Slowly the little band advanced over the broken surface. There were gullies so deep that at first it seemed impossible to gain the opposite side. Most of these, however, were narrow and consequently the difficulties of John in measuring the distance were not greatly increased.

Grant had explained that if they did start from the wrong place they would steadily swing more and more away from the spot they were seeking.

However, there was nothing to be done except to try and the eagerness of the boys clearly showed how willing they were to make the attempt.

As the distance covered by John steadily increased, the boys became more silent though they were steadily watching for some object that might indicate the end of the first part of their search. No object, however, was seen and when at last John halted, declaring that he had covered exactly the distance required, he was standing on an elevation so slight that no one believed it was a landmark.

"Now, from here," said Grant, "we turn and go southeast a quarter of a mile."

"From where?" demanded Zeke.

"From where String is standing."

"Might as well start from there as anywhere," growled Zeke. "It's a kind of fool's journey anyway."

The sun was now pouring its beams directly upon the heads of the young explorers and there was no relief to be had. Across the desert stretch not a place of refuge was within sight.

"There's nothing else to be done," said Grant resolutely. "Jack will have to keep on and follow the compa.s.s just as closely as he did on the way here."

The declaration of the Go Ahead Boy was so evidently true that without a protest from any one the entire party resumed its march.

They were now at least a half-mile from the rim of the great Gulch. In changing the direction in which they were moving they still were following the line made by the huge chasm.

They had gone only half the distance of the second stage of their journey, when they all halted abruptly as Zeke said in a low voice, pointing as he spoke toward the canyon, "Is that smoke off there?"

For a moment all in the party were silent, but Pete and Grant were strong in their opinion that a thin line of smoke was visible just above the border of Thorn's Gulch.

"Huh," muttered Zeke, "that's more or less what I expected."

"What was it you were expecting?" demanded Fred.

"Just what I see."

"Yes, but what do you see?"

"The same as you do," said the guide sharply.

"I don't see anything but a little smoke. It may not be anything but a cloud," said Fred.

"Well, you see the same thing that I do and you're as free as I am to explain what it means. I'm very free to say that I don't like it."

"Here I am," exclaimed John, who had closely been following the compa.s.s.

"Where is that?" laughed George.

"Right here where I am is the end of that quarter-mile that we were to follow to the southeast."

"Stay where you are then," said Grant quickly. "We've got to measure from that spot to find anything like the stake we're looking for. We're now going a quarter-mile north northeast from here."

Again at the second halt John was standing on another small elevation, although it too was so slight that it would not have called attention to itself from any chance pa.s.ser-by.

"We're on our last lap, now," said Fred gleefully. "In a few minutes we'll know whether we've struck oil or gold. Come on, fellows!" he shouted in his excitement.

The little band at once renewed their journey and their excitement steadily increased as John's pace led them, as they believed, in the direction which had been indicated in the diary of Simon Moultrie.

CHAPTER XXV

CIRCLES

The determination of the Go Ahead Boys now was more manifest than at any time since they had left the Grand Canyon. The different ways in, which this feeling expressed itself was marked, for Fred's face was flushed and John's was eager as they pressed steadily forward. George was sometimes hopeful and sometimes in despair, while Grant was the only one whose countenance was unmoved.

Conversation did not thrive now for several reasons. The face of every one was turned toward the distance and as they pressed forward John's pace unconsciously became swifter. Indeed, the tall Go Ahead Boy was so interested now in arriving at the end of his journey that unconsciously he was giving less heed to the paces he was making.

Abruptly John stopped, declaring that he had come to the end. He had carefully followed the direction of the compa.s.s and had covered the last quarter-mile.

Blankly the Go Ahead Boys looked all about them. They now found themselves on the side of a low hill which itself seemed to be part of a mountain. At their left were ledges and great rocks that had been worn away by storms or the action of the air and sun. In whichever direction they looked, however, they were unable to discover anything that seemed to indicate a claim.

"I tell you we've come to the wrong place," said George, easily the most discouraged of the band. "There isn't anything here and I knew there wasn't all the while."

"Why did you come then?" demanded John irritably.

"I didn't want to break up the party," responded George.

"What shall we do now?" asked Fred, whose distress of mind was manifest in the tones of his voice.

"There's nothing to do but quit," said George. "It's a wise man that knows when he has had enough and I've had all I want."

"Q.E.D.," said Grant dryly.

"What do you mean by that?" demanded George.

"You know what it stands for," answered Grant. "All I meant was that you proved what you started out to prove."

"What is that?" demanded George.

"Why that you're a wise man and know when to quit."

"But honestly, Soc, isn't that the way you feel about it, too?" demanded Fred disconsolately.

"'Honestly,' Fred," retorted Grant mockingly, "it's _not_ the way I feel about it. I'm not going to give up. Did you ever hear the story of Bruce and the spider?"

"Only a few times," laughed John. "I think you have told us about how he was hiding in a cave and how he watched a spider that kept on trying to swing himself across a corner. I believe that he failed a good many times but finally succeeded."

"Good for you, String," laughed Grant. "I wasn't quite sure that you got the point."

"I get the point, all right," retorted John, "when you're able to make it plain. All the same," he added, "what are we going to do next?"