… through some emotions…  Shock, Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Acceptance.

You can see them all on his various expressions…

Easy there, big guy, don’t hurt yourself!  That head-swivel is reserved for those a little younger than you…

All righty then!  Enough with the Mark-splaining…  This is getting more tedious than usual!

And I can’t stop looking at how she is drawn in panel one…  What happened to her hips?  JJ isn’t saying much either…  At least not while Mark is man-splaining away…

Poor Doc!  He had such high hopes!  The disappointment on his craggy face is obvious, even from a rear-three-quarter angle…

And it would appear that this stranger was a very a patient sort…

Such is life…  This Bearded Stranger also appears to have been a Confidence Man…  playing on the hopes and dreams of others- including JJ, Doc and Leola… Mark was the only one of the group to keep his head on straight…

Now what to do about JJ?  Now that he has shown his true colors?

Yes, the chest is empty…

…but for a “framed newspaper?”  Because that’s what you did with newspapers back in the day, right?

The robbers all escaped…

… until they didn’t, or at least two didn’t escape… because they were shot.  But given the age of the “Bearded Stranger” then, and Doc now, I am guessing he is dead.  So tell us Mark, tell us what you “understand” now…

Empty!

Just like for a dog there is nothing more exciting than what might lie on the other side of a closed door, we get our hopes up that the chest would be brimming with treasure!  Not so fast, Buckaroo!

Seeing that Doc can experience disappointment on this scale suggests that he hasn’t known disappointment at all…

… and we waste no time with this part of the story…

Cool Hand Mark… but what if this is like the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark?  And all manner of Angel, Archangel, Demon and such come flying out and heads start exploding and faces start melting?!

…the only question I have is why does JJ still have his backpack on?

Now that Mark has punched JJ (once!) into submission, and Leola has the gun, he seems to be ready to join “Team Trail…”  It would be funny if one had been following the story and missed ” The Punch” and now would be wondering “what the he**is going on?!”  Of course those of us who don’t miss a day still ask that question from time to time…

But yes, What in the world could be in that chest?  It’s a Treasure Chest, (as opposed to a boot locker,) so it must be treasure, right?  My guess is that our little friend, the creepy doll, is inside!!

This is weird… with Leola holding the gun it has been reduced in stature… compared to when JJ was wielding it…

And never mind that Leola is now pointing muzzle at Mark and Doc, with her finger on the trigger?  Given the look on her face, one could put other words into that speech bubble, like, “No more fancy stuff, Mr. Fisticufs…”

Doc is perplexed as always, and I am guessing that JJ is still out cold.  Mark is one of the original players of “The Knockout Game…” One punch is all it takes…  thankfully he only uses his powers for good.

Once again the astute readership called it!!

And with JJ distracted on the would-be gold, Mark lands a haymaker and sends the double-crossing bastard flying, backpack and all!!

Poor guy… what, was he expecting the scene out of National Treasure?

As JJ’s countenance continues to get more and more screwed up, Mark displays an expression I don’t think I have ever seen before…

Call it disinterested, lethargic Mark… where even the exclamation points in the speech balloon seem to be out of place!  Whereupon JJ displays (again) a massive dose of confirmation bias… We are seeking gold, therefore all that “glints” has to be gold…

Folks, folks, folks… Dialogue is on par… Bad, bad, bad…   Vultures portending doom!

JJ is employing classic motivational theory.  Always get more out of your people by threatening harm!  Have I told you that your job is at stake???

Again, Mark, as compared to what?  You spend a lot of time in mines, do you??

Oh, Doc.  You are indomitable.  Your enthusiasm, anyway.  Never mind that you are now being falsely imprisoned by this thug with a gun…  you are fulfilling a dream that you have kept secret for years.  Glad I noticed that Mark took a flashlight in with him, otherwise I’d have to wonder (again) where all the light was coming from…

Folks?  Hurry it up “Folks?”  What, is JJ from Minnesota?

The imagery of the futility of the wolves is meaningful here on a number levels, including what is trying to pass for an NBA team here in the Twin cities.  Not that I follow or care particularly, but it’s a good thing that the MN Twins are on a record-setting tear in the first half so that we can more or less ignore the Basketball team.  But then I am old enough to remember when we didn’t feel compelled to play all the major sports all the time…  But I guess we follow the money…  Just like JJ.

Criminality is the Criminal Nature of what is being proposed…  Threatening people with a gun qualifies for that, I suppose…

I guess we just didn’t see (Except for Mark) just how desperate JJ is…   But what’s with Mark removing his backpack?  Is he preparing to make a move?

By the way… Nice 3-D effect in the center panel, the way the gun barrel breaks the 4th wall… and we see that JJ has had time for a wardrobe change in the midst of all this- he and Mark are no longer Matchy-Matchy…

Really?  Mark, one can offer advice only from a position of knowledge and experience.  You have neither of these when it comes to what you are currently opining on…

Yea!  It happens to a lot of people… Just not me!! Ha Ha!  Like the wolves (with only two?) surrounding the Bighorn Sheep (entirely out of range…) JJ has neither the will nor the guile to pull that trigger, and Mark knows it!  Meanwhile, where is Leola?  Is it too difficult to include a fourth silhouette?  Is she hiding behind a pillar of rock, waiting to get the jump on JJ?  Or is she in on the whole thing??  Remember it was HER who so quickly blabbed the true intentions of the journey!

Funny when Mark runs into another human being that has to live with the crushing realities of life- food, shelter, transportation, making a living… Things he knows nothing about.

Funny too, how JJ’s countenance has evolved from maybe-bad-guy to sure-as-shootin’-bad-guy…

The facial hair and crooked nose were both dead giveaways, though.  That, and it appears that JJ brought a change of clothing, or perhaps the flood somehow dyed his shirt pale red?  Or pink like Mark’s?  Oops…

Welcome back Campers!  Oh, JJ, really?

It’s a pile of rocks!  Sure as shootin’… Oh, yes, that’s what JJ’s fixin’ to do with that gun, I ‘spose…

Doc, really? The dude’s got the drop on you!  Pointing a gun at you!  And you are still “glad to see that <he> made it through the flood?!”

Always cool, aren’t you Mark?  Ever in the face of danger, whether it’s being shot, blown up, or buried alive, you are always holding the torch for good… not to mention that you always “know” when something is awry…  But of course this plays into JJ’s world view- everyone has it better than him and thinking he deserves more… This is where envy will get you!

As Mr. Ring-tail takes in his daily meal, we see Cactus growing at altitude…

…as Mark (not to mention Leola) reveals once again their peevishness…

But Lo!  What joy can a rock pile bring??

Warming the cockles of the old man’s heart…