“It doesn’t seem as if anybody could ever have dug for gold in that horrid ditch,” exclaimed Kyzie.

“You’d better believe they did, though,” said the young guide.  “They used to get it out in nuggets, cart-loads of it.”

He was not quite sure of the nuggets, but liked the sound of the word.

“Yes, cart-loads of it.  I tell you ’twas the richest mine in the whole Cuyamaca Mountains.”

“Too bad the gold gave out,” said Kyzie, gazing regretfully into the watery depths.

“But it didn’t give out!  Why, there’s gold enough left down there to buy up the whole United States!  They lost the vein, that’s all”

“The vein?  What’s a vein?” asked Edith.

“Well, you see,” replied the guide, “gold goes along underground in streaks; they call it veins.  The miners had to stop digging here because they lost track of the streak.  But they’ll find it again.”

“How do you know?” asked Jimmy-boy, who thought Nate was putting on too many airs.

“Because Mr. Templeton said so.  They’ve sent for Colonel Somebody from I—­forget where.  He’s a splendid mining engineer, great for finding lost veins.  He’ll be here next week and bring a lot of men.”

“Whoop-ee!” cried Jimmy, “he’ll find the vein and things, and we’ll be having gold as plenty as blackberries!”

“Just what I was talking about yesterday when you laughed,” broke in Lucy.  “I said I’d go down in a bucket; don’t you know I did?”

Edith was gazing spellbound at the yawning chasm.

“Look at those rickety steps!  The men will get killed!  ’Twill all cave in!”

“No danger,” said Nate, “there are walls down there, stone walls, papa says, that keep it all safe.”

He meant “galleries,” but had forgotten the word.

“Well, I don’t care if there are five hundred stone walls, I guess the men could drown all the same!” said Edith.  “That water ought to be let out, Nate Pollard!  If the colonel is coming next week why don’t they let out the water this very day and give the place a chance to dry off.”

She spoke in a tone of the gravest anxiety, as if she understood the matter perfectly, and felt the whole care of the mine.  Indeed, the mine had become suddenly very interesting to all the children.  It certainly looked like a rough, wild, frightful hole; nothing more than a hole; but if there were gold down there in “nuggets,” why, that was quite another matter; it became at once an enchanted hole; it was as delightful as a fairy story.

“I hope it’s true that they’ve sent for that colonel,” said Kyzie.

“Of course it’s true,” replied Nate, who did not like to have his word doubted.

“I s’pose there are buckets ’round here.  Oh, aren’t you glad we came to Castle Cliff?” said Lucy, pirouetting around Jimmy.

“Bab will be glad, too,” she thought.  For Lucy never could look forward to any pleasure without wishing her darling “niece” to share it with her.