"It's my nephew's affair," he said.

"Oh, yes!" returned Acton, significantly. "Any way, I'll go ash.o.r.e with him, as soon as George has the gig ready."

Acton and Nasmyth were rowed off together half an hour later, and they walked up through the hot main street of the little colliery town. It was not an attractive place, with rickety plank sidewalks raised several feet above the street, towering telegraph-poles, wooden stores, and square frame houses cracked by the weather, and mostly dest.i.tute of any adornment or paint. Blazing sunshine beat down upon the rutted street, and an unpleasant gritty dust blew along it.

There was evidently very little going on in the town that afternoon.

Here and there a man leaned heavy-eyed, as if unaccustomed to the brightness, on the bal.u.s.trade in front of a store, and raucous voices rose from one or two second-rate saloons, but there were few other signs of life, and Nasmyth was not sorry when they reached the wooden hotel. Acton stopped a moment in front of the building.

"Hutton's an acquaintance of mine, and if you have to apply to men of his kind, he is, perhaps, as reliable as most," he said. "Still, you want to remember that in this country it's every man for himself, especially when you undertake a deal in land." He smiled suggestively.

"And now we'll go in and see him."

They came upon a man who appeared a little older than Nasmyth. He was sitting on the veranda, which was s.p.a.cious, and had one or two wooden pillars with crude scroll-work attached to them in front. Acton nodded to the stranger.

"This is Mr. Nasmyth," he said. "He came up with me. Doing much round here?"

The question was abrupt, but the man smiled.

"Oh," he answered, "we endeavour to do a little everywhere."

"Then I'll leave you to it, and look round again by-and-by. I guess I may as well mention that Mr. Nasmyth is coming back with me."

Acton looked hard at Hutton, who smiled again. "Oh, yes," replied Hutton, "I understand that. It's quite likely we'll have the thing fixed up in half an hour or so. A cigar, Mr. Nasmyth?"

Nasmyth took a cigar, and went with Hutton to the little table which had been set out, on the inner side of the veranda, with a carafe of ice-water and a couple of bottles. They sat down at it, and Hutton took out two letters and glanced at them.

"Now," he said, "we'll get to work. I understand your proposition is to run the water out of the Cedar Valley. What's the area?"

"About four thousand acres available for ranching land, though it has never been surveyed."

"And you want to take up as many acres beforehand as you can, and can't quite raise the capital?"

Nasmyth said that was very much the state of affairs, and Hutton drummed his fingers on the table. He was a lean-faced man, dressed quietly and precisely, in city fashion, but he wore a big stone in a ring on one hand, which for no very evident reason prejudiced his companion against him.

"Well," he averred, "we might consider going into the thing and finding part of the capital. It's our business, but naturally we would want to be remunerated for the risk. It's rather a big one. You see, you would have to take up the whole four thousand acres."

"Then," replied Nasmyth, "what's your proposition?"

"We'll put up what money you can't raise, and our surveyor will locate land at present first-cla.s.s Crown land figure. We'll charge you bank rate until the land's made marketable when you have run the water out.

In a general way, that's my idea of the thing."

Nasmyth laid down his cigar and looked at him. "Isn't it a little exorbitant? You get the land at cost value, and a heavy charge on that, while I do the work?"

Hutton laughed. "Well," he said, "it's money we're out for, and unless you take it all up, your claim's no good. Anybody else could jump right in and buy a few hundred acres. Then he could locate water rights and stop you running down the river, unless you bought him out."

"The difficulty is that the Crown authorities haven't been selling land lately, and would sooner lease. They seem inclined to admit that this is a somewhat exceptional case; in fact, they have granted me one or two privileges."

"What you would call a first option?"

Nasmyth remembered Acton's manner when he had mentioned his acquaintance with his companion, and one or two things he had said.

"No," he said, "not exactly that. I merely mentioned certain privileges."

"Then, what's to stop me or anybody going right down to Victoria and buying the whole thing up to-morrow?"

"I'm inclined to fancy you would discover one or two things that would make it difficult," answered Nasmyth dryly. "For another thing, I hardly think you would get any of the regular rock-cutting or mine-sinking people to undertake the work about the fall at a figure that wouldn't make the risk too big. It's not a place that lends itself to modern methods or the use of machinery. Besides, after approaching you to a certain extent in confidence, it wouldn't be quite the thing."

Hutton waved the hand which bore the ring. "Well," he said, "we'll get back to our original offer. If it isn't good enough, how much more do you want?"

Nasmyth explained his views, and they discussed each proposition point by point, gradually drawing nearer to an agreement. Nasmyth was quite aware that in a matter of this kind the man who provides the capital usually takes the lion's share, but, after all, the project was his, and he naturally wanted something for himself. At length Hutton leaned forward with both elbows on the table, and a certain intentness in his lean face.

"Now," he said, "I've gone just about as far as I can. You have either got to close with my proposition or let it go."

Nasmyth said nothing, and there was silence for almost a minute while he lay back in his chair gazing at the weather-cracked front of the store across the street, and thinking hard. There was, he was quite aware, a very arduous task in front of him--one that he shrank from at times, for it could only be by strenuous toil that he could succeed in lowering the level of the river, and it was clear that if he accepted Mutton's offer, his share of the proceeds would not be a large one.

Still, he must have more capital than he could see the means of raising, and once or twice he was on the point of signifying his concurrence. His face grew grimmer, and he straightened himself a trifle, but he did not see that the man who could supply the money was watching him with a smile.

Then it seemed to Nasmyth that he heard a footstep in the room behind him, but it was not particularly noticeable, and Hutton touched his arm.

"Well," said the promoter, "I'll just run over our terms again." He did so rapidly, and added: "If that doesn't take you, we'll call it off."

Nasmyth made a gesture which was vaguely expressive of resignation, and in another moment would have closed the bargain, but the footsteps grew plainer, and, as he turned round, Acton appeared at the open window close behind them. He stood still, looking at them with amus.e.m.e.nt in his shrewd eyes, and then, stepping out, dropped heavily into the nearest chair.

"Not through yet? I want a drink," he said.

It was probably not often that Hutton was disconcerted, but Nasmyth saw his fingers close sharply on his cigar, which crumpled under them, and that appeared significant to him. Acton looked round again as he filled his gla.s.s.

"When you're ready we'll go along," he suggested. "You can worry out anything Hutton has put before you to-night. When I've a matter of consequence on hand, I generally like to sleep on it."

Nasmyth rose and turned to Hutton. "I don't want to keep Mr. Acton, and I'm afraid I can't decide just yet," he said. "I'll let you know when I make up my mind."

Hutton made a sign of concurrence, but there was a suggestive frown on his face, when he leaned upon the bal.u.s.trade, as Nasmyth and Acton went down the stairway together. When they were half-way down the street, Acton looked at Nasmyth with a dry smile.

"Well," he commented, "you have still got most of the wool on you?"

Nasmyth laughed, but there was relief in his voice.

"I was very nearly doing what I think would have been an unwise thing," he said. "It was fortunate you came along when you did."

Acton waved his hand. "I'm open to admit that Hutton has a voice like a boring bit. It would go through a door, any way. It's a thing he ought to remember."

"There is still a point or two I am not very clear upon;" and Nasmyth looked at him steadily.

Acton smiled again. "The fact is, Mrs. Acton gave me some instructions concerning you. She said I was to see you through." He made an expressive gesture. "She seemed to figure it might be advisable."

"Well," said Nasmyth reflectively, "I fancy she was right."

They said nothing further, but Nasmyth was unusually thoughtful as they proceeded towards the water-front.