"You wait! I'll get even with you," muttered the bully, as he fled
down the front walk, as though afraid Tom would, even then, put his
threat into execution.

"Did he damage the map any?" asked the lad, as he followed his
father and Abe into the house.

"Nary a bit," answered the old miner. "It's jest th' same as it was.
There it is," and he spread a crinkled sheet of tough parchment in
front of Tom. It was covered with a rude drawing, and with names of
places scrawled on it.

"So that's the map, eh?" murmured Tom, eagerly scanning it.

"That's it, an' here's th' valley of gold," went on Abe, as he
placed one rough finger on a certain spot. "Right there--hello!" he
cried, as he peered more closely at the parchment. "That ink spot
wasn't there when I had th' map, a few hours ago."

"What ink spot?" asked Tom, anxiously.

"That one," and the miner indicated a small one near the edge of the
map. "That was never there!"

"It looks as if it was recently made," added Mr. Swift, who was
something of a chemist.

"An ink spot-freshly made," murmured Tom, "Dad--Abe, I can guess
what's happened!"