ing my hands on this pile of gold. It
isn't a ghost, anyway. It is a camel, and I don't see how in the name of
sense any of his tribe managed to get stranded out here. I'll shoot at
it as quick as I did before."

Filled with such thoughts as these Tom reached the edge of the
evergreens, but there was no sign of the robbers in sight. Elam's horse
was there, and he seemed to think there was something wrong by sight and
smell of the smoke, for he tossed his head and snorted, and when he saw
Tom approaching took to his heels. Tom was glad of that, for Elam
thought a good deal of that horse; he would come up at night, and Elam
would go out to give him a piece of bread and speak friendly words to
him. He had hardly left the horse behind before he saw Elam approaching.
He had a few skins thrown over his shoulder, but he was going at a rapid
rate, as if he knew there was something amiss. Discovering Tom, he threw
off his skins, laid down his rifle, and seated himself on a rock to
rest.

"Burned out?" said he cheerfully, when Tom came within speaking
distance.

"Yes," said Tom. "How did you know it?"

"Oh, I saw it back there in the mountains. How did it catch?"

Tom had by this time come up. He seated himself beside Elam and drew the
little bag from his pocket. He was in hopes that Elam would recognize
the bag, but all he did was to look at it and wait for Tom to go on.

"I've had visitors since you left this morning," said Tom. "Two men with
ragged and torn clothing came there and got into the cabin before I knew
it, and when they got in, they made a haul of your two bundles of skins
you had tied up."

"Hallo!" exclaimed Elam. "Seven hundred dollars gone to the bugs. Tell
me how it happened."

To Tom's astonishment Elam did not seem at all surprised at the robbery,
but when it came to the discovery of the bag and the description of the
man who had lost it, Elam sprang to his feet with a wild war-whoop. Tom
began to see that there was a good deal in Elam, but it wanted danger to
bring it out.

"I know that fellow," said he, reseating himself after his paroxysm of
rage had subsided.

"You ought to," responded Tom. "He has had three or four shots at you
right here in the mountains."

"I know it, and that's my bag you have got there," replied Elam. "Go on
and tell me the rest."

Tom was more astonished than Elam was to find that the bag belonged to
him, and it was some little time before he could get his wits to wo