enture."

"Sorry," said Harding promptly; "I can't agree to that."

Benson sat smoking in silence for a moment.

"I think I understand," he said, "and I can't blame you. You haven't
much cause for trusting me.

"I didn't mean----"

"I know," Benson interrupted. "It's my weakness you're afraid of.
However, you must let me pay my share of the provisions and any
transport we may be able to get. That's all I insist on now; if you
feel more confidence in me later, I may reopen the other question." He
paused, and continued with a little embarrassment in his manner: "You
are two good fellows. I think I can promise not to play the fool
again."

"Suppose we talk about something else," Blake suggested.

They broke camp early the following morning; and Benson struggled
manfully with his craving during the next week or two, which they spent
in pushing farther into the forest. It was a desolate waste of small,
stunted trees, many of which were dead and stripped of half their
branches, while wide belts had been scarred by fire. Harding found the
unvarying somber green of the needles strangely monotonous; but the
ground was comparatively clear, and the party made progress.

Then, one evening, when the country grew more broken, they fell in with
three returning prospectors.

"If you'll trade your horses, we might make a deal," said one when they
camped together. "You can't take them much farther--the country's too
rough--and we could sell them to one of the farmers near the
settlements."

Blake was glad to come to terms.

"We've been out two months on a general prospecting trip," the man
informed them. "It's the toughest country to get through I ever
struck."

His worn and ragged appearance bore this out; and Benson looked
somewhat dismayed.

"Are there minerals up yonder?" Harding asked. "We're not in that
line; it's a forest product we're looking for."

"We found indications of gold, copper, and one or two other metals,
besides petroleum, but we didn't see anything that looked worth taking
up. Considering the cost of transport, you want to strike it pretty
rich before what you find will pay as a business proposition."

"So I should imagine. Petroleum's a cheap product to handle when
you're a long way from a market, isn't it?"

"Give us plenty of it and we'll make a market. It's an idea of mine
that there's no part of this country that hasn't something worth
working in it if you can get cheap fuel.