a look of
intelligence passed between them.

Rawson, the sheriff said his name was, and he was a lawyer from
Denver, looking for a boy who was his nephew, and whose name therefore
was likely to be the same!

Surely he must be referring to their new friend, Aleck. But the
sheriff had declared the boy to be a thief; and they could never
believe Aleck that, with his frank face, his clear eyes, and engaging
manners. There must be some sort of a mistake; or else this so-called
Artemus Rawson was a fraud of the first water, and just trying to get
possession of that secret connected with the hidden mine, the same as
Colonel Kracker!

Step Hen put a finger on his lips, and that told Davy to keep quiet, so
that the others might not suspect their comrades in the other camp were
entertaining the very boy these men sought at that particular minute.

And when he had the chance, Step Hen whispered a few words to Smithy
that rather startled that worthy, who had apparently not noticed what
was being said when the sheriff was talking; he having hurried over to
try and cut some slices from the carcase of the big-horn, as he wished
to get into the habit of doing these handy things about camp.

There now remained but Toby; and from the sly wink which the guide
gave Step Hen, upon seeing the anxious look on the boy's face, it was
plain that he had grasped the situation immediately, and they need not
fear that he would betray Aleck.

While the two men were eating a little later, Step Hen tried to make
up his mind as to what sort of a party this so-called Artemus Rawson
might be. If he indeed proved to be a genuine brother of the man who
had discovered the silver lode, and the real uncle of Aleck, then he
must have been a different sort of a man altogether from the boy's
father. On his small, rat-like face scheming was written plainly; and
the chances were, Step Hen concluded, that he too knew something about
the "find" Aleck had lately made, and was plotting to get possession
of that precious chart to the mine.

This gave Step Hen cause for sudden excitement. The sheriff had just
said they could not stay all night with Toby and his charges; that they
were bound in the direction of the valley, called by _business_. Then
the chances were that they knew something of the boy's plans, and that
he might be run across heading into the valley from the other side. They
had laid out to meet him on the way, and take him by surprise.

What bot