silent for several minutes, during which Dick continued
his work and made him as comfortable as possible by wrapping his parent
in his own dry coat.

"Where is that rascal?"

"What rascal, father?"

"The man with the red mask--the fellow who struck me down?"

"I do not know. So you were struck down? Where?"

"Just outside of the boomers' camp. Somebody brought me word that Pawnee
Brown wanted to see me privately. I went, and a rascal rushed on me and
demanded my private papers. I resisted and he struck me down. I know no
more than that," and Mr. Arbuckle gave another gasp. His eyes were open,
but in them was that uncertain look which Dick had seen before, and
which the lad so much dreaded.

"Why, you were struck down last night, father, and several miles from
here. You must have come down to the river at a spot above here. Don't
you remember that?"

Mortimer Arbuckle tried to think, then shook his head sadly.

"It's all a blur, Dick. You know my head is not as strong as it might
be."

"Yes, yes; and you must not try to think too far. So he got your private
papers?"

"Yes."

"The ones referring to that silver mine in Colorado?"

"Yes, and all of the others."

At this Dick could not help but groan. The papers were gone--those
precious documents by which he and his father had hoped some day to
become rich.

The history of the deeds to the silver mine was a curious one. Two years
before Mortimer Arbuckle had paid a visit to Creede, Colorado, on
business connected with a mining company then forming under the laws of
the State of New York.

While in Creede the man had materially assisted an old miner named
Burch, who was falling into the hands of a set of swindlers headed by a
rascal called Captain Mull.

Mortimer Arbuckle had never met Captain Mull, but he had saved Burch's
claim for him, for which the old miner was extremely grateful.

Over a year later Burch had died and left with another old miner the
deeds to a new mine of great promise, deeds which had not yet been
recorded.

The old miner had forwarded these papers, along with others of
importance concerning the exact location of the claim, to Mortimer
Arbuckle, and the gentleman had then begun preparations to go to the
West and see if the claim was really as valuable as old Burch had
imagined.

Dick was just out of school, and would not think of remaining behind, so
it was arranged that father and son should go together.

A spell of sickn