ish
this kind of a mission. He had depressed his nerves with overmuch
tobacco and spurred them with liquors, had dissipated his force in many
small riotings. His nerve was gone. He had not the punch any more.
Yet Mac was always expecting him to help out with his rough stuff, he
reflected fretfully. This was the third time in a month that he had been
flung headlong into trouble. Take this message now. There was no sense
in it. Selfridge plucked up his courage to say so.

"That won't buy us anything but trouble, Mac. In the old days you could
put over--"

The little man never guessed how close he came to being flung through
the transom over the door, but his instinct warned him to stop. His
objection died away in a mumble.

"O' course I'll do whatever you say," he added a second time.

"See you do," advised his chief, an ugly look in his eyes. "Tell him he
gets till the next boat. If he's here after that, he'd better go heeled,
for I'll shoot on sight wherever we meet."

Selfridge went on his errand with lagging feet. On the way he stopped
at the Pay-Streak Saloon to fortify himself with a cocktail. He found
Elliot sitting moodily alone on the porch of the hotel.

In Gordon's pocket there was a note to Macdonald explaining that he had
nothing to do with the coming of Meteetse. He had expected to send it by
the hotel porter that evening, but the curt order to leave town filled
him with a chill anger. The dictator of affairs at Kusiak might think
what he pleased for all the explanation he would get from him. As for
taking the next boat, Elliot did not even give that consideration.

"Tell your master I don't take orders from him," he told Wally quietly.
"I'll stay till my work here is done."

They had moved a few yards down the street. Now Gordon turned,
lean-loined and active, and trod with crisp, confident step back to the
hotel. He had said all that was necessary to say.

Two men standing on the porch nodded a good-evening to him. Gordon,
about to pass, glanced at them again. They were Northrup and Trelawney,
two of the miners who had had trouble with Macdonald on the boat.

On impulse he stopped. "Found work yet?" he asked.

"Found a job and lost it again," Northrup answered sullenly.

"Too bad."

"Macdonald passed the word along that we weren't to get work. So our
boss fired us. The whole district is closed to us. We been blacklisted,"
explained Trelawney.

"And we're busted," added his mate.

Elliot