‘Longstreet is a friend of mine,’ he said shortly.  ’I am going to see him through, Monte.’

‘Who’s Longstreet?’ demanded Monte.

’I guess you know.  He’s the man who found gold up here yesterday.  He’s the man Sanchia Murray brought to you at the Montezuma House.  He owns these diggings that you and Jim Courtot and your crowd are trying to jump to-night.  Better think it over and jump somewhere else, Monte.’

Monte Devine appeared to be meditating.  Howard’s angry thoughts were racing.  Rage baffled was but baffled again.  There seemed nothing concrete that he could lay his hands on; again Jim Courtot had come and gone.  To drive the men off the land, even could he succeed in doing it would so far as he could see be barren of any desired result.  There was a law in the country, and that law would see the man through who had properly filed on his claim.  And yet, for all that, his blood grew hot at the thought of all of this riff-raff of Jim Courtot squatting here upon that which by right was Helen’s.

‘I reckon we’ll stay and see it through,’ said Monte at last.

Howard turned and strode away.  True laughed.  But Howard had seen something showing whitely just yonder in the black void of Dry Gulch.  There was the spot where Longstreet’s claim lay.  He went down into the gulch and to the thing that he had seen dimly.  It was a stake and a bit of white paper thrust into the split, and showed him that the three men had not mistaken the spot.  Here, at last, was something concrete upon which a man, hot with his anger, could lay his hands.  He wrenched it away and hurled it far from him.  He saw another stake and another and these like the first he snatched up and pitched wrathfully as far as he could throw them.

‘That’s something, if it isn’t much,’ he muttered to himself.

The others had held back, watching him.  He could hear them speaking quickly among themselves, Bettins and True angrily.  Monte’s voice was low and steady.  But it was Monte who came on first.

‘Hold on there a minute,’ called Howard sharply.  ’I’m not asking any company down here.  Here I am going to stick until morning.  By that time, or I miss my guess, this neck of the woods will be full of people who have heard that something’s doing here.  There’ll be a handful of your crowd, but there’ll be twice as many square-shooters.  You’ll stand back with the crowd and take your chance with what is left after Longstreet gets his, or you’ll play crooked and take another chance, that of a long rope and a quick drop.  Think it over, boys.’

‘Better clean out while you can, Al,’ said Monte.  His own voice had sharpened.  ‘We’re coming down to put them stakes back.’

Howard withdrew half a dozen steps into the deeper shadows of the gulch.

‘Come ahead when you’re ready,’ he retorted.  ’I can see you fine up there against the skyline.  Start it going any time, Monte.’