n the
courtroom--noticed their well-kept whiteness, due, as he had decided, to
the perennial cowboy glove. This man's hands, as he had seen by the
campfire, were blistered and calloused! Callouses were not made in a
day. He took another look at Long. Oh, thunder!

He crept from bed. He whispered a word to sentry Steele; not to outline
the distressing state of his own mind, but merely to request Steele not
to shoot him, as he was going up to the mine.

He climbed up the trail, chewing the unpalatable thought that Gurdon had
seen nothing amiss--yet Gurd had been at the trial! The captain began to
wish he had never gone on that deerhunt.

He went into the tent, struck a match, lit a candle and examined
everything closely. There was no gun in the camp and no cartridges. He
found the spill of twisted paper under the table, smothered his qualms
and read it. He noted the open book for future examination in English.
And now Tobe's labors had their late reward, for Rex missed nothing.
Every effort brought fresh disappointment and every disappointment
spurred him to fresh effort. He went into the tunnel; he scrutinized
everything, even to the drills in the tub. The food supply tallied with
Long's account. No detail escaped him and every detail confirmed the
growing belief that he, Captain Griffith, was a doddering imbecile.

He returned to the outpost, convinced at last. Nevertheless, merely to
quiet the ravings of his insubordinate instincts, now in open revolt, he
restaked the horses nearer to camp and cautiously carried both saddles
to the head of the bed. Concession merely encouraged the rebels to
further and successful outrages--the government was overthrown.

He drew sentry Steele aside and imparted his doubts. That faithful
follower heaped scorn, mockery, laughter and abuse upon his shrinking
superior: recounted all the points, from the first blasts of dynamite to
the present moment, which favored the charitable belief above mentioned
as newly entertained by Captain Griffith concerning himself. This belief
of Captain Griffith was amply indorsed by his subordinate in terms of
point and versatility.

"Of course they look alike. I noticed that the minute I saw him--the
same amount of legs and arms, features all in the fore part of his head,
hair on top, one body--wonderful! Why, you pitiful ass, that Bransford
person was a mighty keen-looking man in any company. This fellow's a
yokel--an old, rusty, cap-and-ball, single