"Oo-ee!" piped Phil, "hear the boy talk!" But he said no more of wine and women, for he knew how they do complicate life. They rode to the east now, following the long, flat footprints of the burros, and by all the landmarks Bud saw that they were heading straight for the old Eagle Tail mine. At Old Fortuna the river turns west and at the same time four cañons come in from the east and south. Of these they had taken the first to the north and it was leading them past all the old workings that Kruger had spoken about. In fact, they were almost at the mine when Hooker swung down suddenly from his horse and motioned Phil to follow. "There's some burros coming," he said, glancing back significantly; and when the pack-train came by, each animal piled high with broken wood, the two Americans were busily tapping away at a section of country rock. A man and a boy followed behind the animals, gazing with wonder at the strangers, and as Phil bade them a pleasant "_Buenos días!_" they came to a halt and stared at their industry in silence. In the interval Phil was pleased to note that the old man had only one eye. "_Que busca?_" the one-eyed one finally inquired. "What are you looking for?" And when Phil oracularly answered, "Gold!" the old man made a motion to the boy to go on and sat down on a neighboring rock. "Do you want to buy a prospect?" he asked, and Bud glanced up at him grimly. "We find our own prospects," answered Phil. "But I know of a very rich prospect," protested Mendez; "_very rich_!" He shrilled his voice to express how rich it was. "Yes?" observed Phil. "Then why don't you dig the gold out? But as for us, we find our own mines. That is our business." "_Seguro!_" nodded Mendez, glancing at their outfit approvingly. "But I am a poor man--very poor--I cannot denounce the mine. So I wait for some rich American to come and buy it. I have a friend--a very rich man--in Gadsden, but he will not come; so I will sell it to you." "Did you get that, Bud?" jested Phil in English. "The old man here thinks we're rich Americans and he wants to sell us a mine." Bud laughed silently at this, and Mr. Mendez, his hopes somewhat blasted by their levity, began to boast of his find, giving the history of the Eagle Tail with much circumstantiality and explaining that it was a lost _padre_ mine. "Sure," observed Phil, going back to his horse and picking up the bridle, "that's what they all say. They're _all_ lost _padre_ mines, and you can see them from the door of the church. Come on, Bud, let's go!" "And so you could this," cried Mendez, running along after them as they rode slowly up the cañon, "from the old church that was washed away by the flood! This is the very mine where the _padres_ dug out all their gold! Are you going up this way? Come, then, and I will show you--the very place, except that the _Americano_ ruined it with a blast!"