"The money--all gone!" muttered Jacques Valette. The loss appeared to sober
him for a moment. "Fifteen pounds, ten shillings--all gone!"

"Do you mean to say you had fifteen pounds and ten shillings?" questioned
James Morris.

The French hunter and trapper nodded. "_Oui! oui!_"

"And you haven't it now?"

Jacques Valette shrugged his shoulders. "Not a shilling! All is gone! You
haf it!" And he shook his hand in Dave's face.

"Don't dare to accuse my son of theft!" exclaimed James Morris angrily. "He
has nothing of yours."

A perfect war of words followed. Jacques Valette insisted that, on coming
to the post, he had had a pistol and the money mentioned. As they were now
gone he felt certain that Dave had taken them. He could not or would not
tell where he had been previous to his journey to James Morris' place.

"You lost them before you came here, that is certain," said James Morris.
"I want no more from you. Get out!" And he forced the Frenchman to leave.
Jacques Valette walked away slowly, muttering all sorts of imprecations in
French under his breath.

"He'll try to make us trouble for this," observed Dave, after the unwelcome
visitor had gone.