The Mystery of the Lost Mine Read online

  “Have you ever heard of the Lost Dutchman’s mine in the Superstition Mountains?” Luis asked.

  The Aldens shook their heads.

  “Over a hundred years ago,” Luis began, “a prospector claimed he found a fantastic gold mine somewhere in the Superstition Mountains. On his deathbed, he told his nurse how to find the mine. The nurse and two friends tried to locate the mine, but they never did. They told other people about the mine, and the story spread.”

  “And Jake is searching for the Lost Dutchman’s mine?” Henry asked.

  Just then Mr. and Mrs. Garcia came in. Overhearing Henry’s question, they sat down and picked up the story.

  “A lot of people have looked for the Dutchman’s mine,” said Mr. Garcia. “Jake is not alone. Gold fever is highly contagious. People get excited at the mention of gold.”

  Mrs. Garcia added, “People can look all they want, but no one can dig for gold in the Superstition Mountains. It’s the law.”

  “Then why is old Jake still looking?” Jessie asked. “If no one has found it in a hundred years, why does he believe he can find it?”

  Mr. Garcia answered. “Not too long ago, some tourists found some small stone slabs with pictures carved on them. The stones were supposed to be maps, with clues to the location of the gold mine. If a person figured out the clues, they would find the mine. Like a treasure hunt.”

  “Where are the stones?” Benny asked. He liked the idea of a treasure hunt!

  “They’re in a museum in Mesa,” said Luis. “I’ve seen them and have pictures of the stones in our RV.”

  “Can we see the pictures?” Henry asked eagerly.

  “Sure.”

  “Luis, we’ll be leaving on our hike after we eat,” Mrs. Garcia told her son. “Would you like to come with us or stay with the Aldens?”

  “I’d rather stay with my new friends.” He looked eagerly at Henry. “If that’s okay?”

  “You bet,” Henry said.

  They all left the restaurant. Luis led the way to his trailer and opened the door.

  “Wow!” Benny commented when he stepped inside. “You sure have a lot of rocks!” Boxes overflowed with rocks in all shapes and sizes.

  “I told you my parents are geologists. They can’t resist picking up specimens.” Luis took a folder from a drawer. “Here are the photographs of the stones.”

  Violet studied the pictures. Most of the stones were rectangular. One was heart-shaped. The heart-shaped stone fit into a heart-shaped hole in a larger stone.

  “Why is this stone different from the others?” she asked.

  “Some people think this stone points to Weaver’s Needle,” said Luis. “That’s a landmark in the Superstition Mountains. It’s one of the clues the prospector told his nurse, so everyone believes the mine is near the needle. If you look at Weaver’s Needle a certain way, it looks like a half-buried heart.”

  “How can a needle look like a heart?” asked Benny.

  Luis shrugged. “I don’t think the rock looks like either one. But the name stuck, I guess.”

  Henry noticed the stones were etched with squiggles and strange symbols. He squinted at some foreign words. “Do you know what that says?”

  Luis grinned. “It’s Spanish, which I happen to speak and read. It means, ‘look for the heart’ or ‘follow the heart.’ ”

  “Look for the heart,” Jessie repeated thoughtfully.

  “I have a question,” Benny said. “Where are the Superstition Mountains?”

  Luis spread his hand toward the brown hills behind the campground. “Right out there.”

  Henry felt a quiver of excitement. “We have pictures of the maps and Grandfather said we could explore. Why don’t we look for the mine!”

  “Yes!” agreed Benny eagerly. “We need a new adventure.”

  “Will you come with us, Luis?” Jessie asked. “After all, you have the map pictures.”

  “Well—” Luis hesitated. “I think it’s too far for us to go without horses, but we could do some exploring in the area. Who knows what we might find.”

  “Yayyy!” Benny jumped up and down. “We’re off again!”

  “Let’s get started,” Henry said. “We’ll go back to our trailer and get supplies.”

  Luis opened the door for them. As he did, a woman scurried away from the door.

  It was Mrs. Clark.

  She smiled guiltily. “Just hunting for my earring. I thought I lost one near here.”

  Violet stared at her. Mrs. Clark was wearing a lot of jewelry, including a gold chain and several chain bracelets. But no earrings.

  Was the woman really looking for an earring? Or was she trying to listen to what they were saying about the lost mine?

  CHAPTER 3

  Benny’s Gold

  “Do you think we’ll find the mine by lunchtime?” Benny asked Violet.

  She clambered over a rock in the trail, then held out her hand for her brother.

  “I doubt it, Benny,” Violet said. “Luis said some people spend their whole lives looking for the mine.”

  Ahead on the trail, Luis stopped so the Aldens could catch their breath.

  “It’s best to go out in the desert early in the morning,” he told them, “before the sun gets too hot. Drink water, even if you aren’t thirsty. If you wait till you are, you’re already becoming dehydrated.”

  The Aldens uncapped their canteens and took a long drink.

  They all wore hats, sturdy shoes, and heavy socks. Luis had warned them that in the Superstition Mountains both plants and animals could sting or bite.

  “Why is there a Superstition Mountain in the Superstition Mountains?” Jessie asked, confused.

  Luis laughed. “Superstition Mountain is a special mountain in the Superstition Mountain range.”

  Henry gazed around the bare landscape. “It sure is different out here.”

  “But it’s beautiful, too.” Aiming her camera, Violet snapped pictures of a cactus that was as tall as a tree, with two arms reaching toward the sky.

  “That’s a saguaro cactus, right?” Henry remembered reading about them in Grandfather’s Southwest guidebook.

  Luis nodded. “They grow really slow, about two inches a year. It takes them fifty years to put out an arm.”

  “So this one must be at least a hundred years old.” Jessie tipped her head back so she could see it better.

  Luis squinted up at the sky. “We should probably head back. The sun is directly overhead. It’s at its strongest.”

  “But we haven’t found the mine yet!” Benny objected.

  “Benny has gold fever,” Henry teased. He scanned the horizon. “Anyway, we need to locate Weaver’s Needle before we can begin searching for the mine. I wonder where it is.”

  “It’s too far to walk to,” Luis told him. “We’d have to ride horses.”

  Violet’s eyes lit up. “Can we do that?”

  “Grandfather told us we could rent horses,” Henry said. “There’s a stable just down the road from the campground.”

  Suddenly Benny leaped to his feet. “Gold!” He held a broken rock with a shiny gold lump sticking out. “I’m rich!”

  Luis examined the rock. “It looks like gold, but it’s really a mineral called pyrite. Sometimes it’s called fool’s gold, because people think they’ve found the real thing.”

  “It’s pretty, though,” Violet remarked.

  With the hammer, Luis chipped away most of the broken rock. He handed Benny the stone. “Here you go. Now it’s easier to carry.”

  Benny put his prize in his pocket. “I don’t care if it’s not real gold. I’m going to keep it forever. It will be my lucky rock.”

  Jessie was glad when they finally trudged back into camp. Their air-conditioned RV felt very nice. She made lemonade while the others cooled off.

  No one had the energy to walk over to the Chuck Wagon for lunch, so they fixed a picnic of turkey sandwiches, chips, and chocolate cookies.

  “You know what would feel gr
eat right now?” Henry said, fanning himself with a map of Arizona.

  “A whole swimming pool of ice cubes?” Benny guessed. His cheeks were still pink from the heat.

  Henry laughed. “Close! A dip in a mountain lake.”

  Luis looked at the Aldens sprawled all over the furniture. “Well . . . the pool’s open.”

  “The pool!” Jessie and Henry exclaimed at once.

  Henry smacked his forehead. “We forgot all about the recreation center.”

  Benny was out the door in a flash.

  After a reviving swim in the pool and three games of paddle tennis, the children collapsed in the lounge, which was furnished with comfortable leather chairs.

  Benny pulled out his shiny rock and studied it in the slanting afternoon light.

  Jessie hugged her knees. “Do you think there really is gold in the Superstition Mountains?” Jessie asked Luis.

  “My parents laugh at the old legend,” Luis replied, “but I think there is a lost treasure up there.”

  “Do you think we can find it?” Benny asked.

  “Find what?” At that moment, Tom Parker came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Clark.

  The Clarks were dressed for swimming. Tom was in his usual cowboy gear. He slouched on the sofa, propping his boots on the wagon wheel coffee table.

  “Find what?” Tom asked again.

  Henry shot Benny a warning glance. “Uh—we were wondering if we could find our way to the riding stables.”

  Tom gave him a quizzical look. “Well, it’s as easy as finding the nose on your face. Just hike down the road a piece. Can’t miss it.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun!” Mrs. Clark squealed. “Can we rent horses and ride around here, Jim?”

  Mr. Clark smiled at her. “But you don’t ride.”

  “That’s okay,” Tom put in. “The animals at the stables are trail horses. Riding one of those gentle horses is like sitting in your living room.”

  Jessie was relieved. The Aldens hadn’t ridden very much, either.

  Luis stood up. “I guess my folks are back now. I’d better check in with them.”

  When he left, the Clarks settled into a couple of leather chairs. Mrs. Clark pointed to the rock Benny was polishing with the hem of his shirt.

  “Looks like you struck gold, young man,” she said.

  “It’s not real gold,” Benny corrected. “I’m going to carry it in my pocket forever.”

  Tom leaned over to examine Benny’s nugget more closely. “That’s a mighty fine specimen. Where did you find it?”

  Just then the door opened with a bang. Janine marched in. She looked angry.

  “There you are.” She glared accusingly at Tom. “You promised to unpack those boxes that were delivered this morning.”

  “So I did.” Tom got up from the sofa. “By the way,” he added to the Clarks, “my offer for an evening stroll in the desert still stands. Anytime you’re ready, just holler.”

  He left, slamming the door. The Clarks got up, too, and headed over to the pool.

  Benny turned to Henry. “I wasn’t going to tell anyone about the mine. I can keep a secret.” He paused. “Except from Grandfather.”

  “Grandfather’s okay,” said Henry. “We can tell him. But nobody else.”

  Violet noticed something about Mrs. Clark. Earlier she had said she was looking for her earring outside the Garcias’ trailer. At the time, she had on gold chains.

  This afternoon, when she was going swimming, she wore a red stone pendant on a long silver chain, dangling earrings, and an armful of thin, silver bangles. She sure had a large selection of expensive jewelry.

  Violet said to Jessie, “Isn’t Mrs. Clark wearing a lot of jewelry to go swimming?”

  Jessie nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  “I was wondering about Tom and Janine,” said Henry. “She’s always yelling at him to do some work.”

  “Don’t mention the word ‘work.’ ” Grandfather came in then, smiling.

  Benny ran over to him. “You’re back early today!”

  “Yes, we’re putting a new roof on his cabin, but it became too hot, so we knocked off early.” He smiled at his grandchildren. “What have you been doing?”

  They all spoke at once. Benny had to tell Grandfather about his fool’s gold. Henry asked if they could rent horses tomorrow. Jessie told him about the sights of the desert. Violet mentioned she had taken some great pictures.

  “Hold it! Hold it!” James Alden put his hand up. “How about dinner first, and then we’ll discuss horses and fool’s gold.”

  After a hearty supper of beef stew and cherry pie topped with ice cream, the Aldens went back to their RV.

  “Do you believe there really is a lost mine?” Henry asked Grandfather. They had talked about the legend during dinner.

  “That story has been around over a hundred years,” Grandfather replied. “There must be some truth to it.”

  Violet was drawing the stone maps. She had a good memory and remembered most of the details. “Then the mine is really out there?”

  Grandfather patted her shoulder. “Gold makes people act strangely. People want to believe a fabulous gold mine exists.”

  Benny looked up at Grandfather. He believed the mine existed. And he wanted to find it.

  “I want you all to have a good time in Arizona,” Grandfather told them, “but please be careful.”

  It was bedtime. Everyone said good night.

  In the little bedroom she shared with Violet, Jessie had trouble getting to sleep. Light was shining in her eyes.

  She reached up to adjust the blinds. The light was coming from Mr. Tobias’s trailer. Didn’t that man ever go to bed?

  Then Jessie saw something that made her heart skip a beat. A shadowy figure prowled around the Garcias’ RV. The person seemed to be testing the window latches.

  She was about to wake Violet when the figure melted into the desert darkness.

  CHAPTER 4

  A Warning!

  The next morning, after Grandfather left early to help Mr. McCrae, the Aldens walked over to the Chuck Wagon. They shared a table in the corner with Luis.

  Over a hearty rancher’s breakfast of flapjacks and sausage, they discussed the prowler Jessie had seen around the Garcias’ RV.

  “Maybe it was Mr. or Mrs. Garcia,” Henry suggested.

  Luis shook his head. “No, we were all in bed.”

  “Maybe it was Mr. Clark,” said Violet. “Or Mr. Tobias. He’s always up late.”

  “But why would he be checking the windows in the Garcias’ RV?” asked Jessie.

  “Maybe,” said Benny, “it was somebody else.”

  Henry looked at him. “Like who?”

  “Somebody who isn’t staying at this campground.”

  Jessie said, “RV Haven is several miles from the nearest town, right? There aren’t any houses around. If the prowler isn’t from the campground, then he—or she—would have to be from the mountains.”

  “Maybe Janine Crawford knows if anyone else lives around here,” Henry said.

  Janine hurried by just then with a pot of coffee.

  “Excuse me, Janine.” Henry used his politest tone. “Does anyone live out here? I mean, not on the campground.”

  “Nobody with a grain of sense,” she snapped, slapping their check on the table. She left, her mood as sour as ever.

  “Well, that was no help,” Violet remarked.

  Tom stopped by their table. “Going gold hunting today?”

  “We’re going riding,” Henry replied cautiously.

  Tom laughed, went over to the counter, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “How did he know we’re looking for the mine?” Henry asked Luis.

  Luis shrugged. “It’s kind of a joke around here. The mine is no secret. Remember, lots of people have looked.”

  Violet was quiet. She noticed that the Clarks, who sat across from them in a booth, kept getting up and passing their table. First Mr. Clark
got up for a copy of the daily newspaper. Then Mrs. Clark walked by to get a bottle of catsup. Mr. Clark rose again to refill his coffee cup.

  “Is it my imagination, or are the Clarks listening to us?” Violet said in a hushed voice.

  “Violet’s right,” said Jessie. “They keep getting up and going right by our table. I think Tom Parker was listening, too, when we were talking about the prowler.”

  “Let’s not mention the prowler to anyone,” Henry advised. “Not until we find out more. Right now, everyone is a suspect.”

  Benny blissfully scooped up his last bite of hotcake. “Another mystery! We didn’t have to find one—it found us!”

  As they were making plans to rent trail horses, the door burst open.

  Old Jake tottered into the restaurant. His battered felt hat was covered with dust. His clothes looked more rumpled than ever.

  Jake glanced around, as if searching for a friendly face. His gray eyes rested on the Aldens. He headed in their direction.

  “You loaned me some money,” he said to Henry. “You seem like decent kids.”

  “Why don’t you sit down?” Henry offered. Jake acted as though he had something important on his mind.

  “Thankee.” Jake pulled up an extra chair. He stuck out a calloused hand. “Name’s Jake.”

  Henry shook his hand. “I’m Henry Alden. This is my sister Jessie, my sister Violet, and that’s my brother, Benny. And our friend Luis Garcia.”

  Jake nodded at each in turn. “Nice to make your acquaintance.” Suddenly lowering his voice, Jake asked, “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Yeah!” Benny replied immediately. “What is it?” Old Jake must have found the Lost Dutchman’s mine!

  Jake pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “When I got up this morning to start my campfire, I found this.” He smoothed the paper on the table. Crudely cut-out letters spelled a single sentence.

  Henry picked up the paper. “Looks like somebody wrote this using letters cut out of a flyer or something. But it’s in Spanish. I can’t read it.”

  “I can.” Luis studied the note. “It says, ‘This path is dangerous.’ ”

  “What does that mean?” asked Violet.

  “It means I’d better watch my back,” Jake said, stuffing the note into his pocket.