le to see that you do git.
Don't you stop till you're so far you'll never come back. But fust
shell out those dockyments, and be quick."

"Look here. I----" attempted the long-nosed man; but he was
interrupted.

"Shell 'em out!" roared red-shirt, advancing a step.

Without a word Mr. Jacobs looked at his companions; and as if in answer
to his unspoken appeal one of them (Charley tried hard to compare him
with the stranger aboard the _California_) extracted from a pocketbook
the well-remembered slips, and tossed them aside, to the ground.

Charley daringly darted forward and picked them up. Billy followed and
rescued his rifle.

"Are those the same?" queried red-shirt, of Charley.

"Yes, sir."

"All right. Now," repeated red-shirt, to the Jacobs trio, "you git, as
aforesaid."

That the long-nosed man and his two cronies had guilty consciences was
very plain, for replying by naught (and rather white in the face at the
threatening advance of several Rough and Ready-ites) they backed away,
down the other side of the ridge; at a little distance they shook their
fists and yelped something, but they kept on going, so long as Charley
looked. They had left not only Billy's gun, but their own guns also.

Young Mrs. Motte now was speaking, and so was her husband.

"It isn't fair," she declared bravely. "This gentleman and his two
boys found the claim, again, and have given it up without a word, after
all their trouble; and they took care of my uncle, and it looks as
though he intended them to have the claim, as much as us."

"He certainly intended them to have some of it----" added her husband.

"More likely he thought that you hadn't got his letter, and for that
reason gave us a chance," put in Mr. Adams, quickly.

"But I owe you the mine, anyway," insisted Mr. Motte. "Your ticket
from Panama was what brought me to San Francisco."

"The whole thing's soon settled," boomed the big red-shirt. "I app'int
myself chairman of this here town meetin' of the new camp of Gold Hill
(the same which is the name of this ridge)----"

"Hooray for Gold Hill!" cheered the miners.

"An' I further app'int Eph Saunders clerk, to record the minutes when
he gets whar thar's somethin' to record with. I'll make the motions,
too, if thar's no objection. I move that it be the sense of this camp
that the little woman, here, an' her husband, by name o' Motte, be
declared legal owners of the Golden West quartz claim, extendin' 100