"Yes; though I have not known you long, Duplin, I believe that you are an honest man. Then I promise you, on my honor as a man, that I will never, by word, sign nor hint, reveal what you confide to me as a secret." "And I say the same; will swear to it, if you prefer," added Tyrrel. "No. I can trust you without that. Well, then, listen--hist! I thought I heard a footstep," muttered Duplin, warningly. "I guess it comes from the camp," suggested Burr, rising erect and gazing keenly around. "I can see nothing nearer than there." "It may be; I suppose I am nervous. I wouldn't like for any one to overhear what I'm about to say, for though enough for us three, it would go but a little way divided among the train." "_It?_" "By that I mean what I have found--what I stumbled on this afternoon as I was coming back to camp. Boys--_I've found a placer_!" "Eh--what?" stammered the two young men, completely amazed, though their thoughts had already reverted to some such revelation. "'Tis true--I've found a gold placer--a pocket--a regular _bed of gold_!" panted Duplin, his eyes fairly blazing. Wythe gazed keenly into Duplin's face, as though trying to decide whether or no he had gone crazy. Jack Tyrrel divided his glances between them, the while dolefully scratching his curly pate. "Yes, think of that! A regular bed of gold, full of nuggets that are so pure you can mark them with a pin-point, almost. I could have filled my pockets in an hour." "Where is it--where is it? Let's go there now, before some one else steals it away! Come on; thunder and lightning, man, why don't you _come_?" muttered Tyrrel, half-angrily. "Easy, Jack," and Duplin calmed his exultation by a desperate effort. "Do you want the whole train after us? No, no; we must work more cunningly than that. I've planned it all; listen, and I'll tell you what we must do." "Wait, Paley," quietly interrupted Burr. "Begin at the beginning and tell it all. First, how came you to find this pocket?" "You know I went out hunting, early this morning. Well, I had no luck, and it was past noon before I got a shot. Then I dropped a 'bighorn,' after an hour's work sneaking over the rocks. It fell down a precipice, and pretty soon I found a pass by which I could follow after. It was hard work, though, and I no sooner reached the valley, or basin, rather, than I began hunting for water. "Half a mile distant, I saw what looked like the bed of a creek, and set off toward it. Such it proved, in fact, though the water was missing. I set off up its bed, hoping to find a water-hole or something of the kind. Nearly a mile further up, the bed began to spread and grow more shallow. Then I knew that if I found water, it must be by digging for it.