"But don't be afraid, Jim.
Gage and his crew will be anxious, for the next few days, to
see whether they can coax us into serving them. They need an
engineer over at their stolen claim, and they know it."
So Ferrers rode away, carrying his rifle across his saddle.
Alf spent an evening of terror, for the ground around the camp
appeared to be full of "rattlers".
CHAPTER IX
HARRY DOES SOME PITCHING
As Tom had surmised, Dolph Gage was anxious to become friends with
the young engineers.
"They're only kids," Dolph explained to his comrades, "but I've
heard that they know their business. If we can get their help
for a month, then when they hand in their bill we can give them
a wooden check on a cloud bank."
"Their bill would be a claim against our mine wouldn't it?" asked
one of the other men.
"Maybe," Dolph assented. "But, if they try to press it, we can
pay it with lead coin."
The morning after Jim had gone, one of Gage's companions stalked
into camp.
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