Nothing happened that night, but on the following day while they were resting in a patch of timber growing about a dry waterhole, they had reason to believe they might be in for further trouble. Zander Forbes sighted a clump of horsemen cantering along, whom he recognized as the bunch they had outwitted. "If they try for water here," Mr. Wallace remarked, as he too lay in the scrub along the border of the cottonwoods and watched to ascertain which way the wind would blow; "there's going to be a battle royal, and somebody's likely to get badly hurt." Fortunately the lawless crowd kept straight ahead. "They still have Nash along," said Paul. "Anyway, some sort of bundle's fastened on the back of their single pack-horse. But where can Lef Seller be?" "Oh, I'm not worrying about that hard case," chimed in Lanky. "He's the slipperest fox I ever met, and you can trust him to know when he's got enough kicking around." "Do you think, Frank," continued Paul, "he could have started back for his old home to eat humble pie and, with his mother to back him up, get another chance to walk straight?" Frank shook his head. "You've got me on that, Paul. But he can't cause Lanky's folks any further trouble, so let's forget Lef and his fortunes. Everybody, 'most, has said for years that he's bound to come to some bad end, and I'm afraid that's a certainty." Undisturbed by the reckless crowd, the treasure seekers made a detour, and in due time reached Rockspur Ranch, where they received a riotous welcome. The nuggets were safely shipped to the nearest United States assay office, and later on Mr. Wallace received a check for almost a hundred-and-fifty thousand dollars to cover the value of Josh Kinney's secret cache in the five-fingered cave near Gold Fork. "I shall put five thousand dollars of this to each of your accounts in the Columbia bank when we get home," he told the delighted Frank, Paul and Lanky. "A like sum goes to be divided up among the boys connected with Rockspur Ranch; for although only three of them participated in the enterprise, every one here, even Gin Sing, would have been glad to go." No wonder that Mr. Wallace promised to be the most popular ranch-owner in the whole State, and never did punchers work so like beavers to please such a liberal and high-minded boss. So the time came when they had to say good-bye to dear old Rockspur Ranch, for all of them, including Minnie, had by then come to love the free life of the open places beyond the ability of words to tell. "I mean to come out West again some day," Frank said earnestly, as he shook hands with Lige, Jerry, and the rest of the boys on the day of their departure. Both Lanky and Paul echoed his words with all their hearts.