“I dunno.  What is it?”

“They’ve broken open the safe and taken our money.”

“What!”

The old man in turn was on his feet, the grudge which he had felt against Glenister in the past few days forgotten in this common misfortune.

“Yes, by Heaven, they’ve swiped our money—­our tents, tools, teams, books, hose, and all of our personal property—­everything!  They threw Johnson off and took the whole works.  I never heard of such a thing.  I went out to the claim and they wouldn’t let me go near the workings.  They’ve got every mine on Anvil Creek guarded the same way, and they aren’t going to let us come around even when they clean up.  They told me so this morning.”

“But, look here,” demanded Dextry, sharply, “the money in that safe belongs to us.  That’s money we brought in from the States.  The court ’ain’t got no right to it.  What kind of a damn law is that?”

“Oh, as to law, they don’t pay any attention to it any more,” said Glenister, bitterly.  “I made a mistake in not killing the first man that set foot on the claim.  I was a sucker, and now we’re up against a stiff game.  The Swedes are in the same fix, too.  This last order has left them groggy.”  “I don’t understand it yet,” said Dextry.

“Why, it’s this way.  The Judge has issued what he calls an order enlarging the powers of the receiver, and it authorizes McNamara to take possession of everything on the claims—­tents, tools, stores, and personal property of all kinds.  It was issued last night without notice to our side, so Wheaton says, and they served it this morning early.  I went out to see McNamara, and when I got there I found him in our private tent with the safe broken open.”

“‘What does this mean?’ I said.  And then he showed me the new order.

“‘I’m responsible to the court for every penny of this money,’ said he, ’and for every tool on the claim.  In view of that I can’t allow you to go near the workings.’

“‘Not go near the workings?’ said I.  ’Do you mean you won’t let us see the clean-ups from our own mine?  How do we know we’re getting a square deal if we don’t see the gold weighed?’

“‘I’m an officer of the court and under bond,’ said he, and the smiling triumph in his eyes made me crazy.

“‘You’re a lying thief,’ I said, looking at him square.  ’And you’re going too far.  You played me for a fool once and made it stick, but it won’t work twice.’

“He looked injured and aggrieved and called in Voorhees, the marshal.  I can’t grasp the thing at all; everybody seems to be against us, the Judge, the marshal, the prosecuting attorney—­ everybody.  Yet they’ve done it all according to law, they claim, and have the soldiers to back them up.”

“It’s just as Mexico Mullins said,” Dextry stormed; “there’s a deal on of some kind.  I’m goin’ up to the hotel an’ call on the Judge myself.  I ’ain’t never seen him nor this McNamara, either.  I allus want to look a man straight in the eyes once, then I know what course to foller in my dealings.”