"There's our third man," said Shaw, as a moving light appeared not
far away. "Listen, and you'll hear him coming."
The boy almost danced up and down in his excitement.
"Let me geezle him" he whispered. "Let me make a record for valor
down here," he added, with a grin. "I might get a Carnegie medal."
"You'll probably get a bullet if you don't keep quiet," advised Nestor.
"Come, we may as well hide ourselves in the thicket over there
and await the turn of events."
Within ten minutes the sound of hoofs was heard, indicating the
advance of, perhaps, half a dozen horsemen, and then came a
challenge from the night watchman's camp. There followed a
short conversation in Spanish, only a portion of which Nestor
could understand. However, he learned from what he did hear
that the party just coming in had missed a guide, and was seeking
the easiest way to get to the top of the range.
After a short time the conversation suddenly changed into
English, and Nestor heard a soft voice ask:
"Are you going up?"
"In the morning," was the reply, in the voice of the night watchman.
"Why not go now and guide us?" came another question.
"Because we prefer to wait until morning," was the gruff reply.
"Have you seen any men going up?" was asked, then
"There are stragglers all about," was the ungracious reply.
"We have been disturbed by them before."
There was a short silence, then a shot and a struggle.
"Say," said, Shaw, "the newcomer is tying Felix and Scoby up,
and the miners have all taken to their heels.
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