the end of an hour
he might have left off with twenty pounds. But the fatal fascination of
the game drew him on till all his winnings melted away, and he left the
cabin at midnight without a penny in his pocket, so far as he knew.
There was, however, a shilling which he had overlooked, and did not
discover till he was already some distance away. He was tempted to
return, and probably would have done so, had not his roving eyes
discovered Obed and the two boys returning from their claim with the
nugget.

"What are they up to," he asked himself in amazement, "that keeps them
out of bed till after midnight? There's something up. I wonder what it
is."

He had reason to be surprised. With the exception of those who, like
himself, spent the night in gambling (when he was in funds), no one in
the camp was awake or stirring. And of all, none kept more regular hours
than Obed and the two boys.

Casting about for some explanation, the tramp's attention was drawn to
the burden that Obed carried.

"What can it be?" he asked himself wonderingly. Then, with a flash of
conviction, he said to himself: "A nugget! They've found a nugget as
sure as I'm a sinner!"

The tramp was intensely excited. His covetous soul was stirred to its
depths. The opportunity he had been waiting for so long had come at
length. It meant fortune for him. Qualms of conscience about
appropriating the property of another troubled him not at all. He meant
to have the nugget, by fair means or foul.

The would-be thief understood well, however, that there would be
difficulties in the way of accomplishing his design. Obed and the two
boys were broad awake, and half an hour--perhaps an hour, must elapse
before he could feel sure that they would be asleep. In the meantime it
would be best to keep away from the cabin, lest someone inside might see
him lurking near, and suspect his purpose.

While he is keeping watch from a distance, let us enter the cabin.

Obed and the boys are sitting on their rude pallets, congratulating
themselves on having secured the nugget, and removed it from the mine
unobserved. Harry had made a remark to that effect, when Obed Stackpole
responded, "Do you know, boys, I feel sort of uneasy to-night."

"Why?" asked Jack.

"I'm afraid someone might have seen us on our way from the mine."

"I couldn't see anybody," Harry remarked.

"Nor I, but there may have been someone, nevertheless. The fact is, I
never expected to be uneasy on