no case, anyway. There
is no record or deed."

"There is no need of haste," Lindman cautioned; "you can't get mining
machinery here for some time yet."

Corrigan laughed, dragging the Judge to a window, from which he pointed
out some flat-cars standing on a siding, loaded with lumber, machinery,
corrugated iron, shutes, cables, trucks, "T" rails, and other articles
that the Judge did not recognize.

The Judge exclaimed in astonishment. Corrigan grunted.

"I ordered that stuff six weeks ago, in anticipation of my victory in your
court. You can see how I trusted in your honesty and perspicacity. I'll
have it on the ground tomorrow--some of it today. Of course I want to
proceed legally, and in order to do that I'll have to have the court order
this morning. You do whatever is necessary."

At daylight he was in the laborers' camp, skirting the railroad at the
edge of town, looking for Carson. He found the big Irishman in one of the
larger tent-houses, talking with the cook, who was preparing breakfast
amid a smother of smoke and the strong mingled odors of frying bacon and
coffee. Corrigan went only to the flap of the tent, motioning Carson
outside.

Walking away from the tent toward some small frame buildings down the
track, Corrigan said:

"There are several carloads of material there," pointing to the flat-cars
which he had shown to the Judge. "I've hired a mining man to superintend
the erection of that stuff--it's mining machinery and material for
buildings. I want you to place as many of your men as you can spare at the
disposal of the engineer; his name's Pickand, and you'll find him at the
cars at eight o'clock. I'll have some more laborers sent over from the
dam. Give him as many men as he wants; go with him yourself, if he wants
you."

"What are ye goin' to mine?"

"Coal."

"Where?"

"I've been looking over the land with Pickand; he says we'll sink a shaft
at the base of the butte below the mesa, where you are laying tracks now.
We won't have to go far, Pickand says. There's coal--thick veins of
it--running back into the wall of the butte."

"All right, sir," said Carson. But he scratched his head in perplexity,
eyeing Corrigan sidelong. "Ye woudn't be sayin' that ye'll be diggin' for
coal on the railroad's right av way, wud ye?"

"No!" snapped Corrigan.

"Thin it will be on Trevison's land. Have ye bargained wid him for it?"

"No! Look here, Carson. Mind your own business and do as you're told!