“How did you succeed?” I asked.
“Struck it rich, took out twenty-five thousand dollars worth, Jim twenty thousand, and the rest of the party about the same and we have only scratched over our claims. The dust is down at the city.”
“When shall we make a start?” I asked.
“In the morning.”
Then we turned in for sleep.
At an early hour Jim was busy loading the sleds with supplies. “I’m blessed if you have eaten as much as a canary bird,” he remarked to me. “The boys will have to run up and bring down the rest.”
I had purposely said nothing of my wonderful experience, waiting until I could tell Simeon privately, which I did showing him the skeleton hand and the black book in confirmation.
“I don’t know where you picked up these things,” he said, “but one thing is certain you are off your chump.”
“But I have the gold.”
“Where?”