“Man, I wonder at you!” said tall Eric.  “You put trust in your brains, your money, and your standing to hold you unstained by all your left-handed business.  You expect no man to take heed of you, when the reek of it smells to high heaven.  Well, you deceive yourself the more.  These things get about; and they are none so unobserving a people, south of the Gila, where ’t is fair life or death to them to note betweenwhiles all manner of small things—­the set of a pack, the tongue of a buckle, the cleat of a mine ladder.  And your persecution of young Stanley, now.  Was you expectin’ that to go unremarked?  ’T is that has made Peter Johnson shy of all bait.  ’T was a sorry business from the first—­hazing that boy; I take shame to have hand in it.  And for every thousand of that dirty money we now stand to lose a million.”

“’T was a piker’s game,” sneered Dewing.  “Not worth the trouble and risk.  We had about three thousand from Zurich to split between us; little enough.  Of course Zurich kept his share, the lion’s share.”

“You got the middleman’s chunk, at any rate,” retorted Zurich.

“I did the middleman’s work,” said the gambler tranquilly.  “Now, gentlemen, we have not been agreeing very well of late.  Eric, in particular, has been far from flattering in his estimates of my social and civic value.  We are agreed on that?  Very well.  I may have mentioned my intelligence?  And that I rate it highly?  Yes?  Very well, then.  I shall now demonstrate that my self-appraisal was justified by admitting that my judgment on this occasion was at fault.  Eric’s theories as to our delayed news from our expedition are sound; they work out; they prove themselves.  The same is true of his very direct and lucid statement as to the nature and cause of the difficulties which now beset us.  I now make the direct appeal to you, Eric:  As a candid man or mouse, what would you do next?”

Tall Eric bent his brows darkly at the gambler.

“If you mean that I fear the man Johnson at all, why do you not use tongue and lips to say that same?  I am not greatly chafed by an open enemy, but I am no great hand to sit down under a mock.”

“It was your own word—­the mice,” said Dewing.  “But this time you take me wrongly.  I meant no mockery.  I ask you, in good faith, for your opinion.  What ought to be done to retrieve the false step?”

“Could we find this treasure-trove by a painstaking search of the hills?” asked Zurich doubtfully.  “It’s a biggish country.”

“Man,” said Eric, “I’ve prospected out there for fifteen years and I’ve scarce made a beginning.  If we’re to find Johnson’s strike before Johnson makes a path to it, we have a month, at most.  Find it, says you?  Sure, we might find it.  But if we do it will be by blind fool-hog luck and not by painstakin’ search.  Do you search, if you like.  My word would be to try negotiations.  Make a compromise with Johnson.  And if your prudence does not like the errand, I will even take it upon myself.”