k where they came
from, and what would I say to him if I should let you go philandering
off there? No, sir, you can't go. I shall send word to him in the
morning and let him know you are all right. I suppose you will need a
horse, Tom, seeing that the Red Ghost has spoilt your bronco for you."

"I should like to have one," replied Tom. "What do you think that Red
Ghost is, anyway?"

"Now, wait till I tell you. I don't know."

As it was almost supper time and we had not had anything to eat since
Elam and Tom came to the cabin, and Uncle Ezra wanted to change the
subject of the conversation into another channel, he gave me a nod which
I understood, and I went about preparing the eatables. It was surprising
how quickly everybody became acquainted with Tom. He and Elam had passed
through several scenes which were familiar enough to me, but which
sounded like romance when recounted for Ben's benefit, and it was no
wonder that the latter looked upon Tom as a person well worth listening
to. He carried on a lengthy conversation with him while I was getting
supper, while Elam smoked and talked with Uncle Ezra. He was trying to
make Uncle Ezra see that after waiting for so many years chance had
thrown into his power the very thing for which he was looking, and
sometimes he got so interesting that I was tempted to let the supper go
and sit down and listen to him.

"There is something hidden there, and that's all there is about it,"
said Elam emphatically. "You can't make me believe that a man would
carry around a map of that kind when there was nothing to it, and he
would say he was ruined if he didn't get it."

"But where did he get it in the first place?" asked Uncle Ezra.

"If I could see the man he shot I could answer that question."

"But how did he know that the man had it at all?"

"Ask me something hard," said Elam. "The man may have told him that he
had it and refused to give it up; or he may have gone into partnership,
just the same as Tom has gone into partnership with me. That is
something I don't know anything about, but I just know there is
something hidden there, and I'll dig the whole place over but I shall
find it. If three months' supply of grub won't do me, I'll come back and
get another. You will stake me, of course?"

"Sure. I'll stake you if it takes the last thing I've got. But I'll tell
you one thing, Elam, and that aint two, that you won't make anything by
it. You had better stay at home and go t