to rob
them of their miserable treasure. He had met it and frustrated it in
almost as brutal a fashion: the gold was already tarnished with blood.
To his surprise, yet relief, he found his partners unconscious of the
outrage, still sleeping with the physical immobility of over-excited
and tired men. Should he awaken them? No! He should have to awaken
also their suspicions and desire for revenge. There was no danger of
a further attack; there was no fear that the culprit would disclose
himself, and to-morrow they would be far away. Let oblivion rest upon
that night's stain on the honor of Heavy Tree Hill.

He rolled a small barrel before the opening, smoothed the dislodged
earth, replaced the pan with its treasure, and trusted that in the
bustle of the early morning departure his partners might not notice any
change. Stopping before the bunk of Stacy he glanced at the sleeping
man. He was lying on his back, but breathing heavily, and his hands were
moving towards his chest as if, indeed, his strange fancy of the golden
incubus were being realized. Demorest would have wakened him, but
presently, with a sigh of relief, the sleeper turned over on his side.
It was pleasanter to look at Barker, whose damp curls were matted over
his smooth, boyish forehead, and whose lips were parted in a smile under
the silken wings of his brown mustache. He, too, seemed to be trying to
speak, and remembering some previous revelations which had amused them,
Demorest leaned over him fraternally with an answering smile, waiting
for the beloved one's name to pass the young man's lips. But he only
murmured, "Three--hundred--thousand dollars!" The elder man turned away
with a grave face. The influence of the treasure was paramount.

When he had placed one of the chairs against the unprotected door at
an angle which would prevent any easy or noiseless intrusion, Demorest
threw himself on his bunk without undressing, and turned his face
towards the single window of the cabin that looked towards the east. He
did not apprehend another covert attempt against the gold. He did not
fear a robbery with force and arms, although he was satisfied that there
was more than one concerned in it, but this he attributed only to the
encumbering weight of their expected booty. He simply waited for the
dawn. It was some time before his eyes were greeted with the vague
opaline brightness of the firmament which meant the vanishing of the
pallid snow-line before the co