find much gold?" he asked
eagerly.

"Yes, muchee," answered Ki Sing, unsuspiciously.

"Does he keep it with him?"

Bill Mosely betrayed a little too much interest when he asked this
question, and the Chinaman, hitherto unsuspicious, became on his guard.

"Why you wantee know?" he asked shrewdly.

"Do you dare give me any of your back talk, you yellow heathen?"
exclaimed Mosely, angrily. "Answer my question, or I'll chaw you up in
less'n a minute."

"What you ask?" said Ki Sing, innocently.

"You know well enough. Where does this Dickee keep the gold he found
before he met with an accident?"

"He no tellee me," answered Ki Sing.

This might be true, so that Mosely did not feel sure that the Chinaman's
ignorance was feigned. Still, he resolved to push the inquiry, in the
hope of eliciting some information that might be of value, for already a
plan had come into his mind which was in accordance with his general
character and reputation--that of relieving the invalid of his hoard of
gold-dust.

"Where do you think he keeps the gold, John?" he asked mildly.

Ki Sing looked particularly vacant as he expressed his ignorance on this
subject.

"Has he got a cabin up there?" asked Mosely.

"Yes."

"And how far might it be?"

"Long way," answered Ki Sing, who wished to divert Mosely from the plan
which the faithful servant could see he had in view.

Bill Mosely was keen enough to understand the Chinaman's meaning, and
answered, "Long or not, I will go and see your master. I am a doctor,"
he added, winking to Hadley, "and perhaps I can help him.--Ain't I a
doctor, Tom?"

"I should say so," answered Hadley, whose respect for truth did not
interfere with his corroborating in his usual style anything which his
companion saw fit to assert.

Ki Sing did not express any opinion on the subject of Bill Mosely's
medical pretensions, though he was quite incredulous.

"Lead the way, John," said Mosely.

"Where me go?" asked the Chinaman innocently.

"Go? Go to the cabin where your master lives, and that by the shortest
path. Do you hear?"

"Yes."

Ki Sing, however, still faithful to the man who had befriended him in
the hour of danger, did not direct his course toward Richard Dewey's
cabin, but guided the two adventurers in a different direction. The
course he took was a circuitous one, taking him no farther away from the
cabin, but encircling the summit and drawing no nearer to it. He hoped
that the two men,