we were all reluctant to do so.

"I'll be damned if I'm going to lug 'way up that hill," I growled to
myself. "I tied them up yesterday, anyway."

Johnny caught this.

"Well, it wasn't your turn yesterday," he pointed out, "and it is
to-day. I've got nothing to do with what you chose to do yesterday."

"Or any other day," I muttered.

"What's that?" cried Johnny truculently. "I couldn't hear. Speak up!"

We were flushed, and eying each other malevolently.

"That'll do!" said Yank, with an unexpected tone of authority. "Nobody
will go back, and nobody will go ahead. We'll just sit down on this log,
yere, while we smoke one pipe apiece. I've got something to say."

Johnny and I turned on him with a certain belligerency mingled with
surprise. Yank had so habitually acted the part of taciturnity that his
decided air of authority confused us. His slouch had straightened, his
head was up, his mild eye sparkled. Suddenly I felt like a bad small
boy; and I believe Johnny was the same. After a moment's hesitation we
sat down on the log.

"Now," said Yank firmly, "it's about time we took stock. We been here
now five days; we ain't had a decent meal of vittles in that time; we
ain't fixed up our camp a mite; we ain't been to town to see the sights;
we don't even know the looks of the man that's camped down below us.
We've been too danged busy to be decent. Now we're goin' to call a halt.
I should jedge we have a pound of gold, or tharabouts. How much is that
worth, Johnny? You can figger in yore head."

"Along about two hundred and fifty dollars," said Johnny after a moment.

"Well, keep on figgerin'. How much does that come to apiece?"

"About eighty dollars, of course."

"And dividin' eighty by five?" persisted Yank.

"Sixteen."

"Well," drawled Yank, his steely blue eye softening to a twinkle,
"sixteen dollars a day is fair wages, to be sure; but nothin' to get
wildly excited over." He surveyed the two of us with some humour.
"Hadn't thought of it that way, had you?" he asked. "Nuther had I until
last night. I was so dog tired I couldn't sleep, and I got to figgerin'
a little on my own hook."

"Why, I can do better than that in San Francisco--with half the work!" I
cried.

"Maybe for a while," said Yank, "but here we got a chance to make a big
strike most any time; and in the meantime to make good wages. But we
ain't going to do it any quicker by killin' ourselves. Now to-day is
Sunday. I ain't no religiou