’s just splendid,” But Ned’s enthusiasm soon died out, for we discovered unmistakable evidence that Indians were in the habit of visiting it.  We determined to pass the night there, however, which we did without being disturbed, and the next morning again started for the mine, which we reached about two o’clock in the afternoon.

The mine consisted of a horizontal shaft, cut into the mountain-side, that had reached a depth of between two and three hundred feet; the ore being drawn up in large leathern buckets, by mule power, attached to a windlass.  Such portions as were deemed sufficiently rich were at once conveyed to the smelting furnace, where the pure ore was melted down and extracted from the virgin fossil.  If of inferior quality, it was submitted to the process of amalgamation.

We found much to interest us while examining the working of the mine, which was conducted upon the old Mexican plan.  Ned was particularly pleased with the manner of packing the silver, which was in rough cakes, for transportation.

These were placed in sacks made of raw hide, which, when dry, shrunk, and thus pressed the contents so closely, that all friction was avoided.  Two of these sacks, each containing about fifteen hundred dollars’ worth of the ore, constituted an ordinary mule-load.

We spent the entire day at the mine, watching the process of separating the ore, extracting the gold, roasting, grinding, etc., and the following day returned to El Paso, with the intention of leaving for Fort Fillmore immediately.