"Oh, no you can't. T'was Santiago struck you. You can't prove that I had anything to do with it. And," said Frisco impudently, "you would not if you could. Remember, I held my tongue about----" "Yes! Yes," said Stephen hastily, "it was good of you to say nothing about my unhappy mother. I am so far indebted to you--" "Ah! that's just what I've come about." "What do you mean?" asked Jim sharply. "Lord! Doc, you ain't half sharp enough. I want the Squire here to give me a thousand pounds to start afresh. I and Robin are going back to the States, and we want something to begin life on." "That is only fair," put in Stephen eagerly, "I am----" "Wait a bit," said Jim, "let us hear on what grounds Frisco asks you to do this." Frisco was quite ready to show grounds. "Well in the first place I held my tongue about Mrs. Marsh firing at the dead body." "Yes. I owe you something for that," said Stephen flushing and wincing. "In the second," said Frisco raising his finger. "I brought you that will unwitnessed so that you can still keep the money. If Robin had got the girl I shouldn't have done that. My name as one witness and Santiago as another, and where would you be?" "Santiago was never in this house," said Herrick, "and a will has to be signed when the testator and the witnesses are together." "Oh, I'd have arranged all that. My own signature you could not dispute as I was Carr's right-hand man. I'd have paid Santiago half a year's income to sign. He'd have done it like a shot. And the will would have stood any test then." "That is true enough," said Herrick reflectively, "so long as the Colonel's signature was right the rest was easy. Where did you get this will?" "It was on his table. He must have been fooling with it when the old woman Petronella shot him. It was about this will that Mrs. Marsh made such a fuss, only she thought the money was to be left to me." "Ah! You let that out yourself." "Being drunk," said Frisco with a laugh, "well I took away the will and afterwards thought to use it, by marrying Robin to Bess Endicotte. But you see Mr. Marsh," he added turning to Stephen, "I did not have the witnesses names put, so you keep the money instead of handing it over to Miss Bess." "Whether he had done so or not," cried Dr. Jim hotly, "Bess would not have taken it. The money is rightfully Stephen's." "Ah! That brings me to the third point," said Frisco unmoved, "I worked for that money. I went through hot and cold and danger to get it. Half of it should have been mine. But Carr had the whip hand of me, so I'm out of it. Now gentlemen, I know where that câche is. If you'll give me a thousand to fit out an expedition we'll cry quits. I and Robin are going to get more treasure. Carr didn't take away the lot." "But remember that the Indians are warned," said Herrick, "they have very likely removed the rest of the jewels."