He was too lazy to work, but just loafed around, complaining of his
luck. One night I caught him in my tent, just going to rob me. I
warned him to leave the camp next day or I'd report him, and the boys
would have strung him up. That's the way they treat thieves out
there."

"It doesn't surprise me to hear it," said Joe. "He robbed me of
fifty dollars in New York."

"He did? How was that?"

Joe told the story.

"The mean skunk!" ejaculated Watson--for this Joe found to be the
miners name. "It's mean enough to rob a man, but to cheat a poor boy
out of all he has is a good deal meaner. And yet you gave him
supper?"

"Yes. The man was hungry; I pitied him."

"You're a better Christian than I am. I'd have let him go hungry."

Both Joe and the miner were weary and they soon retired, but not to
uninterrupted slumber. About midnight they were disturbed, as the
next chapter will show.




CHAPTER XX