Both of them knew that the effort they were to make on their friend's behalf might well cost their life, but big, untaught bushman and once gently-nurtured Briton were in one respect at least alike, and that was a fact which would never again be mentioned between them.
It was an hour or thereabouts later when Alton opened his eyes.
"I don't know that I asked you, though I meant to, but you and Tom staked two more claims off ?" he said.
Okanagan appeared a trifle embarrassed, but Seaforth laughed.

"I'm afraid we didn't.

You see, we started in a hurry, and I forgot." Alton stared at him a moment in bewilderment, and then through the pain that distorted it a curious look crept into his face.
"I figure you're lying, Charley, and you don't do it well," he said.
"Folks don't usually forget when they leave a fortune behind them." Seaforth smiled a little.

"Well, I may have been, but a fortune didn't seem very likely to be much use to me then or now," he said.
Alton gravely shook his head, but the two men's eyes met for a moment, and Seaforth felt embarrassed as he turned his aside.

There was no need to tell the injured man that his welfare had appeared of more importance to his comrades than any profit that might accrue to them from the silver mine.
"Well," he said simply, "you or Tom should get through to Somasco." "I hope so," said Seaforth, as Okanagan signed to him.