," continued the leader, "Do you remember one of the
fellows who took some cattle away from you once?"

"I didn't see the men, but I have heard what sort of looking fellows
they were. I should like to see you under different circumstances."

"Well, I don't know but you will, but I doubt it. What sort of appearing
fellow is that Elam Storm? Seen him, either of you?"

"I don't know him," said Elam. "I never heard of him. I am a stranger in
these parts."

"Seeing that neither of you is Elam Storm, perhaps you may have
something about you that tells you where to go to find his nugget. Stand
up and put your hands above your head. You have got a ditty-bag about
you?"

"Yes, sir, and there it is," said Elam, rising to his feet and throwing
his bag outside his shirt, so that the man could examine it.

Well, there! the turning point had been reached at last, and Elam was
the one who helped it along. Tom was utterly confounded, and I was so
amazed and provoked that I hid my face from the men by resting my elbows
on my knees and looking down at the ground. Of course Elam's map was
found, there was no doubt about that. I saw him have it in his hand not
half an hour before, and was positive that he put it in the bag out of
sight. With that gone we were as powerless as the two men were. I
listened, but could not hear him say anything about the map. He took the
bag off Elam's neck and up-ended it on the ground. There were a pipe,
some tobacco, and some matches, and that was all there was in it. He put
them all back, after helping himself to a generous chew of the weed, and
turned to Tom and myself; but as we didn't have any bags he let us go.

"You have been duped, fellows," said the leader. "Who sent you here,
anyway?"

"Uncle Ezra," said Elam.

"Ah, yes! He's a great chap for such things. And you'll meet Elam
somewhere up there, and you want to look out that he doesn't put a
bullet into you. He thinks he's got a dead sure thing on that gold."

"Were you sent out here to hunt for it?" asked Elam, and I held my
breath in suspense, waiting for his answer. I wanted to find out who was
at the bottom of this matter.

"Well, that's neither here nor there," said the man. "We're here, and
that's enough for anybody to know. Here's Burton, now. I did steal some
cattle from him because I was hard up, but I don't want him to go on and
get fooled in this way. And you'll get fooled as sure as you live. Now,
we don't want anything to e