"Wow! Whoop! Oh---whee!" vented Harry, then ran and snatched
up the surveying transit.

"Yes; I guess we'd better go along and do our staking," assented Tom.

"And I'll be ready at daylight to file the claim at Dugout City,"
promised Jim. "I won't sleep until I've seen our papers filed."

"You'll file the claim in your own name, Jim," Tom suddenly suggested.

"No; I won't," retorted Ferrers. "I'll play squarely."

"That will be doing squarely by us, Jim," Tom continued. "We
don't want to use up our claim privileges on one stretch of Nevada
dirt."

If we can find claims enough we'll stake out three, and then pool
them all together in a gentlemen's agreement."

"That's a good deal of trust you're showing in me, gentlemen," said
Jim huskily.

"Never mind, Jim," returned Reade quietly. "You can show us, you
know, that we didn't waste our confidence."

While they were still talking the three came in sight of the ridge.

"Look there!" gasped Harry suddenly.

"Dolph Gage and his tin-horn crowd!" flared Jim Ferrers, in anger.