k to the right trail even yet if you'd only go
straight," urged Kiddie.

Nick shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Say, what you got in the bag?" he inquired abruptly.

Kiddie had opened his haversack and taken from it a small canvas
wallet, which he laid on the table in front of him. He also produced a
very beautiful gold cigarette case.

"Have a smoke, Nick," he invited, opening the case and displaying a
compact double row of very fine Turkish cigarettes with gold tips.
"These are a special brand. I never smoke myself; just carry these ter
give away. Take!"

Nick Undrell glanced at them and shook his head.

"Them's just toy smokes," he objected. "Gimme some sensible, strong
pipe terbacco an' I'll thank you; but I got no use fer aristocratic
playthings like them. What you got in th' bag?"

Kiddie afterwards had an important reason for remembering Nick
Undrell's contempt for cigarettes. Slipping the gold case into his
breast pocket, he now took up the canvas wallet and opened it to take
out a substantial bundle of American bank notes.

"I've to pay you and your boys for the great help you gave me in
guarding my outfit along the trail," he explained, speaking now in his
character of Lord St. Olave. "I don't forget that you risked your
lives and were in danger of losing them. I want to reward you all
accordingly."

"No occasion ter hurry 'bout the payment," said Nick, assuming an air
of indifference. "Next week'll be time enough." He glanced down at
the bundle of greenbacks and gave a little gasp of envious surprise.
"Say," he observed, "you got consid'rable confidence in folk's honesty
to carry a heap o' dollars like that along o' you."

Kiddie met the man's cunningly covetous glance as he passed the whole
bundle across to him.

"Guess that's considerably more'n you an' your gang of road-agents
found on the harmless traveller you robbed on the trail last week and
left gagged and bound," he said pointedly.

"Eh?"

Nick clutched the notes and drew back. His hand went to his hip.

Kiddie seemed to have anticipated this movement, and he was quite ready
for it.

"Keep your hand away from your gun," he said quietly. "I'm covering
you with mine, and I'm quicker than you. Listen! You see, I know
about that affair. I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me you'd no
hand in it. But now I know by your behaviour that you're guilty, that
you were the ringleader of the despicable gang. I'm not accusin'