suppose he found it and went to examine it?" said the other
man, who hadn't done much of the talking. "If I thought that was the
case--you have got us in a pretty box!"

"I don't suppose nothing else. And just think, it is in Elam's hands.
Dog-gone the luck! I'd like to shoot myself."

"Aha!" thought Tom. "Now, go on and tell us what it is that's in Elam's
hands. It's the nugget, and I'll bet my life on it."

"I never did have much faith in it, anyhow," said Aleck's companion,
who, holding his rifle in the hollow of his arm, kicked a few chips out
of his way; "but you seemed so eager for it that you had to go and shoot
a man in order to get it. It's nothing more than I expected."

"I believe I can work my way up there alone," said Aleck.

"With all them gullies coming down? You're crazy. But you don't want to
sit here a great while. Elam will have it; that feller's gone to find
him----"

"If I thought Elam would have it, I'd lay around on purpose to shoot
him," said Aleck, rising from his stool and kicking it out of his way.
"He aint no more than anybody else, Elam aint."

"Well, if you are going to stay here, you can stay alone. I'll go back
and take my bundle of skins to the fort, and raise some money on them.
Then I'll light out, and you won't catch me around where Elam is again."

"By gum! I'll go, too," said Aleck. "But I'll bet you that Elam will
sleep cold to-night."

"By George! he is going to burn the house," said Tom, drawing a long
breath. "Well, I have done what I could, and as soon as they go away
I'll go in and save what I can from the wreck."

The very first words that Aleck uttered after he had set fire to the
cabin seemed to put a stop to this resolution. He made a great show of
setting the shanty a-going, entering into it and kicking the burning
brands about and piling stools and other things upon them, and when he
came out and closed the door behind him, he was well satisfied with his
work.

"There, dog-gone you!" sputtered Aleck, shouldering his rifle. "If you
don't burn, I'll give up. Now, we'll just wait and see if some of 'em
don't come back here to save things. You'll wait that long, won't you?"

"I won't, if you are going to raise a hand against Elam. I tell you it
aint safe for anybody to touch him. You have had more pulls at him than
anybody I know, and you have always said the same."

"And right here in these mountains, too," said Aleck. "I guess she will
burn well enough witho