"It's all Greek to me," said the spinster. "How do we locate? I've come
this far, an' I'll see the thing through to some sort of finish. Me an'
young Ed'll camp here. I figger we can git the car up. It's gone through
worse places. There's water down there in the crick. We've got grub.
When it's gone we can buy more. How many claims can we take up an'
what's the size of 'em, Mr. Westlake?"

The three partners left Miranda and the engineer measuring off and
setting up their monuments at the corners of the claim. Young Bailey
started for the faithful flivver. They started directly down the
sidehill, making for the valley, in silence, like men with business
ahead of them that called for action rather than words.

"Figger that tent is on them claims of Molly's and our'n?" asked Sam, as
they paused before they tackled the eastern slope. "Looked like it was
to me."

"Me too," said Mormon.

"I wouldn't wonder," agreed Sandy. "Here's the situation, as I sabe it.
Plimsoll met up with Pat Casey from time to time. Molly said so. There's
other witnesses to that. Plimsoll'll use some of them to swear that he
grubstaked Casey. They'll be some of his own crowd. No doubt Plimsoll
got the location of the claims from the old records an' these buckaroo
pals of his, who are roostin' on said location, knew jest where to go
an' stahted out well in front with their outfit. I don't reckon we'll
find Plimsoll up there, though we ain't seen him so far this mo'nin',
but I'll bet our best bull ag'in' a chunk of dogmeat that they're on his
pay-roll."

"Shucks, it don't make no difference whose pay-roll they're on," said
Mormon. "They're claim-jumpers an', like you said, Sandy, a jump can be
made two ways. Let's go look 'em over."

The tent was pitched on the hillside where the grade was too steep to
permit of level ground enough for more than the actual floor space. The
brown duck erection strained at the guy ropes of its upper side where
the stakes had been driven deep into the soil. The chimney of a small
stove came through the top of the cloth, guarded by a metal ring.
Outside were boxes, saddles, an ax, kettles and pans, a portable grill
and other camping equipment. The tent flaps were open and showed cots on
which blankets and clothing were roughly spread. On two of these beds
men sprawled asleep. Five others were seated on boxes about a boulder
that looked like porphyry outcrop. Its surface was flat enough to serve
as a table. The fiv