“I will just as soon as I go back to the camp,” declared Rat. True to his word, that very evening the huge boaster, approaching the scout, said: “Kit, have you any objection to letting me cache some of my furs along with yours?” For a moment the scout glanced keenly at the face of the inquirer before he spoke: “How many furs have you got?” he inquired at last. “Not very many just yet. I expect to have more, for I’ve never seen the catch as good as it is now.” “You come and talk to me when you get more and we’ll see what can be done,” said Kit Carson quietly at last. Slight attention was paid to the conversation, and even Reuben had almost forgotten it, as well as his own talk the preceding day with Rat concerning the location of the cache near the stream on the bank of which they were trapping. These things were brought strongly back to his recollection, however, when on the following morning it was discovered that the black horse was gone and that two other horses also had disappeared. Nor was this all that the camp had lost, for Rat also was missing. When the men assembled for breakfast, the discovery of the loss of the black horse and the report also that two other animals were gone caused them to declare that Rat had not fled from the place without taking more than the horses. Just what he wanted of three horses was not plain to the trappers. Suddenly, however, Reuben called Kit Carson to one side and said to him: “Did Rat ask you to let him cache some of his furs?” “Yes,” replied the scout, looking keenly into the face of his friend as he spoke. “Well, he wanted me the other day, when we were trapping together, to show him where our cache was. I told him there was one within ten feet of the place where he was standing and that if he could find it he might have half the skins. You don’t suppose that he’s found the place and taken those horses to carry off some of the skins, do you?” For a moment Kit Carson was silent. Although he was aware that Reuben was keenly mortified by the confession he had made, he did not speak any word of reproach. Not many minutes had elapsed, however, before Kit Carson, selecting two of the swiftest ponies in the camp, said to Reuben: “Do you want to go with me?” “Yes. Where are you going?” “I’m glad you put your answers in that way,” replied Kit Carson with a smile. “I’m glad you’re going, and you’ll soon find out where I’m going. First of all, take me to the place where you told Rat there was one of our caches.” Both trappers carried their rifles and mounting the swiftest ponies, they speedily departed from the camp. Reuben easily led the way toward the place where he and Rat had stopped for their noontime meal and where also he had foolishly told the braggart that one of the caches was not far away.