e egg lay at his feet. It was heavy, and he
put it in his pocket to show to the others.

Anvik came in with the tools, surveying chains, and pans, and Darwood
and the others staked off their claims, taking in enough to give each
boy a claim, putting up heaps of stones to mark the boundaries.

"Of course, if anyone else were to file a prior claim we'd have a hard
time to substantiate ours. But there's not much danger."

The claim staked, Darwood proposed that they pan in the bar to see what
they could find. To the delight of all, sparkling particles of rich
yellow dust lay in the bottoms of the sieves, and they felt convinced
that there was gold in paying quantities.

Once more back in the camp, the Professor disappeared into his tent.
When he emerged he looked excited.

"Boys!" he shouted. "Tad! Your sample is platinum! Gentlemen, you have
indeed a fortune! The platinum is worth about double its weight in
gold!"

Such a hurrah as went up! Such an evening of rejoicing and excitement!
But early the next morning came the reaction.

Tad, up early, went out to the claim, too impatient to await breakfast.
To his amazement instead of finding the markers they had set, he found
that they had been removed, and in their places some one had cut off
saplings and marked the stumps of them with deep-cut notches.

"It's that rascal, Sandy Ketcham," declared Darwood in a strained voice,
when Tad reported his discovery. "He's been on our trail for nearly
three years, and now he's got us! He's on his way to Skagway now to
register the claim in the land office," the man groaned.

"We'll get ahead of them, then," cried Tad. "He hasn't much of a start.
When does a steamer leave Yakutat?"

"This is the twenty-third. The 'Corsair' will leave Yakutat on the
twenty-seventh. He will just about make it."

"So will I," cried Tad Butler stoutly.

Tad won Professor Zepplin's consent to his plan, and after Darwood had
got the papers ready and the boys had gathered provisions together, Tad
was off, riding one pony and leading another, that he might change from
one to the other, thus avoiding tiring either.

With lather standing out all over his mount, Tad pounded on, eyes and
ears alight for Sandy Ketcham. He halted at noon to change horses and
let each drink a little from a spring. Then on once more for seemingly
countless hours.

There was a brief pause in the evening, to allow the ponies to rest and
graze, then on again in the darkn