What did he want?"

"Him bad Indian. Him come spy on camp. Him Toldez, friend of Zank--no
good. Me catch," and Holfax, who had donned his snowshoes, prepared to
race after his assailant.

"No!" exclaimed Mr. Baxter quickly. "Don't go, Holfax. There is
something queer about this," he added. "That Indian tried to kill you,
Holfax. Why did he do it?"

"Me no know. Him bad, guess. Maybe want gold."

"That's it!" cried Mr. Baxter. "He's a spy, sent on by some others. You
say he is a friend of Zank? Zank knows that one-eyed man. Do you
suppose there are more Indians around here, Holfax?"

"Mebby so. Plenty Indians live over there," and the guide pointed to the
west. "Toldez live there. Him come spy on camp. Me like shoot Toldez,
but him no shoot me. Too much bad aim," and he chuckled over his narrow
escape, as though it was a thing of no consequence.

"Boys," said Mr. Baxter solemnly, "I'm afraid we're in for trouble. The
thieving Alaskans know about our finding the gold. That one may have
been hiding around here for some time, and probably watched us put the
sacks on the sleds."

"What can we do?" asked Fred.

"We must be on our guard. Get your rifles, and keep them loaded. We must
hasten to some settlement. Here we are at the mercy of these savage and
thieving Indians. Our gold is not safe yet, even though we have found
it."

CHAPTER XVIII

FOLLOWED BY THE ENEMY

An uneasy feeling filled the hearts of the treasure finders. If what Mr.
Baxter surmised proved true, they might have to face more perils than
any they had yet encountered.

"Do you think that man with the glass eye--Callack his name is--will try
to get the gold?" asked Fred.

"It looks as if he had arranged some plot," replied Mr. Baxter. "You
recall how he whispered something to Zank as we started off on this
expedition. I did not like that at the time, for I feared he was up to
some trick. Now, it appears, this other Indian, who is acquainted with
Zank, has been spying on us. Probably Zank, and the other three Indians
who we dismissed, made their way to where their tribe was encamped, and
Callack was there. He may have paid Zank to give information about us."

"But how did he know where we were going?"

"He may have gotten it out of Holfax in some way," said Jerry's father
in a low voice. "I don't believe Holfax would betray us knowingly, but
he is simple-minded, and a scoundrel like Zank may have wormed it out of
him."

"Then what