his fingers twice in attempting to light the lantern. Yet at last the
lantern was lighted, the wick turned up not too high, and then the older
man invited:

"Sit down in front of me, Dan, sociable like, so I can keep track of yer
hands."

"D'ye think I'm the only one'll bear watching?" demanded Jaggers,
hoarsely. "I ain't taken my eyes off that pocket o' your 'n. Now, pull
out that money, an' be sure ye git it all out. Turn the pocket inside
out. That's right. Now, you count your money, an' I'll watch. Then
I'll count mine, an' you can watch, if ye wanter."

Mutual confidence being thus established between the rogues, the
counting proceeded. Josh found that he had just four hundred dollars
in his "findings." Dan Jaggers's count proved that that young bully
possessed an exactly equal sum.

"Then there ain't no need o' dividing," declared Dan, thrusting his
money into a trousers pocket and fumbling for a pin with which to close
the top of the pocket. "Now, I'll go back to the road, find the hoss,
an' drive him most of the way into town. Then I'll turn the hoss loose,
to do his home-findin' an' I'll keep on until I can buy something in
bottles."

"But ye ain't goin' t' take all that money with ye inter town?"
protested Josh Owen.

"Why not? It's mine," declared Jaggers, with singular ideas of
ownership.