CHAPTER VI
FORMING THE SYNDICATE
“Well, I guess they’ll come to a decision to-day,” remarked Bob Baker,as he tilted back in his chair, and looked across at his two chums, Nedand Jerry.
“I’m sure I hope so,” said Jerry. “For if we go after that gold we’llwant some time to prepare, and get the airship in shape.”
“Are you going in the _Comet_?” asked Ned.
“No--at least not all the way there. That’s as far as I figured out.Of course we could make the whole trip in her if we wanted to, butI thought it would be better to ship her to--say Kabspell, put hertogether there, and then all get in and have a try for the valley ofgold.”
“That wouldn’t be a bad scheme,” agreed Bob. “We could travel byrailroad, I suppose, and if they have dining cars on the train----”
“Oh, you and your dining cars!” cried Ned. “Wouldn’t you get enough toeat if we took the airship?”
“Well, I might, but I have to do most of the cooking, and then, it’srather cramped. You can’t really enjoy a full meal on board.”
“And Bob always wants a full meal,” laughed Jerry.
It was several days after the arrival of the miners, and the time hadpassed quickly. The chums had assembled at Bob’s house to talk mattersover, and, in fact, they had talked about little else than the sixtynuggets of gold ever since hearing of them.
Jim Nestor and Harvey Brill had been made comfortable at the Hopkinshome, as had Professor Snodgrass. The latter at once began rovingabout, as he always did, looking for new and strange insects, while thetwo Westerners went about town, Jim to call on some friends he had madeduring a previous visit.
“Yes, we’ve put it up to the folks now, as to whether we can go ornot,” went on Ned.
“And they promised to have an answer for us to-night,” added Jerry.
“But I wonder why they wanted to have a conference with Jim and hisfriend again?” inquired Bob. “That’s twice they’ve held secret meetingswhen they didn’t let us in. Can it be that this thing isn’t going topan out?” It was a fact that, following the information given them bytheir sons, Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Slade and Mr. Baker had been in frequentcommunication, and had been closeted with the two Westerners.
“Oh, I guess it’s all right,” said Jerry. “There’s no fake about HarveyBrill; anyone could tell that. And as for Jim Nestor, we all know him.But I guess the folks think it’s a bit dangerous, on account of thoseplotting grub-stakers, and they want to see if there isn’t some saferway to get the gold.”
“Well, I hope they let us go,” spoke Bob, with a sigh. “I always getsuch a good appetite when I travel!”
“Hit him, Ned!” begged Jerry; but the stout lad quickly got out ofreach.
“We’ll soon know,” remarked Jerry, after a bit. “Let’s go down to theriver, and look over the motor boat. I promised Jim and his friend aride in it, and we’ve got time before dinner.”
“All right,” agreed his chums; and soon they were tinkering at themotor, which needed some slight adjustments.
“I say though,” questioned Bob, as he paused with a bit of oily wastein his hand; “if we do go, what about school? The term doesn’t end forthree or four weeks.”
“Oh, we can easily cut it, and make it up in the Fall,” said Ned,quickly. “Besides, if we want to, we can get Professor Snodgrass tocoach us.”
“Not if he gets on the trail of the luminous snakes,” declared Jerry,with a laugh. “He’ll want to hunt for them all the while, for Mr. Brillsaid he didn’t see very many--just a few in the valley--and they maytake all the professor’s time.”
“Well, we can take a chance,” said Ned. “Say, Bob, wipe that smudge offyour nose.”
“I will. Thanks! There’s one on your ear.”
“I guess we can clean up,” announced Jerry. “She’ll do.”
They returned to Bob’s house, and a little later the whole party,including Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Slade, Mr. Baker, and the two Westerners,were gathered about the table.
“I guess we can go, all right,” whispered Ned. “Dad looks as thoughhe’d consented.”
“I hope so,” answered Jerry, for the grown folk had been in conferencewith the miners just prior to the announcement of the meal.
“Well, boys,” said Mr. Slade, after a pause, “I don’t see the necessityof keeping you in suspense any longer. We have decided that----”
“Can we go?” burst out Ned.
“CAN WE GO?” BURST OUT NED.]
“Wait a bit, son,” advised his father. “There are one or two mattersto be explained. You did not hear, did you, that your friend Mr. Brillexpects to buy a valuable piece of mining property near the one you areinterested in, out in Arizona?”
“No, he didn’t tell us,” said Jerry.
“Well it’s true,” said the prospector. “I didn’t mention it because Ihad so much else on my mind. But I got a chance to secure an optionon a mine not far from yours. I can get it cheap, for the owners aregetting discouraged about it, but Jim and I figured on a new way tohandle the ore. But I’m afraid, unless I can locate my sixty nuggets ofgold, that I’ll have to let the proposition go.”
“Why?” inquired Ned.
“Because I haven’t the money to take it up. I paid out two hundreddollars--nearly all the money I had in the world except my sixtynuggets--for a mere chance to buy an option inside of a month.
“The option itself will cost me ten thousand dollars, and if I getthat it means that I have the right, within another month, to buy themine for forty thousand dollars. Now I can swing half of that, for mynuggets are easily worth twenty thousand.”
“And I promised to take the other half interest,” said Jim. “But justat present my money is all tied up, and so I can’t advance Harvey thenecessary ten thousand to get the option.”
“And if I don’t close, and take that option in a few days, I’ll losethe mine,” went on Mr. Brill. “And I hate to do that for I know itwill pay. I did think I could get to my nuggets in time, but now I seeI can’t, and so I guess the mine will have to go to somebody else.”
“Unless you can raise the rest of the ten thousand dollars,” put in Mr.Slade.
“Exactly,” spoke the miner.
“Well,” went on the department store proprietor, “we have talked thematter over,” and he indicated Mrs. Hopkins, the rich widow, and Mr.Baker, the banker. “We have decided that it would be too bad to losethe mine, and we have also agreed that you boys may make the trip afterthe nuggets--but----”
“Hurray!” yelled Bob, Ned and Jerry in a chorus.
“Wait!” exclaimed Mr. Slade, holding up his hand. “I’m not done yet. Ifwe advance the necessary ten thousand dollars, as a syndicate of three,to secure the option, will you agree to reimburse us when you get thenuggets, and take possession of the mine?” he asked of Mr. Brill.
“I sure will!” cried the prospector. “I’ll sign any kind of paper youlike.”
“And I will too!” declared Jim Nestor.
“Well, we thought you would,” went on the merchant; “so I had acontract drawn up. We have investigated your story,” he said to theprospector, “and think it is all right. We will let the boys have atry at finding the hidden nuggets.
“But mind you!” he exclaimed, becoming serious, and looking at thethree chums, “it’s up to you boys now to find those nuggets, and keep’em after you find ’em, or we’ll lose the ten thousand dollars weadvance. You’ve got to find that gold!”
“And we’ll do it!” cried Jerry.
“We sure will!” exclaimed Bob.
“When can we start?” Ned wanted to know.
“Just as soon as the papers can be prepared,” answered his father.“Remember this trip isn’t all for fun. There are grave responsibilitiesattached to it, for, though the ten thousand dollars will be advancedby the three of us, still none of us wish to sustain a loss. So--findthose sixty nuggets!” he finished, with a smile.
“Oh, we’ll get ’em--if
those other fellows haven’t located ’em; and Idon’t believe they have,” declared Mr. Brill.
“Well, boys,” began Mr. Baker, “now that is settled I think we can----”
He was interrupted by a rush of feet on the porch, and a shrill voicecried out:
“Hey, Bob! Jerry! Ned! Come on! Noddy Nixon is running off in yourmotor boat!”