n, his voice deepening, "I'm goin' to tell 'em to
go plumb to hell. I'll tell Carlsen a few things first. Equal shares! A
fine bunch of socialists they are! Settin' aside that Carlsen's bullin'
'em, as you say. Equal? They ain't my equal, none of 'em, man to man.
All men are born free an' equal, says the Constitution an' by-laws of
this country of ours. Granted. But they don't stay that way long.
They're all lined up to toe the mark on the start, but watch 'em
straggle afore they've run a tenth of the distance.

"I found this gold, an' they didn't. I don't have to divvy with 'em,
an' I won't. A lot of I. W. W.'s, that's what they are, an' I'll tell
'em so. More'n that, if enny of 'em thinks he's my equal all he's got to
do is say so, an' I'll give him a chance to prove it. Feel those arms,
matey, size me up. Man to man, I c'ud break enny of 'em in half. Put me
in a room with enny three of 'em, an' the door locked, an' one 'ud come
out. That 'ud be me."

This was not bragging, not blustering, but calm assurance, and Rainey
felt that Lund merely stated what he believed to be facts. And Rainey
believed they were facts. There was a confident strength of spirit aside
from his physical condition that emanated from Lund as steam comes from
a kettle. It was the sort of strength that lies in a steady gale, a wind
that one can lean against, an elastic power with big reserves of force.
But the conditions were all against Lund, though he proceeded to put
them aside.

"Man to man," he repeated, "I c'ud beat 'em into Hamburg steak. An' I've
got brains enough to fool Carlsen. I've outguessed him so far."

"He's got the gun," warned Rainey.

"Never mind his gun. I ain't afraid of his gun." He nodded with such
supreme confidence that Rainey felt himself suddenly relegating the
doctor's possession of the gun to the background. "If his gun's the only
thing trubblin' you, forget it. You an' me got to know where we stand.
It's up to you. I won't blame you for shiftin' over. An' I can git along
without you, if need be. But we've got along together fine; I've took a
notion to you. I'd like to see you get a whack of that gold, an' all the
devils in hell an' out of it ain't goin' to stop me from gittin' it!"

He talked in a low voice, but it rumbled like the distant roar of a
bull. Rainey looked at the indomitable jaw that the beard could not
hide, at the great barrel of his chest, the boughlike arms, the swelling
thighs and calves, and r