Then Mr. Baxter seemed lost in thought.
"How much gold did Stults bury?" he asked at length.
"I don't know, sir."
"Hum. I'm glad you said that. I was afraid you might have an idea that it was a million or more. I've heard all sorts of stories about the Stults treasure, but I never took any stock in 'em. Now it begins to look as if there was something in it. Tell me all you know about it."
Fred did so to the best of his ability, taking in from the time Mr. Gardner first related the story to him to his interview with Mrs. Stults.
"And you want me to finance the expedition, eh?" asked the old gold hunter.
"My father hoped you might be willing to."
"What was your idea of how much my share should be in case we found the gold, young man?"
"I hadn't thought of that. Of course Mrs. Stults will get her half."
"Yes. And how much would you get?"