e nothing to laugh at in it. All right, then. I don't
grumble, only you can't say as all the country up here is to be yours."

"Of course not. What do you mean?"

"Oh, only that I don't see no fun in your making a fortune and me being
left nowhere. I want a fortune too. I'm going to hunt now for myself."

"Nonsense!" I cried; "what is the use of your going away? Isn't there
enough here for both of us?"

"Dunno," said Esau, scratching his head. "That is what I want to know;
you ain't got much yet."

"Why, Esau," I said, struck by his surly way, "we were the best of
friends when we came out."

"Yes; but we hadn't found gold then--leastwise you hadn't."

"But what difference does that make?"

"Ever so much. You're going to be rich, and I ain't. Every one ain't
so lucky as you."

"But, Esau," I cried, "of course you will share with me. We found it
together."

"Say that again."

"I say that we will share together."

"What, go halves?"

"Of course."

"You mean it?"

"Why, of course I mean it. You've as good a right to the gold we find
as I have."

"Here, shake hands on it."

I laughingly held out my hand, which he seized and pumped up and down.

"I always thought your father was a gentleman," he cried. "Now I feel
sure as sure of it. Halves it is, and we won't tell a soul."

"But we must," I cried.

"What, and let some one come and get it all?"

"I should only tell some one who has a right to know: Mr Raydon."

"What right's he got to know?" cried Esau. "I say, don't go and throw
it all away."

"I consider that Mr Raydon, who has welcomed us here and treated us as
friends, has a perfect right to know."

"But it's like giving him a share in it."

"Well, why not?"

"But, don't you see, it will be thirds instead of halves, and he'll want
to bring some one else in, and it 'll make it fourths."

"Well, and if he did? Sometimes a fourth is better than a half. I mean
with the help of a clever man we should get more for our fourth than we
should if we had half apiece."

"Oh, all right. I s'pose you know," he cried; "but I wouldn't tell any
one else."

"Of course I'm right," I said, sharply.

"And we couldn't go on getting the gold here without his knowing it. So
you'd better tell him."

"That's a nice selfish way of looking at it, Master Esau," I said.

"Dessay it is," he replied; "but gold makes you feel selfish. I dunno
that I feel so glad now that we've found it."