Sagebrush took the samples, inspected them, and then began to grin widely.
"Ruby silver!" he ejaculated. "Ye don't mean to say—my gosh! Pilgrims, I'm right pained to hear tell o' this, but——"
"Huh?" queried Sandy with a grunt. "What d'ye mean?"
"Ye didn't allow them samples come from here, did ye?"
"Understood so," returned Sandy, frowning. "What d'ye mean, huh?"
Sagebrush grinned again. "Why," he said, hefting the samples, "las' time I seen these here spec'mens, they was reposin' on the desk o' Piute Tomkins, back to Two Palms. Piute brung 'em home from Tonopah three year ago, and was right proud of 'em, too. I reckon that there no-account Deadoak pirated 'em from him and passed 'em off on you. Deadoak is right smart, some ways——"
Murray looked at the gaping Mackintavers, and rolled over with a shout of laughter.
"Stung, Sandy!" he cried, sitting up. "Hurray! The bad man of New Mexico stung by a simple Arizona native—whoop! The biter got bit—oh, Sandy, Sandy! And look at the big blisters on my perfectly good hands——"
Sandy growled something inarticulate, then rose to his feet.
"I'm goin' to look at them quartz lodes," he grunted. "See ye later!"