“Then, I say we try first to let John pace a half-mile.  We’ll all go along with him and when he comes to the end of his eight hundred and eighty yards why all there is for us to do is to stop and change the direction according to the compass and start out again.”

“We haven’t anything to measure with,” said John dolefully.

“We can strike it pretty close,” said Zeke.

“I’ll tell you what we can do, boys,” said Fred.  “The first joint in my thumb is just three-quarters of an inch.  We can measure it with that.”

Securing a piece of string Grant carefully measured according to the rule suggested by the diminutive Go Ahead Boy and soon he held up his string saying, as he did so, “If Fred is right that is exactly a yard.”

“Let me see it,” said Zeke, taking the string.  Making his own measurements he soon declared that Grant was almost correct in his statement.  “We can’t get within a half-inch of it anyway,” he said.

“A half-inch on a yard would mean four hundred and forty-four inches for a half-mile,” said Grant.  “Now four hundred and forty inches is thirty-six and three-quarter feet.  If we get as far as that out of our way it will take us from now until Christmas to find old Simon Moultrie’s lost mine.”

“It doesn’t make any difference,” said John, “that’s the best we can do and that’s all we’ve got to work on.”

The elongated Go Ahead Boy already had measured twenty yards of the ground and after every yard had been indicated he was walking over the distance trying to see how closely he could adjust his footsteps to the measurements which had been made.

“We’ll try it anyway,” said Grant.  “There’s nothing else to be done, but it won’t be safe to start until to-morrow morning, will it, Zeke?”

“That’s what it won’t,” said the guide quietly.  “We’ll stay here at Split Rock until sunrise to-morrow morning.”

In accordance with the directions of the guide preparations were at once made for passing the night at the place where they had halted.  Thoroughly tired by their exertions the Go Ahead Boys were ready for bed soon after their supper had been prepared and eaten.  Indeed, it was not long after dark before silence rested over the entire camp and apparently every member of the party was sleeping soundly.

Some time later Fred suddenly sat erect and looked keenly all about him.  He was unable to decide what had awakened him so abruptly for the silence which rested over the place was unbroken.

Uneasy over his sudden awakening, Fred, after delaying a few minutes, silently arose and doing his utmost not to disturb his other comrades moved cautiously toward the rim of the Gulch.