on,
this is up to you! You're the only man we can trust in an
extremity----"

"Positively--no!" exclaimed Jepson firmly. "I absolutely refuse to
touch it. I'll arrange the preliminaries, but after it's started you
must look to your attorneys for the rest."

"Oh, nonsense!" cried Stoddard, "isn't it perfectly legal? Won't the
claim be open to location? Well, then, why this sudden resort to
evasion and hairsplitting, and all over a mere detail?"

"I have told you before," answered Jepson impatiently, "that it's
against the ethics of my profession. I am a mining engineer and if you
want this claim jumped----"

"Oh, yes, yes! We won't argue the matter! Who is this Mr. Bray?"

"He's a man with nerve--about the only one in the country that will
stand up to Rimrock Jones. It seems that Jones won his saloon away
from him and gave it to one of his friends. Some gambling feud they've
had on for years, but now Mr. Bray is broke. I haven't sounded him,
but for a thousand dollars----"

"Five hundred!"

"Now, Mr. Stoddard!" burst out Jepson complainingly, "you don't
understand the gravity of this case. Do you realize that already one
man has been killed in trying to jump that claim? And Rimrock Jones
has made the threat openly that he will kill any man who does it!"

"He's a blusterer--a braggart--a criminal, through and through! Well,
make it a thousand dollars. Now one thing more--is there any chance
that Mr. Lockhart may still break up all our plans? As I understand
it, Jones gave him his orders to see that the assessment work was done.
There are still nine days before the first of January, and it struck me
that he was repenting of his bargain. You must watch him carefully--he
doesn't seem trustworthy--and positively we must have no slip-up now.
Does he actually know that this work has been neglected--and that, if
not performed, it will invalidate the claim?"

"Yes, he knows it," answered Jepson wearily. "I've been stuffing money
into his bank until he has over a million in deposits, and still the
old screw isn't satisfied. He's crazy over money--and yet he's just as
crazy over standing A1 with Jones. You don't realize, Mr. Stoddard,
what a strain I've been under in trying to make that man run true."

"Well, give him anything. We must win at all hazards before this thing
gets back to Jones. We have cut off his money by the construction of
this smelter, but that can't be done again; and, once he be