che young men were crowding
around them now, and Murray nodded to him to fall back.

"Mount at once, Steve. Don't seem to claim anything or to interfere.
Let them sift the ashes if they want to."

"Seems to me we must have the best part of it."

"That's likely. I think we have as much as we shall need. No. I
don't know how much I may need before I get through. Money is a good
thing to have sometimes."

Murray was hardly himself that morning, and yet he met the Apache
leader coolly enough.

"What do now? Send Warning advise friend."

"Ride back to village. Not lose time. Young men finish plunder. Old
men not stay. Great chief want to see us."

That last word was enough and the warrior wheeled his horse westward.
His parting orders were few, but they would bring back every Apache
from that "war-path" as soon as the search for plunder should be
completed.

"It's all right, Steve," said Murray, as they rode along side by side.
"If we had stayed there too long some of them might have been curious
how much we had picked up. They won't say a word after we are in camp.
If an Indian once gets his plunder safe into his own lodge nobody
questions his title to it. That is, if it has been taken from an
enemy."

CHAPTER XXVII

Not one of the persons who had "wondered what had become of those
miners" had so much as guessed at the exact truth, although Murray had
come nearer to it than anybody else.

That sunrise found them, as they thought, once for all safe within the
boundary of the "foreign country," where no one would ask them any ugly
questions about the stolen gold they had brought there.

In fact, the first thing they did, after finishing their hearty
breakfast of fresh beef, was to "unpack themselves." Every man wanted
to know if he had lost anything on the way, and to make as good a guess
as he could how much his load was worth. Then it seemed as if they all
spoke together when they tried to express their regret at having been
compelled to leave any of their treasure behind.

"No use to think of going back for it now, boys. Some day we'll take
another look at that mine, but there won't be a thing worth going for
in that wagon."

"What do ye mean to do next, Cap?" asked Bill.

"I told you before. Give our horses a chance to feed, and then push
right on. We can afford to use 'em all up now. Three days of hard
riding'll carry us out of harm's way."

"And then we can go jest whar we p