"An' what happened to the grizzly?" the old man queried.

"Oh, a bullet hit him, that was all, and he took a header into the
ravine below."

"It did! An' whar did the bullet come from? Jist dropped down by
accident at the right moment, I s'pose."

Reynolds merely smiled at the prospector's words, and offered no
explanation.

"Modest, eh?" and Samson chuckled. "No more trouble to knock over a
grizzly than it was to smash three whiskey bottles without winkin'. I
like yer coolness, young man. Now, some fellers 'ud have blatted it
all over camp in no time. An' that happened yesterday, so ye say?"

"Yes; toward evening."

"An' the gal was thar all alone?"

"It seems so. I wanted to go home with her, but she would not let me."

"She wouldn't! An' why not?"

"She said it wasn't safe for me to go beyond the Golden Crest."

"Did she give any reason?"

"None at all, and that's what makes me curious."