“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 great 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.
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