There was a tone back of his words that seemed aimed at the trader, Meade thought, but Gale showed no sign of it, so the meal was finished in silence, after which the five belated prospectors went out to make their locations, for the fear of interruption was upon them now.
First they went down-stream, and, according to their agreement, the trader staked first, followed by Poleon and Stark, thus throwing Runnion's claim more than a mile distant from Lee's discovery.

From here they went up the creek to find the girl's other locations, one on each branch, at which Stark sneeringly remarked that she had pre-empted enough ground for a full-grown white woman.
Runnion's displeasure was even more open, and he fell into foul-mouthed mutterings, addressing himself to Poleon and Stark while the trader was out of earshot.
"This affair don't smell right, and I still think it's a frame-up." "Bah!" exclaimed Doret.
"The old man sent the girl on ahead of us to blanket all the good ground.

That's what he did!" "Dat's fool talk," declared the Frenchman.
"I'm not so sure," Stark broke in.

"You remember he hung back and wanted to go slow from the start; and didn't he ask us to camp early last night?
Looks now as if he did it just to give her time to get in first.

He admitted that he knew the Black Bear trail, and if he lied about keeping his mouth shut to the squaw, he'd lie about other--" "Wait wan minnit," interrupted Poleon, his voice as soft as a woman's.
"I tol' you dat _I_ know all 'bout dis Black Bear Creek, too--you 'member, eh?
Wal, mebbe you t'ink I'm traitor, too.