"I hope you have nothing here that will be spoiled with wet?" I said.
"Oh, nothing but money," said the chief, carelessly. "Mean to tell Minny
to take some of it and buy clothes for me."
He took out as he spoke a handful of loose change--copper, silver and two
or three gold-pieces--and a roll of bills a good deal damp, and put it all
into my apron. I counted the money and found there were seventy-five
dollars. Strong indeed must have been the attraction which had brought the
old man away from the tavern-fire in his sober senses with such a sum of
money in his pocket.
"Just got that," he said. "Part from Washington, part sell deer-skins."
There was no need to tell me that it had not been long in his possession.
Money in the Panther's hands was like water in a sieve.
"You give me five dollars, give the rest to Minny," he said; and as this
was by much the wisest arrangement for him, I did as he wished.
"You got captain's gun?" he asked me. "Never like to go to sleep without
something to catch up: hit somebody 'spose somebody come."
"I am sorry to say the captain has his rifle with him, and I lent the
shotgun to Jim Brewster this afternoon."
He looked annoyed, but he went out into the woodshed and returned with the
axe, which was new and sharp.
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