rse's hoofs behind him.
He stopped to listen, his heart beating a little more quickly, and
then hurried on. Again, more distinctly, he heard them coming down the
last hill. He put spurs to Dick as a strange fear came over him. Up
the hill before him he rode at a gallop, and on down the next. Faster
and louder in the dim darkness rang the hoofs of the horse behind him.
He was being pursued--there was no doubt of it now. If there had been,
the report of a pistol and the whiz of a bullet past his head would
have quickly dispelled it. Then began a wild chase. Up hill and down
hill, over rough creek-beds, down the Gold City road, they flew. How
Job wished for Bess! She could have outdistanced any horse, but Dick
was not her equal. The hoof-beats in the rear grew louder.

Job was just going over the hill to Mormon Bar, on that narrow place
where the bank pitches down to the creek two hundred feet, when he
heard a voice, emphasized by a ringing bullet, cry:

"Halt, you thief! I'm the sheriff of Grizzly county!"

Whether it was because Dick stumbled and almost fell, or because his
strength failed, or because of the bullet and the strange command, Job
halted, stunned, to look into the dark barrel of a pistol and to see
the white, masked face of a slim fellow in blue jean overalls and with
a red handkerchief about his throat.

"Hand over that boodle mighty quick! Thought I was a sheriff, did yer?
Ha! ha! None of your back talk! Give it here or swallow this!" poking
the pistol into Job's very mouth. The voice was familiar--more than
once Job had heard it.

He sprang from Dick to run as the other held his bridle, but heard the
whiz of a bullet past him and felt a stunning blow on his head. When
he came to, the treasure was gone and he could hear a horse's hoofs
pounding faintly In the distance. On his side, with the blood oozing
from his temples, Dick--poor Dick--lay dead!

It was a long walk back to the mine, and the first morning shift was
going to work when Job reached there. The superintendent heard his
tale, and without comment told him to get his breakfast and go to
work. Later he called Job in and asked some very strange questions.
Twice during the following day with aching head and troubled heart Job
tried to get another interview with the superintendent, but failed.

How it came about he never knew, but before the end of the week it was
common gossip around the mine that Job had made way with the
company's bullion