ine decidedly. "I'm not
going to have anything happen that will spoil Uncle Jim's strike!"

"He's a regular dad to you, Miss Evans, eh?"

"He's the only one I ever remember," the girl replied. "My real father
went up to Skagway, just a few weeks after I was born, only having
stayed down in Montana long enough to see me. And, as you know, Mr.
Juneau, he went over the Chilkoot Pass with Uncle Jim and never came
back any more. Mother died when I was quite small. I know Uncle Jim
feels that 'Bull's little gal' is his own. I feel so, too!"

The grizzled mining engineer patted the hand with which the girl was
holding open the chart.

"Don't ye worry," he said, kindly, "we'll make good. We'll bluff any
one that comes to Chukalook--supposing we find it--long enough to get
the best o' the pay gravel. If that don't do the trick, we'll fight.

"And there's another thing. If Chukalook doesn't pan out, there's the
quartz at Ingalook. I've never seen the gold deposit yet--no matter
how poor--that I couldn't turn into money, so long as I could get
enough capital behind me to exploit it."

"Mr. Owens will give that," asserted Jameine confidently.

The "Wizard" shook a warning finger.

"Not just for sentiment, he won't," he said, "not if I read him right.
He's generous enough, and he'd see that you and Jim didn't suffer. But
he's too keen a business man to invest his money unless he sees a fair
chance of return. We've got to show him!"

"He certainly doesn't seem as enthusiastic about it now, as he did
when we started," Jameine agreed, thoughtfully.

"That's natural enough! Don't ye forget he's an Australian, and all
the gold fields he's ever seen, there, and in South Africa, were in
hot desert country. These waters don't look promising to him!"

The "Wizard" was right. Owens was scanning the slate-gray water
flecked with foam and the sky of dripping fog with equal distrust and
dislike. The pieces of ice-floe bobbing in the choppy current inspired
him with uneasiness, even with fear. The assurances of his friend, the
yachtsman, gave him no confidence.

Had it been possible, he would have been heartily glad to back out of
his agreement, but there was no way he could do it with honor. He had
sought out Jameine in Pittsburgh, had seen Jim's letters, and had
checked up the Express Company's receipts of gold forwarded by the old
prospector from the mining camps of Forty-Mile, of Circle, of Juneau,
of Klondyke, of Dawson City an