Jamie crouched close to the tree trunk.  He scarcely breathed.  The approaching figures came directly toward the white birch.

“It’s lucky we saw them fellers first,” said a gruff voice.  “They’d sure suspicioned somethin’ if they’d got a glim on us.  They never seen us comin’ over, and they’ll never find our boat where we hid her.”

“If they found that there writin’ you went and left in the tin can you were tellin’ about, they’ve like as not follered the directions you give and found the swag,” growled the other.  “That won’t be very lucky for us.”

“They’d never find her,” assured the first speaker.  “They’d have to find the rock first, and she’s a good two mile from shore.  They’d never find her in a dog’s age.  Here we be.  Here’s the white birch.”

“Well, where’s the tree you went and hid the stuff in?”

“Here she is.”  The man indicated a tree next to that in which Jamie was perched.  “Here, take my leg and gimme a boost.  I’ll go up and get it.”

Jamie scarcely dared breathe.  He could see one of the men make a stirrup of his hands, and the other man step into it and swing into the tree.  Up he climbed to a point directly opposite Jamie, and so near Jamie could hear him breathe.

“Got her, Bill?” asked the man below.

“You bet I got her!  She’s here all right, just like I said she’d be,” answered the man in the tree.

Jamie’s heart sank.  After all his hopes and efforts he became suddenly aware that he could not return to camp triumphantly bearing Lem Horn’s silver fox pelt as he had pictured himself doing.  Lem would never get the pelt again.  Every one in the Bay would go on believing that Indian Jake had shot Lem and stolen the pelt.  And he had been so near setting all this right!

It never entered his head that the cache could contain anything else than the pelt.  Because he wished Indian Jake to be innocent of the crime, he had come to believe that he was innocent, even though Indian Jake himself had not denied having the stolen property in his possession, and everybody, save only himself and David and Andy, believed Indian Jake had it.

“Here she be safe and sound and as good as ever,” said the man as he dropped from the lower limb of the tree to the ground.  “Let’s open her up and have a drink, Hank.”

“I’ll go you, Bill.  My throat feels as long as a camel’s and as dry as a snake’s back.”

Jamie could see the man called Bill stooping over the small bag to untie it, and presently draw forth a bottle.

“Here she be, and the other three bottles too,” said Bill.  “You open her up, Hank, while I see if the roll is there and the other stuff.”

Bill ran his arm in the bag.

“Yes, it’s all right,” he assured.  “I guess the Captain didn’t miss the money before the ship sailed, and there ain’t any way of his gettin’ word in to the boss about it now before next spring.  We’re safe enough to take it back and make our divvy.  There won’t be any search made for it now.”