Matters were rather quiet about the hotel the rest of the night, for the marshal remained in that vicinity In the morning Gabe and the two boys, having completed their outfits, set off on their horses in the direction of Dizzy Gulch. Several old miners tried, with the best of intentions, to dissuade Gabe from going to those diggings, saying he would only meet with failure. "I don't care. I'm going," he said. "I'll trust Ted Jordan." They traveled all that day, and reached a small mining camp that evening. It appeared to be a prosperous one, for there were several saloons and dance halls in full operation, and, usually, this is the surest sign of such prosperity. When the miners are digging plenty of gold they are spending it, and every one in the place seemed to have a good-sized bag of yellow dust, or else several nuggets in his pockets. Though the boys had seen these evidences of the earth's richness at the town where they first stopped, they did not lose interest in watching the men pay for what they bought with gold dust or nuggets, instead of money. "That's what we'll be doing soon, eh, Will?" suggested Jed. "I hope so, but maybe we'll be fooled when we get to Dizzy Gulch. Every one seems to think there is no gold there." "Don't let that worry you," replied Jed. "We'll get gold, I'm sure. Old Gabe knows what he is about. Don't believe what those old miners say." "I hope you're right, but it doesn't seem so," added Will, with his usual habit of looking on the dark side of things. The travelers found that the hotel they stopped at was somewhat better patronized than the former one, though it had been hastily constructed. There was the same quality of customers, however--miners and gamblers. After supper Gabe left the two boys alone, as he wanted to go about and make some inquiries of an old friend of his, who was somewhere about the diggings. As Jed and Will were passing out of the hotel through the barroom, for there were no other egress, they were stopped by a flashily dressed man, who, with several others, was playing cards at a table in a corner. "Hello, sports!" he greeted the lads. "Take a hand in the game. We're short." "We don't gamble!" exclaimed Jed quickly. He was an outspoken lad, and never beat about the bush. "You don't gamble? I reckon you're afraid of losing a dollar or so," sneered the man. "No, but we don't believe in it," replied Jed, good-naturedly, and preparing to pass on. "Hold on!" exclaimed the man. "Do you mean to insult me?" "Not at all," answered the boy. "But I consider you have insulted me, when you don't think I'm good enough for you to play cards with!" "I did not say that," was Jed's reply. "I said I didn't believe in gambling or card playing. I don't consider that it's right." "Then you think I'm doing wrong?" "I don't think anything about you. I'm simply speaking for myself."