Smoke shuddered and got up.  “I’m willing to play fair, fellows.  If you insist on town lots, I’ll sell them to you, one hundred apiece, and you can raffle locations when the survey is made.”  With raised hand he stilled the movement of disgust.  “Don’t move, anybody.  If you do, there’ll be hundreds of you shoved over the bluff.  The situation is dangerous.”

“Just the same, you can’t hog it,” a voice went up.  “We don’t want lots.  We want to relocate.”

“But there are only two disputed claims,” Smoke argued.  “When they’re relocated where will the rest of you be?”

He mopped his forehead with his shirt-sleeve, and another voice cried out: 

“Let us all in, share and share alike!”

Nor did those who roared their approbation dream that the suggestion had been made by a man primed to make it when he saw Smoke mop his forehead.

“Take your feet out of the trough an’ pool the town-site,” the man went on.  “Pool the mineral rights with the town-site, too.”

“But there isn’t anything in the mineral rights, I tell you,” Smoke objected.

“Then pool them with the rest.  We’ll take our chances on it.”

“Fellows, you’re forcing me,” Smoke said.  “I wish you’d stayed on your side of the river.”

But wavering indecision was so manifest that with a mighty roar the crowd swept him on to agreement.  Saltman and others in the front rank demurred.

“Bill Saltman, here, and Wild Water don’t want you all in,” Smoke informed the crowd.  “Who’s hogging it now?”

And thereat Saltman and Wild Water became profoundly unpopular.

“Now how are we going to do it?” Smoke asked.  “Shorty and I ought to keep control.  We discovered this town-site.”

“That’s right!” many cried.  “A square deal!” “It’s only fair!”

“Three-fifths to us,” Smoke suggested, “and you fellows come in for two-fifths.  And you’ve got to pay for your shares.”

“Ten cents on the dollar!” was a cry.  “And non-assessable!”

“And the president of the company to come around personally and pay you your dividends on a silver platter,” Smoke sneered.  “No, sir.  You fellows have got to be reasonable.  Ten cents on the dollar will help start things.  You buy two-fifths of the stock, hundred dollars par, at ten dollars.  That’s the best I can do.  And if you don’t like it, just start jumping the claims.  I can’t stand more than a two-fifths gouge.”

“No big capitalization!” a voice called, and it was this voice that crystallized the collective mind of the crowd into consent.

“There’s about five thousand of you, which will make five thousand shares,” Smoke worked the problem aloud.  “And five thousand is two-fifths of twelve thousand, five hundred.  Therefore The Tra-Lee Town-Site Company is capitalized for one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, there being twelve thousand, five hundred shares, hundred par, you fellows buying five thousand of them at ten dollars apiece.  And I don’t care a whoop whether you accept it or not.  And I call you all to witness that you’re forcing me against my will.”