ime before the express messengers should be waylaid, for the
treasure they carried was worth any one's while. I spoke to Randall
about it one day.

"If Amijo or Murietta or Dick Temple were in this part of the country,
I'd agree with you," said he seriously, "but they are not, and there's
nobody in this lot of cheap desperadoes around here that has the nerve.
Those three boys have a big reputation as fighters; their horses are
good; they constantly vary their route and their times of starting; and
Johnny in especial has a foxy head on him."

"The weak point is the place they change horses," said I.

Randall looked at me quickly, as though surprised.

"Why, that's true," said he; "not a doubt of it. But I've got five armed
men there to look after just that. And another thing you must remember:
they know that Danny Randall is running this show."

Certainly, thought I, Danny at least appreciates himself; and yet, after
all, I do not think he in any way exaggerated the terror his name
inspired.

CHAPTER XXXII

ITALIAN BAR

As now we are all settled down to our various occupations, Yank of
patience, Johnny of delighted adventuring, and myself of dogged
industry, it might be well to give you some sort of a notion of Italian
Bar, as this new camp was called. I saw a great deal of it, more than I
really wished, for out of working hours I much frequented it in the
vague hope of keeping tabs on its activities for Johnny's sake.

It was situated on one of the main overland trails, and that was
possibly the only reason its rich diggings had not been sooner
discovered--it was too accessible! The hordes of immigrants dragged
through the dusty main street, sometimes in an almost unending
procession. More of them hereafter; they were in general a sad lot. Some
of them were always encamped in the flats below town; and about one of
the stores a number of them could be seen trying to screw their
resolution up to paying the appalling prices for necessities. The
majority had no spare money, and rarely any spirit left; and nobody paid
much attention to them except to play practical jokes on them. Very few
if any of this influx stopped at Italian Bar. Again it was too
accessible. They had their vision fixed hypnotically on the West, and
westward they would push until they bumped the Pacific Ocean. Of course
a great many were no such dumb creatures, but were capable, self-reliant
men who knew what they were about and where t