just at your elbow. I've been
filling the holes as we made them. In view of what I expect those
folks in the city are arranging, it seemed advisable."

Wheeler was sensible of a certain uneasiness as he listened to the
crunch of the boring tool and the jarring thud of the hammers.

"What are you going so far down for?" he asked.

"To get into sounder rock. It's costing us considerable time that we
can badly spare, but once or twice I fancied the whole river was
coming in on us. Now we're getting almost through, I want to make
quite sure."

Wheeler nodded. "I guess that's wise. So far, we have come out ahead
of Hutton and the rest of them," he asserted. "Our people hold the
timber rights, and we have got the shingle-splitting plant in. You
headed him off in Waynefleet's case, and there only remains the man
with the old Bush claim. There's, unfortunately, no doubt about his
title to the ranch, and it's a sure thing the folks in the city will
put him up again. Have you heard from him lately?"

"I have," answered Nasmyth, with a smile. "As you know, I made him
half a dozen different offers to buy him out. He naturally didn't
close with them, but he wrote trying to raise me, and kept the thing
up rather well. Of course, it was evident that his friends were quite
willing to let me get most of the work done before they showed their
hand too visibly. I scarcely fancy they know how near we are to
getting through, though that rancher man's lawyer said something
about taking proceedings a little while ago."

"Suppose they went to court, and served you with a notice to quit what
you're doing?"

Nasmyth, turning, pointed with a wet, scarred hand to several holes in
the side of the heading, from which a wire projected.

"Well," he said, "they'd have to serve it, and while their man was
trying to get down the gully I'd rip most of the bottom out of this
strip of canyon. I'm not sure we haven't gone far enough already to
split up the whole ridge that's holding back the river. Still, I'm
going on a little. I mean to make sure." He bent over the machine.
"You have brought up some letters? The man has, perhaps, been trying
to worry me again."

"Two or three," replied Wheeler. "I called at the settlement for them.
One is evidently from a lady."

Nasmyth swung round again and took the little dainty envelope from
him. He smeared it with his wet hands as he opened it, and then his
voice broke sharply through the thud of the hamme