the snow. It'd fool anybody. The
slide fills the front of it an' see them outcrops? Look like the real
thing, only they ain't."

When the two men, crossing the river, climbed the zigzag trail up the
slide, they found a closed cabin. Bill Saltman, who led the way, went
softly to the door, listened, then beckoned Wild Water Charley up to
him. From inside came the creak and whine of a windlass bearing a heavy
load. They waited at the final pause, then heard the lower-away and the
impact of a bucket on rock. Four times, in the next hour, they heard the
thing repeated. Then Wild Water knocked on the door. From inside came
low furtive noises, then silences, and more furtive noises, and at the
end of five minutes Smoke, breathing heavily, opened the door an inch
and peered out. They saw on his face and shirt powdered rock-fragments.
His greeting was suspiciously genial.

"Wait a minute," he added, "and I'll be with you."

Pulling on his mittens, he slipped through the door and confronted the
visitors outside in the snow. Their quick eyes noted his shirt, across
the shoulders, discolored and powdery, and the knees of his overalls
that showed signs of dirt brushed hastily but not quite thoroughly away.

"Rather early for a call," he observed. "What brings you across the
river? Going hunting?"

"We're on, Smoke," Wild Water said confidentially. "An' you'd just as
well come through. You've got something here."

"If you're looking for eggs--" Smoke began.

"Aw, forget it. We mean business."

"You mean you want to buy lots, eh?" Smoke rattled on swiftly. "There's
some dandy building sites here. But, you see, we can't sell yet. We
haven't had the town surveyed. Come around next week, Wild Water,
and for peace and quietness, I'll show you something swell, if you're
anxious to live over here. Next week, sure, it will be surveyed.
Good-by. Sorry I can't ask you inside, but Shorty--well, you know him.
He's peculiar. He says he came over for peace and quietness, and he's
asleep now. I wouldn't wake him for the world."

As Smoke talked he shook their hands warmly in farewell. Still talking
and shaking their hands, he stepped inside and closed the door.

They looked at each other and nodded significantly.

"See the knees of his pants?" Saltman whispered hoarsely.

"Sure. An' his shoulders. He's been bumpin' an' crawlin' around in a
shaft." As Wild Water talked, his eyes wandered up the snow-covered
ravine until they were halt