nothing there but skin. The poison-fangs went along with the flesh and
bones."

"Of course," said Chris shortly. "How stupid! Here, catch hold of the
tail, Ned."

The next moment the round belt was stretched out between them, and
Chris's hand as he passed it along the middle felt within it so many
hard round pieces of something about as large as marbles. While
confining his attention to the one nearest the head, he worked it along
to the mouth, and let it fall with a sharp rap upon the table, to lie
shining dully in the light shed by the hanging spirit-lamp.

"Quartz with gold in it, and no mistake," cried Griggs eagerly.

"Gold, with some specks of quartz in it," cried the doctor, raising the
heavy roughly-rounded and hammered fragment nearer the lamp.

"Yes, three-quarters gold," said Wilton, while after taking it in his
fingers and handling it for a few minutes, Bourne laid it down with a
sigh.

"Let's have some more, Squire Christopher," cried Griggs; but the words
were hardly out of his lips before there was again a sharp rap on the
table, and then another and another, the boy continuing till a dozen of
the dull frosted-looking specimens lay upon the boards, shining with a
soft dull glow.

"Excessively rich ore," said the doctor, breaking the silence, after the
party had been busily turning over the pieces.

"And no doubt about it, doctor," cried Griggs. "Well, that's yours,
anyhow."

"No," said the doctor quickly. "You brought the poor fellow here."

"Right, but you doctored him and made him able to speak. 'Sides, he
gave it to you, and it's yours. What's more, he gave you the hills
where the tons of it lie--somewhere."

"Yes, somewhere," said the doctor; "but where is that?"

"Where the poor old chap came from. He ought to have given you the map
with all its bearings marked down. Are you sure that he hadn't got it
in his pocket?"

"Certain," replied the doctor, "for he had no pockets."

"Well, sewed up then in his jacket?"

"I carefully examined that so as to get some information about him."

"Of course," said Griggs. "Nothing more inside the sarpent, is there,
Squire Chris?"

"No," replied the boy, after running his hand along the soft skin until
it touched Ned's. "It's all stuffed full of something of this last part
to keep the gold from getting any further."

"Yes, that's it," said Ned; "so as to keep the gold in the middle, and
leave the ends soft to tie together."

"It d