"Cartner made you a square offer, and you can't grumble much because Probyn hired your men. Cartner is hard and I allow he'd like to break you, but I haven't known him play a crooked game."
"Then I can't see a light at all."
"It's puzzling," Martin agreed.
Jim filled his pipe again and pondered. There was something strange about his talking confidentially to a man he had thought an unscrupulous antagonist, but he was persuaded that Martin was honest. The latter seemed to be considering, for Jim saw his brows were knit when the firelight touched his face. It had got dark, but the fire leaped up now and then and threw a red glow upon the rows of trunks. The creek shone and faded; sometimes the smoke curled about the tent and sometimes blew away.
"You struck copper up North," Martin resumed after a time. "Has anybody tried to buy your claim?"
"Baumstein gave us an offer twice."
"Ah," said Martin, thoughtfully, "I suppose you wouldn't sell?"
"Not at his price. We thought we had better hold on; some day the Combine might buy."
"A pretty good plan," Martin agreed. "There'll be a demand for Northern copper before long. Well, I see you have a blanket. You'll find a bed in the tent."
"I picked a spot to camp a piece back," Jim said rather awkwardly, as he got up.