"If it was lost somebody has found it, an' in case thieves run him down it ain't likely they're going to be so foolish as to give us a chance to get on their track."
"Where are we to go now?" Fred asked.
"We'll see a lawyer if there's one in the place, an' then have a talk with Sam."
There was no trouble about getting legal advice, and in the company of a kindly-faced gentleman the party were ushered into the jail where Sam, in the lowest depths of despair, was found.
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come!" he cried, seizing Fred by both hands. "It has been terrible here."
"Don't be downhearted, lad," Bill said, with an attempt at cheerfulness. "We'll stick by you no matter what happens."
"I want you to tell me the whole story," the lawyer interrupted. "Describe every little particular of the journey."
"There isn't much to tell. I got the money, an' walked as fast as I could to a place on the mountain, where I laid down to rest, an' fell asleep. When I woke up the package was gone."
"Did you see anyone who might be following you?"
"No sir."