“My good fellow,” said Charlie, in a hearty voice, “you evidently think I am afraid to trust you. That is a mistake. I do not indeed trust to any remnant of good that is in your poor human nature, but I have confidence in the good feeling which God is arousing in you just now. I will freely hand over the money if you can assure me that you can guard it from your comrades.”
“This will make it secure from them,” returned Buck, with a short defiant laugh.
“Humph” exclaimed Charlie with a shrug. “I’ve not much confidence in that safeguard. No doubt, in certain circumstances, and on certain occasions, the revolver is a most important and useful instrument, but, taking it all round, I would not put much store by it. When you met me at the Blue Fork to-night, for instance, of what use was my revolver to me? And, for the matter of that, after you had dropped it on the road of what use was yours to you? It only wants one of your fellows to have more pluck and a quicker eye and hand than yourself to dethrone you at once.”
“Well, none of my fellows,” returned Buck Tom good-humouredly, “happen to have the advantage of me at present, so you may trust me and count this as one o’ the ‘certain occasions’ on which a revolver is a most important instrument.”
“I dare say you are right,” responded Charlie, smiling, as he drew from the breast of his coat a small bag and handed it to his companion.
“You know exactly, of course, how much is here?” asked Buck Tom.
“Yes, exactly.”
“That’s all right,” continued Buck, thrusting the bag into the bosom of his hunting coat; “now I’ll see if any o’ the boys are at home. Doubtless they are out—else they’d have heard us by this time. Just wait a minute.”
He seemed to melt into the darkness as he spoke. Another minute and he re-appeared.
“Here, give me your hand,” he said; “the passage is darkish at first.”