Larry, got yer
pistol?"

"I sure have," responded Larry Jaley, with a wicked grin.

"There is no need to do any shooting," said Link Merwell.

"You were spyin' on us," growled Staver.

"Who are you? Come here and give an account o' yourselves," ordered Sol
Blugg.

There was no help for it now, and, rather awkwardly, with their hands
still upraised, Job Haskers and Link Merwell stumbled over the rocks to
where the three men had been resting and talking.

"Humph, a tenderfoot!" muttered the leader of the trio, as he inspected
the former teacher of Oak Hall. "I don't reckon he's goin' to do us any
harm." He turned to Merwell. "Who are you, sonny?"

Link told him and also mentioned Haskers's name. "I was just coming
forward to introduce myself," he added.

"How kind," sneered Larry Jaley, with a mock bow.

"I was. We stepped behind the rocks to find out what sort of men you
were. And I guess you are just our kind," added Merwell, with a sickly
grin.

"How so?" demanded Sol Blugg, sharply. "No game, now."

"I'll give it to you straight," answered Link Merwell. "Can I put down
my hands? It's not comfortable to talk with them up in the air."

"All right,--and fire away," answered the leader of the men.

"We overheard what you said about the Abe Blower party and the Tom
Dillon party," pursued Merwell. "We were with Abe Blower, but the other
crowd came up and made it hot for us, and we got out. You said
something about their being here to locate gold. So they are, and now
that we are on the outs with those other people, if you say the word,
we'll go in with you. Isn't that right, Haskers?" asked Link, coolly.

"I--I presume so," answered the former teacher, nervously. He had
dropped his hands, but Sol Blugg still had his weapon handy, and the
sight of it was far from comforting.

"Had a row, did ye?" asked Blugg, curiously.

"Yes. You see, Blower wanted to run things to suit himself and
we--er--we didn't see things quite that way. Then Dillon came up with
his crowd, and they made matters worse than ever. We had some
information that we didn't want the others to have, so we got out," went
on Link Merwell, glibly. He was now recovering from his fright.

"Got information, have ye?" cried Larry Jaley. "About wot fer instance?"

"About what those fellows are after," answered Merwell. "Isn't that so?"
he asked, of Haskers.

"It is," answered the former teacher.

"Is it another gold strike?" burst out Sol Blugg