there was Elam
half-way across the prairie, and, furthermore, he was struggling under a
weight about as heavy as he could well carry.

"They are wolf-skins," said he, as Tom hurried up to him and took his
rifle from his grasp. "I've got eighteen, and two otters. How are you,
Tender-foot? Got over your sleep yet?"

Tom replied that he had got all the slumber he wanted, and then went on
to tell Elam that he knew where he had gone, and if he did not return
that night, he would not have been at all worried about it, and that he
had got the knowledge from the pictures he had left on the table, and
Elam seemed very much pleased.

"You can't read or write, can you?" asked Tom. "I thought not, but you
drew those pictures as though you had taken lessons in drawing. I have
got a good warm fire for you."

Although there were many things that he was anxious to question Elam
about, Tom did not trouble him until he had had his supper and had
shaken up the skins preparatory to enjoying his after-supper smoke. Tom
followed his example and stretched himself out beside him, pulling off
his moccasons so that he could have the full benefit of the fire.

"Now, Tender-foot, what brought you out to this country?" said Elam,
pulling up a bundle of wolf-skins so that he could rest his head upon
it. "Tell me the truth and don't stick at nothing."

Tom replied that there wasn't very much to tell, and went on and
revealed to Elam as much of his story as he was willing that a stranger
should know; but he didn't tell him a word about his fuss with Our
Fellows, or of his stealing five thousand dollars, or of his association
with gamblers. In short, he gave him to understand that he was hard up,
that he wanted to go to Texas and had got on to the wrong boat and been
brought up there. He told him the truth about his meeting with Mr.
Kelley and his two cowboys, for he did not know but that Elam might see
them some day.

"I didn't know a thing about this country," said Tom, in conclusion,
"and Mr. Parsons grub-staked me and sent me out to find a gold mine."

"Haw-ha! You had about as much chance of finding gold here as you would
in New Orleans," said Elam, as soon as his merriment would allow him to
speak. "The only gold here is my nugget, and that was buried two years
ago. Didn't he tell you about that?"

"Yes, he told me about the nugget, but he also told me that by digging
after it I might strike another gold mine, as some others had done
b