k into the safe.

After they had got the money two things might happen: they might take
it and return west, in which case they would be almost sure to stop at
Mountain's and discover me; in fact, the only thing I could not
understand was why they had not stopped as they went in. I knew how
much mercy I could expect from Pike and the kind of men that were with
him.

The other course that they might take after getting the safe open was
to stay in town for several days or even weeks; and in this case I
should simply starve and freeze to death where I was. The reasons that
made it seem likely that they would stay awhile were that there was no
danger, plenty of food and fuel, and comfortable places to live and
sleep. At first thought I saw one reason against it, and that was that
there was no liquor in the town; and I knew they were the kind of men
who would prize liquor higher than food. Then I remembered that,
though the contents of the saloons had been shipped away when they
were closed, I had heard there was a barrel of whiskey in the cellar
of Fitzsimmons's grocery store; and I knew, of course, that they
would find it. I thought again of my detestable tunnel, for if I had
not had my mind on it so much the barrel might have occurred to me and
I could have disposed of it somehow.

I thought a long time, and this was the amount of it: That in any case
I had best get back to town if I could. If I reached there while they
were at work on the safe, I might be able to slip in unseen and hide
somewhere till they were gone; and even if they did not go for some
days, I might manage to keep out of sight and live after a fashion.
Anything seemed better than staying where I was.

I was half dead from thirst, and it seemed that no harm could now come
from a little fire; so I soon had one started and some snow melting in
an old tin can. The drink and the warmth revived me a good deal, and I
decided to start immediately to crawl to the town. I thought with good
luck I might make it in four hours. It was now probably eleven
o'clock. I left my skees and started out. Kaiser bounded around me in
the greatest delight, barking and throwing up a cloud of snow. But
before I had gone twenty rods I sank half fainting with the pain of
dragging my ankle. Poor Kaiser whined and licked my face. When I
revived a little, I crept back and threw myself on the hay again,
ready to die with despair.

I lay there half an hour in the greatest mental an