he times when two or three ghosts had walked the
fields without a cart. "Scotty and I saw three of them once, and it's a
cinch they were using a survey meter to check the ground for
radioactivity. But why? That's what has us going around in ghastly,
ghostly circles. Why spread carnotite and then come back to measure it?"

Bennett smiled. "I think I know, but I'd like to see this mine of yours.
Can it be arranged?"

Scotty said swiftly, "I'd better act as a lookout to intercept the
Frostola man if he comes. I'll delay him while you two go into the
mine." He was gone at a ground-eating pace.

Rick led the AEC man to the hidden mine entrance. "I don't have a
flashlight with me."

"No need. What we want will be right at the entrance, I'm sure."

They crawled in on hands and knees, the AEC man pushing his bag before
him. Inside, he looked around and selected several small pieces of rock.

"We'll check the samples, but it's just a formality. I recognize this
stuff. It's carnotite. You can see the yellow streaks clearly. That's
the uranium color. Of course the rock is mostly gray, so that's the
color of the powdered ore."

"Then the mine really contains radioactive ore?" Rick asked eagerly.

"Only what was put here, I'm afraid."

With this cryptic comment Bennett opened his case and checked the
samples. Rick watched the meter climb. They were radioactive, all right,
but of low ore level, not at all dangerous.

"We'd better get out of here," Bennett said. "I'd rather not be
discovered at this point. When your friend Scott comes back I'll tell
you what has happened."

Scotty rejoined them as they reached the cornfield again. They walked
with Bennett to his car, and listened to an explanation that made
everything clear.

"This is a game as old as mining," Bennett told them. "It has happened
before, and it will happen again. Uranium is the treasure metal now,
where gold used to be. So the game uses uranium. The game is known as
salting."

"Salting?" Scotty asked. "I've heard it in connection with gold mines,
but I can't remember exactly what it means."

"It means putting evidence of high-grade ore in a likely place, but one
which actually contains no real pay dirt. For instance, in country where
gold may be found, the technique for salting used to be firing gold
nuggets into the ground with a shotgun, by replacing the buckshot with
the nuggets. Then, when the victim was allowed to try panning gold for
himself, he