"I guess they've got us for th' time bein'."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Tom, detecting a gleam of hope in
Abe's tone.
"Well, I mean that I think we kin git ahead of 'em. Come on back to
th' ship, an' we'll talk it over."
They walked away, leaving Andy and his father in possession of the
rich deposits of gold, and that it was much richer even then than
the hole Abe had first discovered was very evident. The two Fogers
were soon at work, digging out the yellow metal with the pick and
shovels Tom and Ned had so thoughtlessly dropped.
"What little law there is out here they've got on their side," went
on Abe, "an' they've got possession, too, which is more. Of course
we could go at 'em in a pitched battle, but I take it you don't want
any bloodshed?" and he looked at Tom.
"Of course not," replied the lad quickly, "but I'd like to meet Andy
alone, with nothing but my fists for a little while," and Tom's eyes
snapped.
"So would I," added Ned.
"Perhaps we can find another pocket of gold better than that one,"
suggested Mr. Damon.
"We might," admitted Abe, "but that one was ours an' we're entitled
to it. This valley is rich in gold deposits, but you can't allers
put your hand on 'em. We may have t' hunt around for a week until we
strike another.
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