"
"Well, I'm glad you've come," responded Pete. "Now we can get on
the trail so much the sooner. How many did you bring?"
"Nine from the Three Stars, including Jim, Bill, Nails and myself.
With your boys that will make twenty, just the number of the
raiders."
As he uttered the last words Mr. Wilder expected his foreman to
evince surprise, but instead he and Snider were the ones to be
taken aback as Pete remarked:
"So Nails found out, did he? What else did he? What else did he
learn?"
Briefly the owner of the Half-Moon reported the information Nails
had gleaned at Tolopah and then told him of the opinions he and the
proprietor of the Three Stars had formed.
"You got the lay of the land down to the last sage brush," declared
the foreman. "But we will put a crimp in Megget's plans that he
will not forget. My men are asleep by the fire, so there is no use
waking them till we've decided what to do."
"Then we must get down to business," returned his master. "I told
the boys to ride up unless we returned in half an hour."
A moment there was silence, as though each were waiting for the
other to make some suggestion as to the best course to pursue, and
then Mr. Wilder said:
"So long as we know the headquarters are in the Lost Lode Mine, it
seems to me we had better strike for it direct. Nails told me you
knew some trail.
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