"Hullo! hullo!" came in the voice of Phil. "Where are you?" "Here we are!" answered Dave and Roger. "You've been a long time in here," went on the shipowner's son. "We got lost," announced Roger. "And we shot the mate of that mountain lion," added Dave. They soon reached Phil, and then the whole party quickly made their way out of the cave. Those who had been left outside listened with interest to what Dave and the others had to relate. "Well, that sure must be some cave!" exclaimed Tom Dillon. "An' as Abe says, we must come back and examine it more closely some time. There may be a lot of gold an' silver in it, an' maybe other metals." "Perhaps radium!" cried Phil. "Say, wouldn't it be great to find a radium mine!" "I don't think ye'll find any o' thet new-fangled stuff here," answered Tom Dillon. "An' anyway, gold an' silver is good enough for me," and he smiled broadly. Nightfall found the party still among the loose rocks that overspread the mountainside where the great landslide had taken place. Looking at the forsaken and desolate region, the boys could well understand why the search for the lost mine had been given up. There was nothing to be seen that looked in the least promising. Rocks and dirt rested on all sides, and that was all. "We looked over the rocks and the dirt putty well, too," explained Tom Dillon. "But there wasn't nary a sight o' gold; eh, Abe?" "Not enough fer to buy a plug o' tobaccer with," answered the other miner. As one spot was no better than another apparently, they did not spend much time in looking for a place to camp. In one place was a little rough brush and here the horses were tethered. Then a tiny fire was kindled in a hollow of the rocks, and over this they prepared their supper,--a rather slim affair, considering that every one was tremendously hungry. "Not a seven-course dinner," said Phil, with a sickly grin. "Never mind," returned Dave, cheerfully. "Just wait till after we have found that lost mine and get into Yellowstone Park. I'm sure the hotels there serve the best of meals." "O dear! now I am here, it doesn't look so easy--I mean to locate that mine," sighed Roger. "What, you're not going to give up so soon, are you, lad!" cried Tom Dillon. "Why, we ain't begun no search yit," added Abe Blower. "Time to git kind o' tired arfter ye have been here a week or two an' nuthin' doin'." To this none of the boys replied. But they could not help but think what a dreary time it would be, searching among those rocks and that loose dirt day after day, if the lost mine were not brought to light.