“Here is the book—the diary,” announced Grace, extending it to Miss Briggs. “Remember what I told you last night? Did I not say that you would not get off so easily? Stacy, how did you come by this?” demanded the Overland girl, turning to the fat boy.
“What’s all the fuss about? I picked it up when I went after my horse this morning and forgot all about it. Why the excitement?”
“There is no excitement,” answered Miss Briggs with dignity as she tucked the old prospector’s diary into her blouse. “Mr. White, Mr. Brown found the missing book and has returned it to us.”
Before anyone could comment on the find or ask questions about it, Ham White held up a hand for silence.
From far away came a shot. After a little it was followed by two shots, an interval and one shot.
“A signal,” announced the guide.
Hippy Wingate raised his revolver to fire.
“Stop!” commanded Ham White. “Let the other fellow do the shooting. We aren’t certain that we want to know him.” There was meaning in the guide’s words, a warning, and the Overlanders fell silent. There was also the vivid memory with Elfreda and Grace of the mysterious hand that had snatched the prospector’s diary, and both girls felt an intuition of other mysteries to come.
CHAPTER X
THE MAN FROM SEATTLE
“Someone is coming,” announced Grace, when, half an hour later, her keen ears detected a sound, faint, though unmistakable. She was the only one of the party to hear it at that instant, though a moment later the guide nodded.