“Well,” Clay decided, presently, “perhaps we’d better feed this boy and put him to bed. He looks as if he’d been up against something hard.”
The lad ate ravenously, and then began undressing. Clay sat in the cabin with him. He was full of wonderment at this second meeting with the boy, and wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but decided to wait until the lad was in better condition.
As the visitor threw his ragged clothes off a thud on the floor told of something of considerable weight in one of the pockets.
“Do you carry a gun, lad?” he asked, stooping over to lift the trousers.
The boy bounded forward and snatched at the trousers, but Clay was too quick for him. The article which had made the noise on the floor was a leather bag.
An investigation showed that it was half full of diamonds of exceptional quality!
[CHAPTER XIII—A RIVER ROBBER IN A NEW ROLE]
With half a dozen stones of splendid value rolling over the palm of his hand, Clay regarded the boy accusingly.
“Where did you get the diamonds?” he asked.
The boy did not answer. Clay had expected confusion and shame. Instead he met with anger and reproach. Chester (“Chet” from that day forward) shot forward like an arrow and tried to wrest the bag from his hands. Clay put him back tolerantly.