“Spin your yarn,” repeated the stranger quietly.  “I’ll agree to give you and Davidson a third interest, provided I take hold of the thing at all.”

“An’ Jack Slayton,” put in Mizzou threateningly, “if you don’t play us squar’, I swar I’ll shoot ye like a dog!”

“Oh, stow that, Davidson,” rejoined the stranger in an irritated voice; “that rot don’t do any good.  I know you, and you know me.  I never went back on a game yet, and you know it.”

“I does know it, Jack!” came up Davidson’s voice repentantly, “but this is a big deal, an’ y’ can’t be too careful!”

“All right, all right,” the stranger responded “Now tell us your scheme.  How can you get hold of the property?”

“By jumping the claims,” replied Arthur calmly.  There ensued a short pause.  Then: 

“Don’t be a fool,” exclaimed Slayton with contempt; “this is no hold-up country.  You can’t drive a man off his property with a gun.”

“I knows that.  These claims can be ‘jumped’ quiet and legal.”

“How?”

“They ain’t be’n a stroke of assessment work done on ’em since we came.  Th’ Company’s title’s gone long ago.  They lost their job last January.  Them claims is open to any one who cares to have ’em.”

The stranger uttered a long whistle.  Old Mizzou chuckled cunningly.  “I has charge of them claims from th’ time they quits work on ’em ’till now.  They ain’t be’n a pick raised on ’em.  Anybody could a-jumped ’em any time since las’ January.”

“But how about the Company?” asked Slayton.  “How did you fool them?”

“Oh, I sends ’em bills fer work reg’lar enough!  And I didn’t throw away th’ money neither!”

“Yes, that’d be easy enough.  But how about the people around here?  Why haven’t they jumped the claims long ago?”

“Wall, I argues about this a-way.  These yere gents sees I has charge, an’ they says to themselves, ’Ole Davidson takes care of them assessment works all right,’ an’ so they never thinks it’s worth while t’ see whether it is done or not.”

“You trusted to their thinking you were performing your duties?”

“Thet’s it.”

“Well, it was a pretty big risk!”

“Ev’rything t’ gain an’ nothin’ t’ lose,” quoted Old Mizzou comfortably.

“How about this new man the Company has out here—­de Laney?  Is he in this deal too?”

“Oh, him!” said Davidson with vast contempt.  “He don’ know enough t’ dodge a brick!  I tells him th’ assessment work is all done.  He believes it, an’ never looks t’ see.  I gets him fooled so easy it’s shore funny.”

“Hold on!” put in Slayton sharply.  “I’m not so sure you aren’t liable there somewhere.  Of course your failure to do the assessment work while you were alone here was negligence, but that is all.  The Company could fire you for failing to do your duty, but they couldn’t prove any fraud against you.  But when this de Laney came along it changed things.”