The Rambler Club's Gold Mine

A band of boys, seasoned by earlier outdoor adventures, receive from an elderly Indigenous warrior the secret location of a rich mountain gold deposit and organize an expedition into the Washington wilderness. The story traces their preparations—studying a crude map, arranging transport and horses—and their episodic journey across rivers, ridges, and campsites, including encounters with wild animals, lost packhorses, scuffles, and tests of stamina and skill. Setbacks prompt problem-solving and mutual support; practical woodsmancraft, teamwork, and cheerful endurance in the face of hardship drive the action toward a discovery along a creek marked by an X.