Part 25 (1/2)

”Now,” said the leader, ”go over there and set doay frouns Which one of you is Elam Stor before anybody else had a chance to open his old; but I don't seeany”

”And what's your na to me

It was a little ti theood one, but it came so sudden that it fairly took my breath away

”I am Carlos Burton,” I replied

”Burton! I know you,” said the hted or otherwise at the discovery he had made; and then all of a sudden it flashed upon me that here was the man who had stolen my cattle Hoished I had my rifle in my hands! There would have been one cattle-thief less in the world, I bet you; but, then, what good would it have done? I would have been gone up, too, for the other man still held his cocked rifle in his hands

”Ah, yes! Burton,” continued the leader, ”Do you remember one of the felloho took some cattle away from you once?”

”I didn't see thefellows they were I should like to see you under different circumstances”

”Well, I don't know but you will, but I doubt it What sort of appearing fellow is that Elam Storm? Seen him, either of you?”

”I don't know hier in these parts”

”Seeing that neither of you is Ela about you that tells you where to go to find his nugget Stand up and put your hands above your head You have got a ditty-bag about you?”

”Yes, sir, and there it is,” said Ela outside his shi+rt, so that thepoint had been reached at last, and Ela Tom was utterly confounded, and I was so a round Of course Elam's map was found, there was no doubt about that I saw him have it in his hand not half an hour before, and was positive that he put it in the bag out of sight With that gone ere as powerless as the twoabout the round There were a pipe, some tobacco, and some matches, and that was all there was in it He put theenerous chew of the weed, and turned to Too

”You have been duped, fellows,” said the leader ”Who sent you here, anyway?”

”Uncle Ezra,” said Elas And you'll meet Elam somewhere up there, and you want to look out that he doesn't put a bullet into you He thinks he's got a dead sure thing on that gold”

”Were you sent out here to hunt for it?” asked Ela for his answer I wanted to find out as at the bottom of this matter

”Well, that's neither here nor there,” said the h for anybody to know Here's Burton, now I did steal some cattle froo on and get fooled in this way And you'll get fooled as sure as you live Noe don't want anything to eat We have got everything ant out here in the rocks to last us to the fort; and if you'll say you won't shoot at us, we'll give you your guns”

”I won't shoot at you,” said Elao on, and I don't know but I had better turn around and go back Here's a tender-foot coht Go on, and let hiets sick of the, I bet you Now, suppose you take your creeters and go on your way We can have a fair view of you for a quarter of a mile, and that's all ant”

Elaun,one of theTom and I to follow at our leisure I noticed that the two men eyedreduced to poverty, and they were ready to nip in the bud any ood over it, you ot on my horse I couldn't resist an inclination to say a word to theed with you in that cattle-thieving business were hanged for horse-stealing,” I said

”Has that story got around down here?” said one of the men

”Yes; and I am very sorry that they were dealt with in that way I wanted to get even with theh those six thousand dollars didn't go very far with you”

”Well, go on now, for we don't want to take this et up to the turn in the canyon, and then you had better look out”