New York."

"There's plenty of time for that, an' it'll be nothing more'n fun to
camp out two or three weeks."

Gus made no reply, and after supper had been eaten his companion lay
down beside the fire, saying as he did so:

"I'm goin' to sleep; you can figger the thing out between now and
mornin', and say what you're willin' to do."

"It'll have to be as you say, I s'pose," Gus replied, sulkily; "but we
must leave here."

"All right, we'll start to-morrow, an' when a good place is found, put
up a reg'lar camp."

As he said this the boy rolled over as if to end the conversation, and
Gus laid down beside him.

Bill waited until the heavy breathing of both told that they were
asleep, and then, with a motion to Fred, he began to retreat.

Not until he was an hundred yards from the camp-fire did the miner halt,
and said in a low whisper:

"It was a mighty good thing for us that warrant had been sworn out for
you. If the cashier had waited a day or so we'd gone home without an
idee of where them young scoundrels were."

"It seems certain they've got the money."

"Not a doubt of it."

"Why don't we jump right in on them? Perhaps they'd tell where it was
buried."

"If they didn't we'd be worse off than before, for either one is smart
enough to know nothin' can be done to 'em while the cash is hid. The
only way for us is to keep an eye on the little villains, 'till they get
ready for a move. Then we'll do our work."

"It'll be pretty hard to watch in the daytime without being seen
ourselves."

"We must manage to do it somehow, for this is, perhaps, our last chance
to help Sam."

CHAPTER XXIII

A MISADVENTURE

Neither Fred nor Bill had any desire to sleep, now that the solution of
the mystery seemed so near. They remained in the same place where the
halt was made until the blackness of night gave way before the pale
threads of light.

"It's gettin' pretty nigh time to begin our work," Bill said, "an' this
heat we mustn't make any mistake."

"I'm afraid we can't get near enough to see whether they take the money
or not. Perhaps it isn't anywhere around here."

"Then we'll follow 'em, if it takes a week, to find out what we're
after. My idee is that we'd better separate, so's to make sure of
knowin' what's goin' on. You stay here, an' I'll creep over to the other
side, then we shall be doublin' our chances."

"But what is to be done in case we don't see them dig up the money?"

"Foller, no