answer. "I made a bargain with him, and this is part
of it."

"Where are the professor's goods and Turkeyfoot's wagon?" Merry
questioned.

"Out in the scrub," was the rancher's reply. "So's Sam's burro, which he
took when he went arter the ore t'other day. Sam was gittin' the ore ter
show Heppner. He lost part o' it on the way here, but enough was left
ter make Heppner open his eyes a whole lot. He allowed it was the
richest claim he ever seen."

"Yes," remarked Blunt, "we know all about Sam's losing the ore. But for
that golden trail, Merriwell, you and I would never have got together
out there in the desert, and this scheme against the professor might
have worked to a fare you well. I'd never have butted in, if you hadn't
bested me with two straight falls."

"Have you been keeping the professor here against his will?" demanded
Frank of McGurvin.

"Nary, I wasn't. Turkeyfoot had him skeered. He tells the perfessor
there's a gov'ment agent arter him, named Heppner, an' that the claim he
thought he located he really jumped. That was Turkeyfoot's part a'
it--purtendin' ter be the perfesser's friend an' goadin' him on ter fall
in with Heppner's plan. Oh, Turkeyfoot's a missable skunk, all right."

"The professor stayed here because Turkeyfoot told him to?" asked Frank,
far gone with wonder on Borrodaile's account.

"That's the how of it, an' I'm givin' it to ye straight." Clancy had
come up during part of the talk with McGurvin, and presently Ben Jordan
arrived with Turkeyfoot, and Harrison and Lloyd with Sam. The professor,
dazed and bewildered, came pottering along presently, and stood off at a
distance while he tried to adjust his wits to the sudden whirl of
events.

"Where's Heppner, Clan?" Merry asked.

"Concluded he hadn't better stay, Chip," Clancy explained. "Just as the
cowboys got here, Heppner jumped to the back of his horse and began
hitting the high places. He took your mark along with him, though," the
redheaded chap finished, with a laugh.

Merry walked over to Borrodaile and laid a soothing hand on his
shoulder.

"Wake up, professor," said he. "It's all over, and you've still got your
claim."

"My boy," answered the professor, still a little "flighty," "I don't
want that claim if it's not legally mine."

"It is legally yours. Heppner was only pretending to be a government
agent, and McGurvin never saw the claim."

"Well, well!" murmured the professor, mildly surprised. "Then they were
d