e with him?"

"Yes," answered Ah Sin, who, with natural cunning, saw that this
information would divert suspicion from them. "It was so large,"
indicating the size with his hands.

Of course his description was accurate, for he had very good reason to
know the size of the bag.

"He must have been the thief," said Miles, eagerly. "In what direction
did you say he went?"

Ah Sin pointed to the west.

"I will follow him. It is on my way. If I catch the villain, it will be
the worse for him."

"He velly bad man," said Ah Sin, sympathizingly.

"That's where you are right, my heathen friend. Well, good-morning,
John. I am much obliged to you for your information."

"Velly welcome, John."

As John Miles rode away, Ah Sin turned to his friend Ah Jim, and
remarked,--

"S'pose he catch him, he kill him."

"All lightee!" returned Ah Jim. "He velly bad man, he thief."

The two Chinamen exchanged glances. If they had been white men, there
would have been a smile or a wink, but these children of Confucius
looked so serenely virtuous, so innocent of guile, that the most
experienced detective would have seen nothing in their faces indicating
any guilty knowledge of the lost treasure. But, guileless as they
seemed, they had proved more than a match for Bill Crane and his victim.

* * * * *

John Miles rode away with a faint hope that he might overtake the man,
whoever he might be, who had stolen his precious bag. In due time he
reached the spot where Crane had examined the bag, and on discovering
its worthless contents, had thrown it away. The thief had not taken the
trouble to empty it.

When Miles saw it he hurried to it, hoping he might find some of the
treasure inside. Of course he was disappointed, and at the same time
bewildered.

"This is certainly my bag," he said to himself. "Here are my initials,
J. M. Then there are other marks well known to me. I could swear to it
anywhere. But how does it happen that it is full of sand, and why has
the thief thrown it away? That beats me!"

Miles decided that for some reason unknown the thief had transferred its
contents to some other bag--perhaps his own--and then had discarded the
original one, in wanton humor filling it instead with sand.

"He may have been afraid it would be found on him," thought Miles. "The
marks on the bag would have been evidence enough to condemn him. By
throwing away my bag he thinks himself safe."

His solu