was said to Ben.

"Yes, I expect to."

"You won't be sorry for it.--Boys, let us stake out two claims for the
boy and his friend, and when they come back we'll help them work them
for a while."

"Agreed! agreed!" said all.

So with hearty manifestations of good-will the three friends rode on
their way.

"It's strange," observed Dewey, thoughtfully, "how this wild and lonely
life effects the character. Some of these men who were so near hanging
us on the unsupported accusation of two men of whom they knew nothing
were good, law-abiding citizens at home. There they would not have
dreamed of such summary proceedings."

"That's where it comes in," said Bradley. "It ain't here as it is there.
There's no time here to wait for courts and trials."

"So you too are in favor of Judge Lynch?"

"Judge Lynch didn't make any mistake when he swung off them two rascals,
Hadley and Bill Mosely."

"We might have been in their places, Jake," said Ben.

"That would have been a pretty bad mistake," said Bradley, shrugging his
shoulders.

CHAPTER XX.

A LITTLE RETROSPECT.

It will be remembered that a merchant in Albany, Mr. John Campbell, was
the guardian of Miss Florence Douglas, whom our hero, Ben, had escorted
from New York to San Francisco.

The disappearance of his ward was exceedingly annoying, since it
interfered with plans which he had very much at heart. He had an only
son, Orton Campbell, now a young man of twenty-eight. He was young in
years only, being a stiff, grave, wooden-faced man, who in his starched
manners was a close copy of his father. Both father and son were
excessively fond of money, and the large amount of the fortune of the
young lady, who stood to the father in the relation of ward, had excited
the covetousness of both. It was almost immediately arranged between
father and son that she should marry the latter, either of her own free
will or upon compulsion.

In pursuance of this agreement, Mr. Orton Campbell took advantage of the
ward's residence in his father's family to press upon her attentions
which clearly indicated his ultimate object.

Florence Douglas felt at first rather constrained to receive her
guardian's son with politeness, and this, being misinterpreted, led to
an avowal of love.

Orton Campbell made his proposal in a confident, matter-of-fact manner,
as if it were merely a matter of form, and the answer must necessarily
be favorable.

The young lady drew back in di