A horse had come down out of the edge of the hills and crossed the narrow plain here, going in the direction of the mountain; and the man with the big feet had apparently followed it.
The small hoofs of the horse, and the fact that it was unshod, told that it was an Indian pony; while the depth to which its hoofs had sunk in the sand indicated that it carried a heavy burden.
While the two scouts were making these discoveries and discussing them they came upon a shining bit of metal lying in the sand. Of the shape and size of a twenty-dollar gold piece, it was not so round. One side, perfectly flat, showed hammer marks, while on the other side was the rayed image of the sun. The workmanship was Indian, without a doubt.
“Indian money?” said Wild Bill, as they looked at it.
“More likely an Indian ornament. Or it may be some sacred emblem. There are sun-worshiping tribes down here in the Southwest, you know; and I don’t doubt these mysterious Toltecs we’re trying so hard to visit have got a lot of sun-worship practices and traditions. So, this has a meaning for us.”
“Yes?”
“This pony was ridden by an Indian, and the rider dropped this bit of metal.”
“It’s pure gold, I think.”
He bit it, and tested it by ringing it against the barrel of his rifle.
“It’s gold, all right, Cody. Maybe the pony was loaded up with gold like it, judging by the way he sank into the sand here. And perhaps old Giant Foot was chasing after the Indian, to get some of the gold.”