“It hasn’t and it evidently doesn’t intend to.  When it learned of his plan, its engineers beat it out to the glaciers and looked them over.  Then they gave up their idea of building in from Cortez, but instead of making terms with us, they moved their whole outfit down to Kyak Bay, right alongside of the coal-fields, and now it has become a race to the glaciers, with Gordon fighting us on the side just to make matters lively.  The Trust has the shorter route, but we have the start.”

“Why didn’t Mr. O’Neil take Kyak as a terminus, instead of Omar?”

“He says it’s not feasible.  Kyak is an open harbor, and he says no breakwater can be built there to withstand the storms.  He still clings to that belief, although the Trust is actually building one.  If they succeed we’re cooked.  Meanwhile he’s rushing work and straining every nerve to raise more money.  Now you come along with a proposal to advertise the whole affair to the public as a gigantic graft and set Congress against him.  I think he treated you mighty well, under the circumstances.”

“I won’t act against my convictions,” Eliza declared, firmly, “even if it means calamity to everybody.”

Natalie spoke for the first time, her voice tuned to a pitch of feeling that contrasted oddly with their conversational tones.

“If you hurt my Irish Prince,” she said, “I shall hate you as long as I live.”

IX

WHEREIN GORDON SHOWS HIS TEETH

Affairs at Hope were nearly, if not quite, as prosperous as those at Omar, for Curtis Gordon’s advertising had yielded large and quick returns.  His experiment, during the previous summer, of bringing his richest stockholders north, had been a great success.  They had come, ostensibly at his expense, and once on the ground had allowed themselves to be fairly hypnotized.  They had gone where he led, had seen what he pointed out, had believed what he told them.  Their imaginations were fired with the grandeur of an undertaking which would develop the vast resources of the north country for the benefit of the struggling pioneers of the interior and humanity in general.  Incidentally they were assured over and over again in a great variety of ways that the profits would be tremendous.  Gordon showed them Hope and its half-completed mine buildings, he showed them the mountain behind.  It was a large mountain.  They noticed there were trees on the sides of it and snow on its top.  They marveled.  He said its heart was solid copper ore, and they gasped.  Had he told them in the same impressive manner that the hill contained a vein three inches thick they would have exhibited the same astonishment.  They entered the dripping tunnels and peered with grave approval at the drills, the rock-cars and the Montenegrin miners.  They rambled over the dumps, to the detriment of shoe-leather and shins, filling their suit-cases with samples of