Produced by David Edwards, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of public domain material produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.) Dave Porter Series DAVE PORTER IN THE GOLD FIELDS OR, THE SEARCH FOR THE LANDSLIDE MINE BY EDWARD STRATEMEYER Author of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," "The Lakeport Series," "Pan-American Series," "Old Glory Series," etc. _ILLUSTRATED BY WALTER ROGERS_ BOSTON LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. Published, August, 1914 COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. _All rights reserved_ DAVE PORTER IN THE GOLD FIELDS Norwood Press BERWICK AND SMITH CO. Norwood, Mass. U. S. A. [Illustration: "A NUGGET! A NUGGET OF GOLD!" CRIED DAVE.] CONTENTS PREFACE I. THE LANDSLIDE MINE II. DAVE PORTER'S PAST III. CAUGHT IN A STORM IV. A QUESTION OF STOCKS V. A TRAP FOR JOB HASKERS VI. ANOTHER SURPRISE VII. A GATHERING OF OAK HALL BOYS VIII. FIRE AND FIRECRACKERS IX. WHAT NAT POOLE HAD TO TELL X. DAVE AT HOME XI. OVERHEARD IN THE SUMMER-HOUSE XII. ON THE WAY WEST XIII. DAVE SEES SOMETHING XIV. IN BUTTE XV. AT ABE BLOWER'S HOME XVI. ON TO BLACK CAT CAMP XVII. ALONG THE MOUNTAIN TRAIL XVIII. THE STOLEN HORSES XIX. THE NEWSPAPER CLEW XX. THE EXPOSURE XXI. ON THE BACK TRAIL XXII. DAVE AND THE MOUNTAIN LION XXIII. IN THE MOUNTAIN CAVE XXIV. SEARCHING FOR THE LANDSLIDE MINE XXV. CAUGHT IN A STORM XXVI. PROWLERS IN CAMP XXVII. THE TWO PRISONERS XXVIII. THE LOST LANDSLIDE MINE XXIX. ANOTHER LANDSLIDE XXX. THE NEW CLAIM--CONCLUSION LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "A NUGGET! A NUGGET OF GOLD!" CRIED DAVE. AS DAVE LOOKED, HE SAW A CORNER OF A DISTANT FENCE FLY APART. "QUICK, SOMEBODY HELP ME! STOP THAT HORSE FROM FALLING OVER THE CLIFF!" "IF YOU LOCATE THAT MINE BEFORE WE DO, DON'T YOU DARE TO REMOVE ANY OF MY UNCLE'S LANDMARKS." PREFACE "Dave Porter in the Gold Fields" is a complete story in itself, but forms the tenth volume in a line issued under the general title of "Dave Porter Series." The series was begun some years ago by the publication of "Dave Porter at Oak Hall," in which my young readers were introduced to a typical American lad at a typical American boarding school. There was at that time a cloud over Dave's parentage, and to clear this away he took a long sea voyage, as related in the next volume, entitled "Dave Porter in the South Seas." Then he came back to school, as told of in "Dave Porter's Return to School," in which he gave one of the local bullies a much-needed lesson.