hadow of the Leap?"

"Jest about," admitted Bunker, "but as I told you before, you can have
any of mine for five hundred."

"Oh hell," burst out Denver and then he roused up and a challenge crept
into his voice. "Do you mean to tell me," he said, "that he's kept up
his assessment work? Has he done a hundred dollars worth of work on
every claim? No, you know danged well he hasn't--you've just been doing
lead-pencil work."

"That's all right," returned Bunker, "we've got a gentlemen's agreement
to respect each others monuments; and you'll find our sworn statements
that the work has been done on file with the County Recorder."

"Yes, and now I know," grumbled Russell rebelliously, "why the whole
danged district is dead. You and Murray and this old Dutchman have
located all the ground and you're none of you doing any work. But when a
miner like me blows into the camp and wants to prospect around he's
stuck for five hundred dollars. How'm I going to buy my powder and a
little grub and steel if I give up my roll at the start? No, I'll look
this country over and if I find what I want----"

"You'll pay for it, young man," put in Bunker Hill pointedly, "that is,
if it belongs to me."

"Well, I will if it's worth it," answered Russell grudgingly, "but
you've got to show me your title."

"Sure I will," agreed Bunker, "the best title a man can have--continuous
and undisputed possession. I've been here fifteen years and I've never
had a claim jumped yet."

"Who's this Bible-Back Murray?" demanded Denver, "has he got a clean
title to his ground?"

"You bet he has," replied Bunker Hill, "and he's got my name as a
witness that his yearly assessment work's been done."

"And you, I suppose," suggested Denver sarcastically, "have got
_his_ name, as an affidavit man, to prove that _your_ work has
been done. And when I look around I'll bet there ain't a hole anywhere
that's been sunk in the last two years."

"Yes there is!" contradicted Bunker, "you go right up that wash that
comes down from them north hills and you'll find one that's down twelve
hundred feet. And there's a diamond drill outfit sinking twenty feet a
day, and has been for the last six months. At five dollars a
foot--that's the contract price--Old Bible-Back is paying a hundred
dollars a day. Now--how many days will that drill have to run to do the
annual work? No, you're all right, young man, and I like your nerve, but
you don't want to take too much for grante