ess foreseen, our company will have no recourse but to
buy you off at your own figure."

"Well?" I challenged.

"Your announcement, when you make it, will be a lie," was the cold-voiced
reply. "You are 'salting' the crevices as you go down--and with
Lawrenceburg ore."

I sighed my relief. His guess was so far from the truth that I was more
than willing to help it along. If the Lawrenceburg people could only be
persuaded that our imaginary coup was to be postponed until the bottom of
our shaft should be out of sight from the surface, we were measurably
safe.

"We may ask you to prove your charge when the proper time comes, Mr.
Everton," I suggested.

He took a small fragment of bluish-gray ore from his pocket and showed it
to me, saying, quietly, "I can prove it now; this is Lawrenceburg ore: I
handle and test it every day, and I am perfectly familiar with it. I
picked this piece up a few minutes ago on your dump."

It is always the impact of the unexpected that sends a man scurrying into
the armory of his past in search of the readiest weapon for the
emergency. Recall, once again, if you will, the three years of
association with criminals, and the fact that I was at that moment under
the ban of the law as an escaped convict. I could think of nothing save
the gaining of time, precious time, at whatever cost.

I shall always be thankful that the temptation did not reach the length
of making me offer to buy Everton's silence. That, indeed, would have
been suicidal. Yet the prompting suggestion came to me, in company with
others still more ruthless. I was telling myself that the situation was
sufficiently alarming to warrant almost any expedient. Though he was not
yet aware of it, Everton had discovered our real secret; he knew we had
ore, which--as yet--he thought we were stealing from the Lawrenceburg
bins. If he should take one additional step. . . .

The thought-loom shuttled pretty rapidly for a few short-lived seconds.
If Everton should show the bit of ore to Blackwell the superintendent
might believe the charge that we were stealing the Lawrenceburg values
for the "salting" purpose; in which case he would doubtless swear out
warrants for us. Or he might see farther than Everton had seen and jump
to the conclusion that we had actually made a strike of our own in the
shallow pit. Either way there was sharp trouble ahead.

"You have us down pretty fine, haven't you?" I said, at the end of the
ref