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Page 60
Grace handed the map to her, and Elfreda studied it frowningly.
"It means nothing in particular, I should say. It might be a map
of a scene in Switzerland for all we know," declared Nora. "Hippy,
you are a champion finder. I wonder if they give medals for
persons who find things--who make great finds."
"Nora dear, if I had found one of the Egyptian pyramids out here
on the American Desert, you would blame me for not handing out the
Sphinx at the same time," protested Hippy.
"It may mean a great deal," said Grace.
"I agree with you," nodded Elfreda, who was still studying the
map. "It is a mystery map, and it plainly meant something to its
possessor or he would not have brought it out here and buried it.
By the same token, I should say that it applied to something in
this part of the country. I am inclined to believe that it does.
There is a name here. Mr. Lang, do you know of any person of the
name of Steve Carver?"
"No, Miss Briggs. May I have a look?"
"Oh, pardon me," begged Elfreda, handing the map to the guide. Hi
studied it for several minutes, then returned it.
"It's not a picture of anything that I ever saw, I reckon," he
said.
"What shall we do with it?" asked Miss Briggs.
"I would suggest that we make a copy of it, returning the map to
the box and burying the box by the cross where we found it,"
replied Grace.
"Yes, but what about this gold, Brown Eyes?" demanded Hippy.
"Put that back, too. It doesn't belong to us, Am I not right, Mr.
Lang?" she asked.
"I reckon you are," agreed the guide, nodding his approval of the
suggestion.
"What's the use in finding things?" grumbled Hippy, permitting the
gold to slip through his fingers into the metal box.
Elfreda, on a piece of wrapping paper, made a careful copy of the
map, then returned it to Lieutenant Wingate, who placed it in the
box and slammed down the cover.
"I'll bury the old thing, of course, but some one else will dig it
up. That's why I should advise keeping the whole business," said
Hippy, rising and walking over to the cross with the box under his
arm. They heard him working out there and, in a few moments, he
returned. "Deed's done," he informed them. "What are you going to
do with the copy of the map, J. Elfreda?"
"Entertain myself in studying it. Nothing may come of that, of
course, but, like Emma, a mystery does appeal to me."
"So it does to me," agreed Grace. "Were it not for the fact that
my intuition tells me that the map is going to play an important
part in our journey, I should not have been in favor of making a
copy of it, so take good care of the copy, Elfreda dear."
The rest of the evening was spent in discussing their mysterious
find and all sorts of theories were advanced for the box being
buried by the leaning cross. Hi Lang listened to all of this, but
made no comment. He had his own ideas on the subject.
Next morning Hi was out long before the others were awake, making
an investigation on his own account. He had barely begun this
when, upon glancing up, he saw the solitary horseman far out on
the desert, sitting motionless, apparently observing the camp of
the Overland Riders.
The guide took his time at what he was doing, at the same time
keeping a watchful eye on the distant horseman.
"I thought so!" exclaimed Hi Lang. "I think I'll give that fellow
a run," he decided after a moment's reflection, during which he
observed the watcher narrowly.
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