All this Denver sensed as he gazed at the high cliff where the volcano had overflowed the earth, and at the layers and layers of sedimentary rock that protruded from beneath its base; but his eyes, though they sensed it, cared nothing for the great Cause--what they looked for was the fruit of all that labor. Where along this shattered rim-rock, twisted and hacked and uptilted, were the hidden cracks, the precious fissure veins, that had brought up the ore from the depths? There at his feet lay one, the gash through the rim where Queen Creek took its course; and further to the north, where the rim-rock was wrenched to the west, was another likely place. To the south there was another, a deep, sharp canyon that broke through the formation to the heights; and over them all, like a sheltering hand, lay the dark, moving shadow of Apache Leap. He traced out its line as it crept back towards the town and then, big eyed and silent, he started down the trail, still looking for some sign that might guide him.
But other eyes than his had been sweeping the rim and as he came up the trail Bunker Hill appeared and walked along beside him.
"I'll just show you those claims," he said smiling genially, "it'll save you a little time, and maybe a pair of shoes. And just to prove that I'm on the square I'll take you to the best one first."
He led on up the street and as they passed a stone cabin the door was yanked violently open and then as suddenly slammed shut.
"That's the Dutchman," grinned Bunker, "he wakes up grouchy every morning. What did you think of that rock he showed you?"
"Good enough," replied Denver, "it was rotten with gold. But from the looks of the pieces it's only a stringer--I doubt if it shows any walls."
"No, nor anything else much," answered Bunker slightingly, "you can't even call it a stringer. It's a kind of broken seam, going flat into the hill--the Mexicans have been after it for years. Every time there's a rain the Professor will go up there and wash out a little gold in the gulch; but a Chinaman couldn't work it, and make it show a profit, if he had to dig out his ore. Of course it's all right, if you think gold is the ticket, but you wait till I show you this claim of mine--next to the famous Lost Burro Mine.