"That's right, old pard," put in Lloyd. "Come across, or let some o' the rest of us."
"I'll do the talking." Blunt answered. "Yesterday afternoon," said he, "we stopped for a while at McGurvin's. While we were watering the bronks, I looked up and saw a man's face at an upstairs window. It was the face of this professor of yours."
"Great Scott!" gulped Clancy, staring.
"At McGurvin's?" demanded Merry, no less excited.
"Yes, at McGurvin's. I asked Mac what the professor was doing in his house, and he answered that what I didn't know wouldn't bother me. It was none of my put-in, and so I let it go at that, There's something else to it, too. Tell what you found out in Gold Hill, Aaron, two days ago."
Merry and Clancy turned their eyes on Lloyd.
"I was there fer the ranch mail," began Lloyd, "an' Nick Porter was crookin' his elbow a-plenty. And talking a heap, too. In front of the Red Light he had a feller in flashy clothes with a sandy mustache, and the two was goin' it some in the gab line. I was leanin' against the front of the Red Light, at the time, a-readin' a letter, an' I couldn't help hear a little of what them two said. 'Sam'll put down a hole an' blow out a bag o' samples,' says Porter, 'an' bring 'em round about to Mac's. Turkeyfoot'll take the perfesser on from Mac's to the old camp the mornin' after Sam gits through. Arter loadin' up with the perfesser's plunder, he'll bring him back to Mac's, an' Mac'll hold him. Then you, Heppner, can go out to Mac's Tuesday arternoon an' make yer play.' That's all," finished Lloyd.
"Aaron didn't remember all that until after I'd seen the professor at the window," interpolated Blunt. "Then, as we were riding on, he let it out."
"Blazes!" exclaimed Clancy. "There's a scheme on to rob Borrodaile of that claim of his!"
"Looks thataway," said Lloyd passively.