"I don't reckon I did," answered Dan, after thinking a moment. "The hant scared me away before I got that far."
"Well, there's a grip-sack there," continued Silas, "and there's twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in gold into it. I was calkerlating all along that me and you would go snucks on it. Now, will you hand over that letter, so't I can take another look at the map and make sure that I know where the cave is?"
"Twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred more dollars in gold!" gasped Dan, who could hardly believe his ears. "Pap, I would give you the letter in a minute, but it's the gospel truth that I ain't got it."
And to prove his words, Dan turned all his pockets inside out, to show that they were empty.
"Then I reckon we'll have to go back along the road and look for it," said Silas, desperately. "That's a power of money, more'n I ever thought to have in my family, and sposen somebody should come along and find that there letter, and go up to the cave and steal it away from us? Just think of that, Dannie!"
Dan did think of it, and it was the only thing that kept him from beating a hasty retreat when his father spoke of going back to look for the letter.