"I"ve jumped those claims myself."
"YOU jumped them!" cried Necia.
"Sure! I changed my mind about staking."
"It"s a lie!" cried Runnion, at which Burrell whirled on him.
"I"ve been waiting for this, Runnion--ever since you came back. Now--"
"I mean you haven"t had time," the other temporized, hurriedly.
"Oh, that sounds better! If you don"t believe me take a look for yourself; you"ll find my notice just beneath Miss Gale"s." Then to "No Creek" Lee he continued, "Kindly record them for me so there will be no question of priority."
"I"ll be d.a.m.ned if I do!" said the belligerent recorder. "You"re worse"n these crooks. That ground belongs to Necia Gale."
Up to this time Stark had remained silent, his impa.s.sive face betraying not a shadow of chagrin, for he was a good loser; but now he spoke at large.
"Anybody who thinks the American army is asleep is crazy." Then to Burrell, "You certainly are a nice young man to double-cross your friends like that."
"You"re no friend of mine," Meade retorted.
"I? What do you mean?"
"I double-crossed you, Stark, n.o.body else."
The Kentuckian glared at him with a look like that which Runnion had seen in his face on that first day at the trading-post. The thought of these five men banded together to rob this little maid had caused a giddiness to rise up in him, and his pa.s.sions were beginning to whirl and dance.
"There"s no use mouthing words about it," said he. "These thugs are your tools, and you tried to steal that ground because it"s sure to be rich."
Stark exclaimed angrily, but the other gave him no time to break in.
"Now, don"t get rough, because THAT is my game, and I"d be pleased enough to take you back a prisoner." Then turning to Lee, he said: "Don"t make me force you to record my locations. I staked those claims for Miss Gale, and I"ll deed them to her when she turns eighteen."
Poleon Doret called to Runnion: "M"sieu, you "member w"at I tol" you yestidday? I"m begin for t"ink it"s goin" be you."
The man paled in his anger, but said nothing. Necia clapped her hands gleefully.
Seeing that the game had gone against him, Stark got his feelings under control quickly, and shrugged his shoulders as he turned away.
"You"re in the wrong, Lieutenant," he remarked; "but I don"t want any trouble. You"ve got the law with you." Then to Runnion and the others he said, "Well, I"m ready to hit the trail."
When they had shouldered their packs and disappeared down the valley, Gale held out his hand to the soldier. "Young man, I reckon you and I will be friends."
"Thank you," said Burrell, taking the offer of friendship which he knew was genuine at last.
"I"m in on that!" said "No Creek" Lee; "you"re all right!"
Poleon had been watching Stark"s party disappear, but now he turned and addressed the young soldier.
"You mak" some enemies to-day, M"sieu."
"That"s right," agreed Lee. "Ben Stark will never let up on you now."
"Very well, that is his privilege."
"You don"t savvy what it means to get him down on you," insisted Lee.
"He"ll frame things up to suit himself, then pick a row with you. He"s the quickest man on a trigger in the West, but he won"t never make no open play, only just devil the life out of you with little things till you flare up, then he"ll down you. That"s how he killed the gold commissioner back in British Columbia."
Necia had said little so far, but the look in her eyes repaid the soldier for his undertaking in her behalf, and for any mischief that might ensue from it. She came forward and laid her hands upon his.
"Promise that you won"t have trouble with him," she begged, anxiously, "for it"s all my fault, and I"d--I"d always blame myself if any hurt came to you. Promise! Won"t you?"
"Don"t worry, daughter," rea.s.sured Gale. "There"s nothing Stark can do, and whatever happens we"re with the Lieutenant. He"s our kind of people."
Burrell liked this grizzled old fellow with the watchful eyes, and was glad now that he could grip his hand and face him squarely with no guilt upon his conscience.
By this time Doret had finished with their blankets, and the four set out for town, but instead of following the others they accepted Necia as guide and chose the trail to Black Bear Creek. They had not gone far before she took occasion to lag behind with the Lieutenant.
"I couldn"t thank you before all those people--they would have read our secret--but you know how I feel, don"t you, Meade?"
"Why! It was a simple thing--"
"It was splendid when you defied them. My, what a fierce you are! Oh, boy! What if something should happen to you over this!"
"But there"s no chance. It"s all done, and you"ll have your fine dresses and be able to hold your nose just as high as you want."
"Whatever I get I will owe to you. I--I"ve been thinking.
Suppose--well, suppose you keep two of those claims; they are sure to be rich--"
"Why, Necia!" he exclaimed.
"They"re yours, and I have no right to them under the law. Of course it would be very handsome of you to give me one--the poorest."
"You ought to have your ears boxed," he laughed at her.
"I don"t see why. You--you--may be very poor, for all I know."
"I am," he declared, "but not poor enough to take payment for a favor."
"Well, then, if they are really mine to do with as I please, I"ll sell one to you--"
"Thanks. I couldn"t avail myself of the offer," he said, with mock hauteur.
"If you were a business man instead of a fighting person you would listen to my proposition before you declined it. I"ll make the price right, and you may pay me when we get behind yonder clump of bushes."
She pouted her lips invitingly, but he declared she was a minor and as such her bargain would not hold.
It was evidently her mood to re-enter the land of whims and travel again, as they had on the way from town, but he knew that for him such a thing could not be, for his eyes had cleared since then. He knew that he could never again wander through the happy valley, for he vowed this maid should be no plaything for him or for any other man, and as there could be no honorable end to this affair, it must terminate at once.
Just how this was to be consummated he had not determined as yet, nor did he like to set about its solution, it hurt him so to think of losing her. However, she was very young, only a child, and in time would come to count him but a memory, no doubt; while as for him--well, it would be hard to forget her, but he could and would. He reasoned glibly that this was the only honest course, and his reasoning convinced him; then, all of a sudden, the pressure of her warm lips came upon him and the remembrance upset every premise and process of his logic. Nevertheless, he was honest in his stubborn determination to conclude the affair, and finally decided to let time show him the way.