“But what’s to prevent Marshall from getting a gang of his own to drive us off?”

“Now your talkin’ and not yelpin’,” said Steptoe, with slow insolence.  “D——­d if I didn’t begin to think you kalkilated I was goin’ to employ you as lawyers!  Nothing is to prevent him from gettin’ up his gang, and we hope he’ll do it, for you see it puts us both on the same level before the law, for we’re both BREAKIN’ it.  And we kalkilate that we’re as good as any roughs they can pick up at Heavy Tree.”

“I reckon!” “Ye can count us in!” said half a dozen voices eagerly.

“But what’s the job goin’ to pay us?” persisted a Sydney man.  “An’ arter we’ve beat off this other gang, are we going to scrub along on grub wages until we’re yanked out by process-sarvers three months later?  If that’s the ticket I’m not in it.  I aren’t no b—­y quartz miner.”

“We ain’t going to do no more mining there than the bank,” said Steptoe fiercely.  “And the bank ain’t going to wait no three months for the end of the lawsuit.  They’ll float the stock of that mine for a couple of millions, and get out of it with a million before a month.  And they’ll have to buy us off to do that.  What they’ll pay will depend upon the lead; but we don’t move off those claims for less than five thousand dollars, which will be two hundred and fifty dollars to each man.  But,” said Steptoe in a lower but perfectly distinct voice, “if there should be a row,—­and they begin it,—­and in the scuffle Tom Marshall, their only witness, should happen to get in the way of a revolver or have his head caved in, there might be some difficulty in their holdin’ any of the mine against honest, hardworking miners in possession.  You hear me?”

There was a breathless silence for the moment, and a slight movement of the men in their chairs, but never in fear or protest.  Every one had heard the speaker distinctly, and every man distinctly understood him.  Some of them were criminals, one or two had already the stain of blood on their hands; but even the most timid, who at other times might have shrunk from suggested assassination, saw in the speaker’s words only the fair removal of a natural enemy.

“All right, boys.  I’m ready to wade in at once.  Why ain’t we on the road now?  We might have been but for foolin’ our time away on that man Van Loo.”

“Van Loo!” repeated Hall eagerly,—­“Van Loo!  Was he here?”

“Yes,” said Steptoe shortly, administering a kick under the table to Hall, as he had no wish to revive the previous irritability of his comrades.  “He’s gone, but,” turning to the others, “you’d have had to wait for Mr. Hall’s arrival, anyhow.  And now you’ve got your order you can start.  Go in two parties by different roads, and meet on the other side of the hotel at Hymettus.  I’ll be there before you.  Pick up some shovels and drills as you go; remember you’re honest miners, but don’t forget your shootin’-irons for all that.  Now scatter.”