I was wanting to hurry
up and get back to Garfield to-night. We're going to bury Adam at
sundown."

"All right, Pete. But we'll cross-examine you--if not to-day, then
to-morrow. It pays to work tailings, sometimes."

"That's queer, too. I was just coming to that--in a way. Mining. Adam
went up there to prospect for gold--placer gold. When the big rain
came, the night he was killed, all tracks were washed out, of course.
We hadn't got far when dark came--and then the rain. But yesterday I
went combing out the country to look for Adam's outfit of camp stuff,
and also to see if perhaps he had found any claims before he was
killed. And I found this."

He handed to the judge a small paper packet, folded and refolded, and
wrapped round with a buckskin string. The judge opened it.

"Coarse gold!" he said. "Like the Apache gold in the seventies! Pete,
you've got a rich mine if there's much of this."

"It is rich dirt," said Pete. "I got that from less than a dozen pans.
But it is not my mine."

"How so?"

"I got home late last night. This morning I looked in all the pockets
in the clothes Adam was wearing. Here is what I found in his vest." He
handed to Hinkle a small tobacco sack, rolled to a tiny cylinder.

"The same kind of gold--big as rice!" said Hinkle. "So Adam Forbes
found this?"

Caney's hand crept under his coat.

"Judge for yourself. I found three claims located. Three. But no name
of Adam Forbes to any notice. One claim was called the 'Goblin
Gold--'"

Charlie See rose up as if he were lifted by the hair of his head. "The
other names, Pete! Not the locators. The claims--give me the names of
the other two claims!"

"'Nine Bucks' was one--and the 'Please Hush.'"

Charlie turned and took one step, his tensed weight resting on the
balls of his feet, his left arm lashed out to point. All eyes turned
to the witness bench--and two witnesses looked at one.

"_Caney!_" thundered Charlie See.

Leaping, Caney's arm came from his coat. See's hand was swifter,
unseen. In flashes of fire and smoke, Caney, even as he leaped up,
pitched forward on his face. His arm reached out on the floor, holding
a smoking gun, and See's foot was on the gun.

A dozen men had pulled down Toad Hales and Jody Weir. Gwinne's gun was
out.

"Stand back! The next man over the rails gets it!" Maginnis jumped
beside him. The shouting crowd recoiled.

"Sit down! Sit down, everybody!" shouted the judge. He pounded on his
desk. "Bo