Harry did the pen work while Reade
dictated rapidly.
If Engineer Tom Reade had been briefly excited he did not betray
the fact when he stepped outside the tent.
"Horses saddled, Mr. Reade," announced Ferrers. "I s'pose you're
going to take some of the boys over with us, in case Gage tries
to put up any shooting bluff?"
"Yes," nodded Tom. "But don't take with us any fellow who is
hot-blooded enough to do any real shooting."
"It'll take real shooting to get Gage's crew off that ridge,"
Ferrers warned the young engineer. "All men get gold crazy when
they find their feet on a claim. Dolph Gage will fight while
he has breath left. Don't try to go over there, sir, if you're
not satisfied to have a little shooting done at need."
"We're going over," declared Tom, the lines about his mouth tightening,
"and we're going to take the claim for our own, as long as we
have the legal right to do so. But I hope there won't have to
be any gun-powder burned. Killing belongs only to one line of
business---war!"
CHAPTER XII
NEW OWNERS FILE A CLAIM
Dolph Gage, after his richly deserved battering of the day before,
presented a sorry-looking sight as he stood near the notice of
his claim location.
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