They knew not what to do with their gold, but at last dug a hole at the back of the tent and placed it, tin box and all, in that, covering it with dirt, a flat stone, and some pine boughs. "It will take an hour's digging to get it out," said Maybe Dixon. "A thief would hardly dare to tackle the job, with so many around who know us." "I've got an idea," said Bob. "Let us put a bogus bag in the hollow tree and see if that rascal comes for it." This was considered a good scheme and was acted upon the next morning, a bag of sand being carefully tied up and sealed. It was placed in the hollow tree and some dead leaves strewn over it. For the next few days the boys and their older partner worked as never before. They brought to light eight other small nuggets and some grains and dust, worth, all told, not less than three hundred dollars. With such good results, they did not mind the back-breaking labor, and if they were so stiff in the morning that they scarcely cared to move, nobody complained. They were working deep down in the sand and nobody was near them. "How is it?" asked one old miner, coming up to Bob one day. "Fair," answered the youth, as carelessly as he could. "Not bringing out anything big, eh?" "Not very big." "I don't think this gulch is worth shucks. I am going elsewhere," and the old miner slouched off with his pick, shovel, and pan over his shoulder. "That's where he is missing it," whispered Si. "But we can't tell him the truth--he'd come down on us and so would a hundred others, in no time. We want to keep as much of this gulch to ourselves as we can. We've got too many neighbors already." "Si, you're gittin' to be a wise boy," remarked Maybe Dixon, with an approving nod of his head. "When you spot a good thing, be sure an' keep it to yourself, is my motto." That evening Bob looked into the hollow tree and then burst into the tent in excitement. "It's gone!" "What?" asked Si, who was frying some fish Mark had brought in. "The bag we put in the hollow tree." "You don't say so!" exclaimed Maybe Dixon. "Then that man was a thief after all." "We can be thankful he had to sneeze," remarked Mark. "That was worth our whole capital." "I'd give ten dollars to know who it was," said Bob. "I go in for warning the rest of the miners around here," declared Si. "If there is a thief around all the honest men ought to know it." This was considered good reasoning, and after supper Si and Mark strolled around to the various tents dotting the gulch and told of what had occurred. "Well! well! so it's got that far, sonny," cried one brawny miner. "I will be on my guard after this. If anybody comes near my tent he'll get a dose of cold lead that won't agree with his digestion." And he tapped his big pistol significantly. All of the miners were thankful for being warned, and each promised to be on guard.