“Here’s something!” exclaimed Fred excitedly.  “This is worth while,” he added, after he had looked carefully through the various pages of the diary and in the back part of the book, distinct from the numbered pages, he had found the following entry: 

    “June 1st.

At last I have found it.  It seems good after twenty-three years of disappointment to be able to say that I have found a good lead and that there is a sure enough vein here.  I thought I was on the right trail when I was in the middle of Thorn’s Gulch and I found pretty soon that I had struck it just right.  I followed the lead four days and every day I was more convinced that I had found something at last worth while.  The assay will be great.  Soon I shall have all the money I need, and my poor old sister will no longer be broken hearted for me.  I was determined to find a mine and now I have one that is worth all my long working and waiting.”

“Any name signed to that?” inquired Zeke quickly when Fred ceased reading.

“No.”

“Then you can’t be sure it’s Simon’s.”

“Yes, you can, if the book belonged to him, as you think it did.  It’s plain this Simon, if that was his name, was an educated man.”

“How do you know that?” inquired John.

“Why, the words are all spelled as they ought to be and his penmanship is good.  The only thing is that there isn’t a name signed nor any sign that will show who wrote it.  Hello!” he added quickly, “here’s something on the next page that ought to interest us.”

“What is it?” inquired John, approaching and looking over the shoulder of his friend.

“It looks to me like a map,” said Fred thoughtfully.  “Here’s a place that is marked Thorn’s Gulch and over here on one side is a spot marked Two Crow Tree, and a little further up on the same side is Tom’s Thumb.  Across the Gulch is a place marked Split Rock.  Not far away from it is another mark which he calls his stake.  Then right opposite it are three other marks,—­1/2 m N.E., 1/4 m S.E., 1/4 m N.N.E.  Here’s a picture of it,” Fred added.

X Two Crow Tree.        X Tom’s Thumb.
.----------------------------------------------
.     Thorn’s Gulch
.     .---------------------------------------------
.    .             X Split Rock.
/   /                        Stake      1/2 m N.E.
|   |                           o        1/4 m S.E.
|   |                                    1/4 m N.N.E.

[Illustration:  Map]

“That’s interesting,” said Zeke thoughtfully.  “I know where Thorn’s Gulch is.”

“How far is it from here?” inquired Fred.

“Oh, I should say it is a good forty miles.”

“Is it hard to get there?”

“I haven’t ever been this way,” replied Zeke, “but I’m thinkin’ we can make it.”

“In which direction does the Gulch run?”

“It’s a funny place,” explained Zeke; “it runs mostly north and south.  It takes a sharp turn at the lower end.”