“No doubt!” observed Boone.
The party now moved along in silence, still permitting Joe to lead the way, until they suddenly emerged from the thicket in the immediate vicinity of the spring, when an unexpected scene attracted their notice. Sneak was composedly seated on the body of the dead man, and very deliberately searching his pockets!
“Well! that beats all the mean actions I ever beheld before!” said Joe, pausing and staring indignantly at Sneak.
“You’re a fool!” replied Sneak.
“What for? because I wouldn’t rob the dead?” retorted Joe.
“Do you call this robbing the dead? Hain’t this traitor stoled this lump of gold from the Injins?” said Sneak, displaying a rough piece of the precious metal about the size of a crow’s egg.
“Is it gold?” asked Joe, with some anxiety.
“Sartainly it is,” answered Sneak, handing it to him to be examined; “and what good could come of burying it agin? I’ll leave it to Mr. Boone to say if I ain’t right in taking it myself.”
“Oh, any thing worth this much ought to be taken,” said Joe, depositing the lump of gold in his pocket.
“See here, my chap,” said Sneak, rising up and casting a furious glance at him, “if you don’t mean to hand that out again, one or the t’other of us must be put in the ground with the traitorious Posin—and if it is to be you, it’ll be a purty thing for it to be said that you brought a spade to bury yourself with.”