That 's the straight goods.

They 're simply a lot of blackmailers and irresponsible thieves.

Why, damn it, man, the actual fact is, they can't get a single reputable mining engineer in all this whole district to take hold of their dirty work.

That 's why they 've had to hunt up a new man, and got track of you." "So Hicks admitted," interposed the younger man gravely, "although he put it in rather different form.

He said it was because you had the money, and your crowd bought them all up." "Oh, he did, did he ?" and the gambler laughed outright.