Kells had lifted a plank of the floor, and was now in the act of putting small buckskin sacks of gold into his pockets.  They made his coat bulge at the sides.

“Joan, stick some meat and biscuits in your pockets,” he said.  “I’d never get hungry with my pockets full of gold.  But you might.”

Joan rummaged around in Bate Wood’s rude cupboard.

“These biscuits are as heavy as gold—­and harder,” she said.

Kells flashed a glance at her that held pride, admiration, and sadness.  “You are the gamest girl I ever knew!  I wish I’d—­But that’s too late! ...  Joan, if anything happens to me stick close to Cleve.  I believe you can trust him.  Come on now.”

Then he strode out of the cabin.  Joan had almost to run to keep up with him.  There were no other men now in sight.  She knew that Jim would follow soon, because his gold-dust was hidden in the cavern back of her room, and he would not need much time to get it.  Nevertheless, she anxiously looked back.  She and Kells had gone perhaps a couple of hundred yards before Jim appeared, and then he came on the run.  At a point about opposite the first tents he joined Kells.

“Jim, how about guns?” asked the bandit.

“I’ve got two,” replied Cleve.

“Good!  There’s no telling—­Jim, I’m afraid of the gang.  They’re crazy.  What do you think?”

“I don’t know.  It’s a hard proposition.”

“We’ll get away, all right.  Don’t worry about that.  But the gang will never come together again.”  This singular man spoke with melancholy.  “Slow up a little now,” he added.  “We don’t want to attract attention. ...  But where is there any one to see us? ...  Jim, did I have you figured right about the Creede job?”

“You sure did.  I just lost my nerve.”

“Well, no matter.”

Then Kells appeared to forget that.  He stalked on with keen glances searching everywhere, until suddenly, when he saw round a bend of the road, he halted with grating teeth.  That road was empty all the way to the other end of camp, but there surged a dark mob of men.  Kells stalked forward again.  The Last Nugget appeared like an empty barn.  How vacant and significant the whole center of camp!  Kells did not speak another word.

Joan hurried on between Kells and Cleve.  She was trying to fortify herself to meet what lay at the end of the road.  A strange, hoarse roar of men and an upflinging of arms made her shudder.  She kept her eyes lowered and clung to the arms of her companions.

Finally they halted.  She felt the crowd before she saw it.  A motley assemblage with what seemed craned necks and intent backs!  They were all looking forward and upward.  But she forced her glance down.