rang to his feet, and calling one of the men, ordered, "Send
Maverick to me as quickly as you can."

In a few moments the slouching figure of Maverick stood in the
door-way.

"Come in, Jim, and shut that door," said Haight, in a quick, decisive
tone that Maverick knew meant business.

"Jim, in what shape is the powder in those mines? How long would it
take to get everything ready for action?"

Maverick's eyes gleamed; here evidently was to be a piece of work such
as he enjoyed!

"The powder's all there," he replied, "all there, jest in the right
places, an' all there is ter do is ter lay the trains 'round there an'
fix a few fuses; 'twouldn't take more'n half an hour, or sech a
matter."

"Think you could get it all done at noon, while the men are away?"

"Yes, easy."

"Very well, now listen; you are to get everything ready so that it
will be nothing but 'a touch and a go,' as soon as I say the word,
understand? Get everything ready this noon, give the men warning that
there's going to be some blasting, and then, as quick as you've had
your dinner, you be around here prompt, and stay within sight of this
room till I send you word to quit. You know the rest, what directions
Blaisdell left the last time he was here; you know what you're to wait
for, and if you get a signal from me, you know what you're to do."

"You bet I do, and I'll do a damned good job, too," Maverick replied,
with a grin; "but what's the signal, boss?"

"Let me see, I want something you'll recognize without any trouble,
and that nobody else would notice, or think meant anything. Where will
you be?"

"Out there, behind them rocks; I can see your winders plain from
there."

"Yes, but if I made you any signal there, or put anything in the
window, others would see it as well as yourself."

"I'll tell you what, boss," said Maverick, glancing at the window on
the right of Haight's desk, where hung an old, dilapidated shade,
which had been lowered its full length in an effort to keep out the
intolerable heat, "you let that there shade hang jest as it is till
you want me, and when I see that yanked up, I'll know what it means,
and you'll hear from me in jest about ten minits at the latest. But
say, boss, what's all this racket about, anyhow? Some o' them eastern
chaps comin' out here?"

"That's none of your business, Jim," said Haight in a joking way, "you
attend to what you've been told, and don't meddle with what don't
concern you."

"I