UNDER THE EARTH. 
171 
" But they may have taken my boys prisoners — my 
husband — " Mrs. Button covered her face and sobbed. 
Nonsense, Ella ! " said Dick, with energy. " I tell you 
the other party must have gone down at least two days 
ahead of the rest. There isn't a hoot track among 'em." 
" But how can we ever find them ? " 
" Oh. they'll go down-stream a piece, and then camp. 
They can't go beyond Fort Yukon, any way, for that's the 
point where we leave the river, and John hasn't a ghost 
of an idea where to go to strike the mountain." 
" We'll find them, we'll find them ! " cried Floss, who 
was too young to remain sad over the future for more 
than five minutes at a time. " What a funny old place 
this is ! " she added, poking over a heap of dry grass and 
leaves with her foot. Why, something wiggled ! " 
She stooped and began to brush away the leaves. 
"Look, look, mamma!" she cried, excitedly. "An iron 
ring, just like the Arabian Nights ! " 
The other members of the group now became interested, 
and the lieutenant got down on his hands and knees to 
help pull aside the rubbish. 
A few minutes' hard work cleared the surface of a 
broad, flat rock, reaching from the side of the fireplace 
out some three feet toward the centre. It was blackened 
by the mass of cinders and charred wood and bricks that 
had long lain upon it, but the outline could be clearly 
made out. In the centre was an iron ring, about four 
inches in diameter, let into a circular groove neatly hewn 
