he old miner stopped, took a chew of tobacco, and looked down into the
valley far below where Kamatlah could just be seen, a little huddle of
huts.

"Well?" asked Elliot. It was occasionally necessary to prompt Holt when
he paused for his dramatic effects. He would pretend to forget that he
was telling a yarn which might interest his hearer.

"Mac draps in and joins O'Neill at night. They knew each other, y'
understand, so o' course it was natural Mac would put up at his camp.
O'Neill had a partner and they had located together. Fellow named
Strong."

"Not Hanford Strong, a little, heavy-set man somewhere around fifty?"
Gordon asked quickly.

"You've tagged the right man. Know him?"

"I've met him."

"Well, I never heard anything against Han Strong. Anyway, he was off
that night packing grub up while Farrell held down the claim. Mac had
a jug of booze with him. He got Farrell tanked up. You know Mac--how he
can put it across when he's a mind to. He's a forceful devil, and he can
be a mighty likable one."

Elliot nodded understanding. "He's always the head of the table no
matter where he sits. And there is something wonderfully attractive
about him."

"Sure there is. But when he is friendliest you want to watch out he
don't slip an upper cut at you that'll put you out of biz. He done that
to Farrell--and done it a-plenty."

"How?"

"O'Neill got mellowed up till he thought Mac was his best friend.
He was ready to eat out of his hand. So Mac works him up to sign a
contract--before witnesses too; trust Mac for that--exchanging his
half-interest in the claim for five hundred dollars in cash and Mac's
no-'count lease on Frenchman Creek. Inside of a week Mac and Strong
struck a big pay streak. They took over two hundred thousand from the
spring clean-up."

"It was nothing better than robbery."

"Call it what you want to. Anyhow, it stuck. O'Neill kicked, and that's
all the good it did him. He consulted lawyers at Dawson. Finally he got
so discouraged that he plumb went to pieces--got on a long bat and
stayed there till his money ran out. Then one bitter night he starts up
to Bonanza to have it out with Mac. The mercury was so low it had run
into the ground a foot. Farrell slept in a deserted cabin without a fire
and not enough bedding. He caught pneumony. By the time he reached the
claim he was a mighty sick man. Next week he died. That's all Mac done
to O'Neill. Not a thing that wasn't legal either."

Gordo