“Wal, I reckon maybe I could,” Weber said.
“Old-timer, you go right ahead,” Jimmy said, “I’m feeling pretty good now. You strike out across the hills and get your claims located. Somebody will be along here later and pick me up, or else I’ll stay here till you get back.”
“I reckon gold ain’t worth that much, son,” the old man said gently. “Your arm’s broke and your leg’s bruised up, and there’s right smart of a hole in your head. I’ll never miss what I ain’t never had. You’ve done your best and you’ve lost your grubstake doin’ it. No, son. Don’t you fret none about me. There’ll be other gold strikes. I’m goin’ to build up a fire and make you a pot of coffee and fry up some bacon and you and me will wait right here until some help comes to get you out.”
“Listen, old-timer,” Jimmy pleaded. “I’ll be all right here. You go ahead. Stake out a claim for both of us.”
“Son,” the old man said, “there’s lions, bears, and wolves still roamin’ around in this part of the world pretty thick.”
“Leave me your gun; I can take care of myself,” Jimmy protested.
“It ain’t goin’ to be necessary,” Weber declared. “No use of you gettin’ up a fever by arguin’. I got you into this mess, and I’m goin’ to stay right by you until you get out of it. I’ve been thinkin’ it over for the last hour or two, and after all, maybe that Keno strike don’t amount to much. Every strike I’ve ever heard of was always the world’s biggest bonanza, but they generally all peter out. I don’t mind tellin’ you I was a little disappointed when your engine commenced to get hot goin’ up over the summit and I could begin to figger that we’d never make it. But I’m all over that now.
Jimmy protested and argued until he was too weak to say any more, but the old man remained obdurate and would not reconsider his determination to stay with Jimmy until help came. He built a fire and commenced to make coffee, and then after this was finished and Jimmy had eaten a little and drunk a cup of hot coffee, Weber commenced to make a bed of young green twigs on which Jimmy could pass the night in comfort.
Just before sundown a plane came over and dropped a message to them, saying that rangers had been notified and that help was on its way. After diving down close to the tree tops to get a reassuring wave from Jimmy and the old man, the plane passed rapidly out of sight. Weber did not go to bed. He wrapped Jimmy in all the blankets they had brought and made him comfortable. But he spent the night by the campfire. Jimmy did not go to sleep until late, but it was sun-up when he finally awoke.