There was some subsequent discussion to which Mackintavers himself put an end.

"Let it hang fire for a day or so, Mis' Crump. If ye don't mind, I'll hang around and look over the place and vicinity for my own self. Mebbe Shea will get back; the place is in his name, ain't it? Understood so."

"Yes," a.s.sented Mrs. Crump, unthinking. "And each of us owns a third interest, or at least, so it'll be arranged."

"And the other third?" Mackintavers looked swiftly at her. "I heard somethin' about a greaser up to Santy Fe making inquiries with Eastern firms about strontianite-that old curio dealer-Coravel Tio! He ain't the man, aiblins, now?"

"Yes. He'll be here to-day, I hope. All right, Sandy, let her hang over a day or so. I don't know but what we might consider it."

Mrs. Crump felt suddenly cold at that mention of Coravel Tio. How much had he discovered? He must have learned through Eastern connections that Coravel Tio had been making inquiries. Was this pose of honesty a blind, or not? What lay behind this visit? Had anything happened to Thady Shea?

She cursed herself furiously for having been beguiled even into listening to Sandy Mackintavers. Yet-why not? His proposal offered no loophole for trickery. Mrs. Crump would have preferred to sell the place entirely; but to retire in security and draw down fat dividends would be a very comfortable thing.

Late in the afternoon arrived Coravel Tio. He was mildly surprised to see Mackintavers. He was urbane, shy, suave, and professed great ignorance of everything. He readily listened to the plan of Mackintavers, and discussed it; but he reserved any opinion on the matter.

Mackintavers had sent his hired car back to Magdalena, and would bunk with Gilbert and Lewis for the night. Coravel Tio had driven his own car, which was fitted with a camping outfit. He made his own little camp down the canon.

Late that evening, after all hands had retired to rest, Mrs. Crump picked her way down the rocky slope and joined Coravel Tio, who sat smoking beside his car.

"This here location is gettin' right crowded," she began, irritably, settling down and filling her corncob. "No chance even to speak a word no more! Well, what d'ye think o' this scheme? Don't it look to you like Sandy was tryin' to catch us off balance and topple us over?"

Coravel Tio showed his white teeth in a slow smile.

"Senora, let us go slowly. Let us go slowly. I really do not think that Mackintavers intends that we should consider his offer seriously. I think he is tricky about it. Well, he is about to come to a very high precipice, and is about to fall over that precipice; you see, I know something. I have information of which he is not aware. I have information which will prove very dangerous to him.

"About the mine. I have corresponded with the Williams Manufacturing Company of New Jersey, who are large manufacturers of chemical products.

They will buy this location outright, should it prove up to the samples we sent. They are of the very highest standing and reputation; I have dealt with them for years. One of their men is due here any day; in fact, he is overdue. His name is James Z. Premble. He will be empowered to make full negotiations with us. Until he arrives, let us not worry about Mackintavers."

"Mebbe that's how come Sandy learned about your stake in the game; he knew you'd been correspondin' with somebody," and Mrs. Crump frowned.

"My land! He's in with a heap o' them mining sharps, Coravel. They know all about each other."

Coravel Tio smiled gently. "Very likely, senora. However, this firm is entirely above suspicion. Now, we must find your friend Shea at once; that is imperative. The property is recorded in his name, you remember."

"Sandy knows that, too," said Mrs. Crump, her eyes troubled. "He knows too d.a.m.ned much, if you ask _me_!"

"Fear not, senora. He has been meddling with forbidden things, things which bring their own punishment. He has been meddling with things that I would not meddle with! By the way, I met a very interesting man the other day; one Thomas Twofork, an Indian from the Cochiti pueblo, recently returned from an Eastern college. You would enjoy meeting him.

A very fine young man."

Mrs. Crump grunted. "I'd admire to know just what's laying back in your mind, Coravel Tio! Now, why the devil would I want to know any Injun buck like him? What's he to me?"

Coravel Tio laughed softly and puffed at his cigarette.

"Ah! I cannot say, senora. I am a curio dealer, no more. I know nothing at all about such things as these. But I know that Thomas Twofork is a very interesting man."

With the following morning Mrs. Crump took Mackintavers over the ground and the adjacent claims. Coravel Tio complained of the heat, and did not accompany them. Instead, he stood out in the sun, heedless of the heat, and watched Lewis and Gilbert at work. He talked with them at some length, and they seemed much interested in his discourse. By this time they knew a little more about Coravel Tio than they had known at their first meeting with him.

"What do you figger is goin' to happen, then?" demanded Lewis, when he had finished.

"I do not know." Coravel Tio shrugged his shoulders. "But it is well to know what might have to be done, eh? Ah, yes."

The morning wore on. Mrs. Crump retired to her own shack to cook luncheon, with much grumbling about the way the country was getting crowded up, and if many more folks came in she'd have to seek other quarters, and so on. Secretly, she was much pleased to exhibit her culinary skill, which was considerable.

At length she energetically hammered a pie pan, and the four men a.s.sembled. Gilbert was the last to come in from the mine over the flank of the hogback.

"Looks like some puncher is headed this way," he announced, eagerly.

"Feller comin' on hossback, looks like he's headin' down from that big canon north of here."

"My land!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Mrs. Crump in dismay. "Wait till I get another plate set."

"No hurry," returned Gilbert. "I seen him top a rise four mile north.

Ain't no rush, ma'am. He'll be quite a spell gettin' here. Lots o' bad land in between and no trail."

They sat down to the meal.

Outside, the sun was beating down in waves of heat. It was a pitiless, insufferable sun. Few things could stand that beating, merciless sun and still enjoy it. Out among the stones, what was left of the big diamond-back was withered and scorched. Some distance away, the head of the rattler lay among the rocks, dead jaws wide agape, white fangs gleaming like needles in the beating sunlight.

Inside the shack, the heat was intense; it filled the canon as heat fills an oven, and here was no cool adobe walls to break its force. The heat had odd and curious effects upon the five people gathered there. It did not seem to touch Coravel Tio or the two miners in the least.

Mackintavers it coa.r.s.ened and reddened and thickened with pitiless breath. Mrs. Crump it softened; flushed and perspiring from cooking, she seemed to have become less harsh, more feminine, altogether transformed.

Suddenly, while they were eating, Coravel Tio looked up sharply and appeared to be listening. Then, one after another, the others glanced up, surprise in their eyes. The sharp and staccato pulse of an approaching automobile was to be heard. Another car!

Mrs. Crump led the exodus. Beside her own car and that of Coravel Tio, a third car was standing; a hired car from Magdalena, the same which had brought Mackintavers on the previous day. From this car alighted a man who carried a suitcase and bag, upon each of which were printed the letters J. Z. P. He was a man of citified aspect, and he approached the party clumped around the shack doorway with a stiff gaze and a businesslike air.

"I am looking for a lady by the name of Crump, Mrs. Crump," said he, setting down his suitcase and doffing his hat to the lady in question.

"I presume that you are the lady named; if so you may be expecting me.

My name is James Z. Premble."

Mrs. Crump recovered from her surprise and stepped forward.

"I'm her," she announced. "Glad to meet ye, Premble. Here, let me heft them grips inside the shack."

Gilbert, however, was ahead of her in the task. But James Z. Premble disregarded them both. He had come to a staring pause. Across his city-pale features swept an expression of amazement and gusty anger. His eyes were fastened upon Sandy Mackintavers, and back at him was staring Mackintavers, wearing a look of consternation. Mr. Premble lifted one arm and shook a milk-white fist in air.

"You low-down hound!" he snapped at Sandy. "Didn't I warn you to keep away from me? What are you trying to--"

"Shut your fool mouth!" roared Mackintavers. "No need of airing things here."

"I'll say what I dashed please!" affirmed Premble, glaring. "I suppose you own this place, eh? I suppose you told some lying tale and these people swallowed it! Well, you can't shut me up. You can't gag _me_!

You're about the worst swindler that ever kept out of State's prison, get that? You may be running this place, but you'll not run me."

"Hush up, pilgrim!" Mrs. Crump stepped in front of Premble and a.s.sumed charge of the situation. "Hush up! Sandy don't own this place, and he ain't runnin' nothin'. You a friend of his?"

"Friend? _Friend?_" Mr. Premble hoa.r.s.ely gasped the word. "I wouldn't be his friend if he would give me a million dollars! I wouldn't be his friend if I was the last man and he was the last woman on earth! Why, that rogue played the worst low-down trick on me over in El Paso that--"

"Well, repress the sentiments," urged Mrs. Crump, calmly. "I guess we coincide with your feelin's, more or less, but at the present moment Sandy is a guest on this here prop'ty, which same prop'ty belongs to me, more or less. You're a guest likewise and I don't aim to have no ruction start between two o' my guests. I don't know you, Mr. Premble, and I don't know as I want to know ye, having a mean and rollin' eye like you have; but you're here on business and that goes as it lays. No war talk!

Savvy?"

With a mighty effort Mr. Premble composed his features.