Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/205

Rh actually listened to it, and in a second he was wide-awake, sitting up, his automatic in his hand.

"Awake?" asked Healy, standing over him. "I couldn't sleep, either. Thought I heard some coyotes or something prowling round and got up to see. Nothing doing, though.*' He sat down by the fire and rolled a cigarette. How long since Healy had left the fire, Stone wondered. But there was no answer to that problem and soon Healy blanketed himself again. Before Stone got to sleep the sky began to lighten. Harvey stirred and Stone helped him get breakfast.

The fire going and the coffee on, Harvey left Stone to slice the bacon and went to look after the burros. Larkin yawned, sat up and sneezed in the sharp air. Then Healy awoke as Harvey returned.

"Couple of coyotes prowlin' roimd last night," said Harvey. "Jest seen the tracks of the cowardly varmints."

"I heard them last night," said Healy. "Got up and chased them off. Woke Stone up while I was doing it. Let's eat. I want to find that rock. It isn't going to be as easy as I thought. Hurry up with the grub, Harvey."

After a mug of coffee Healy got up, saying he had enough, and wandered off among the multitude of rocks and boulders that speedily hid him from sight. Larkin swallowed what was on his plate and announced his intention of following him.

"'E just 'ates to come through wif 'is hend of it," he said. "If 'e was at the hother hend of this bizness, you and me 'ud never see that wall of quartz an'