“You lads stood by me finely,” said McGowan, “and I’ll not forget it. Harry,” he added to one of the amalgamators, “get on the best horse in the corral and ride to Phœnix. Tell Rising to come out here, and have him bring a doctor.” The amalgamater started forthwith for the corral. The men of the day-shift in the mine had got wind of the fighting and had flocked up into the shaft-house. McGowan met them, told them the trouble was all over, and sent them back to work. The men from the bunk-house, who had gone in pursuit of Bascomb, Bernritter, and the redskins, had all straggled back, and were talking over the exciting events in front of the blacksmith-shop. Buffalo Bill and McGowan went back to the laboratory. There they found that Nomad had made Jacobs comfortable in his bed, in a small room off the workroom. Jacobs was pale and there was an apprehensive look in his eyes when he saw McGowan. The mine-owner drew up a chair by the head of the bed. “Did you or Bernritter put that bar of bullion in the Dutchman’s saddle-bag, Jacobs?” he asked. “I put it in,” said Jacobs. “Bernritter told me to.” “Why was that done?” “Bernritter was afraid Buffalo Bill would come out here with you and look into the gold-robberies. He wanted to shift suspicion onto some one else until this job of to-day was pulled off.” “I see. Bernritter didn’t want Buffalo Bill to help probe the Three-ply robberies, eh?” “No. He knew the king of scouts wouldn’t be long in finding just how things stood.” “Well, you and Bernritter took just the right course to get Buffalo Bill interested out here.” “I can see that, now. But when we put the bar in the Dutchman’s saddle-bag we didn’t know he was a pard of Buffalo Bill’s.” “That’s the way things go wrong for men like you and Bernritter--sometimes,” put in the scout. “This stealing has been going on for the past two weeks, has it?” pursued McGowan, anxious to take full advantage of Jacobs’ talkative mood. “Yes.” “You and Bernritter were tapping the battery-boxes right along, eh?” Jacobs looked surprised. “How did you find that out?” he asked. “Buffalo Bill found it out. Bascomb put the scout and his Dutch pard into an abandoned shaft, last night, and they found a pile of amalgam in it.” “Bascomb made a fool of himself!” muttered Jacobs. “He knew the amalgam was there, but I guess he thought we had hidden it.” “Who put the wires in the battery-boxes?” “Bernritter did that--while you and he were watching the mill for thieves.” Jacobs laughed cynically. “Oh, Bern’s a rum one, I’m telling you. He never intended to marry your daughter, Mr. McGowan. He’s a married man already--he told me so. All he wanted to do was to get himself solid with you so he could make a big clean-up and get away.” McGowan clenched his hands fiercely and a blaze of savage anger crossed his face.