"Then they must have been the ones who disturbed our things," said Jack.
"Probably they were. They brought the skins of the ghosts back, and also some of your provisions. They are there in his cabin now. Now let us have that story."
CHAPTER XXXI.
CONCLUSION
When Julian had fairly settled down to tell his story, which he did by crossing his right leg over his left leg and clasping his hands around his knee, he discovered that there was not so much to be told as he had thought for. His adventure with the robbers was nothing more than might have happened to any one of the miners who were standing around him; the only question in his mind was, would the other miner have fared as well as he did?
"They came to our mine and stole our dust; but I don't see how they found out about the full bag. Mr. Banta told us to be careful about that."
"Why, Mr. Banta told it himself!" remarked one of the miners. "He said you had a bagful hidden away."
"You see, he had to do it, or the men here would have become suspicions and gone up to your mine in a body," explained another. "Go on—what next?"
"They took the full bag, as well as the half-empty one, and told us we would have to go with them on a three days' journey into the mountains, so as to keep you fellows here in ignorance of the robbery as long as possible but they took us only a two days' journey, and then told us we had gone far enough. That's all there was of it."
"Is that all you have to tell?" asked one.