“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t smoke,” he said.
“That,” replied Wheeler, “is a point I’m not quite sure about. How many sticks of giant-powder have you rammed into this heading? As you know, it’s apt to be a little uncertain.”
Nasmyth laughed as he glanced at the flaring lamp above his head. “There’s a hole with a stick in it just at your elbow. I’ve been filling the holes as we made them. In view of what I expect those folks in the city are arranging, it seemed advisable.”
Wheeler was sensible of a certain uneasiness as he listened to the crunch of the boring tool and the jarring thud of the hammers.
“What are you going so far down for?” he asked.
“To get into sounder rock. It’s costing us considerable time that we can badly spare, but once or twice I fancied the whole river was coming in on us. Now we’re getting almost through, I want to make quite sure.”
Wheeler nodded. “I guess that’s wise. So far, we have come out ahead of Hutton and the rest of them,” he asserted. “Our people hold the timber rights, and we have got the shingle-splitting plant in. You headed him off in Waynefleet’s case, and there only remains the man with the old Bush claim. There’s, unfortunately, no doubt about his title to the ranch, and it’s a sure thing the folks in the city will put him up again. Have you heard from him lately?”
“I have,” answered Nasmyth, with a smile. “As you know, I made him half a dozen different offers to buy him out. He naturally didn’t close with them, but he wrote trying to raise me, and kept the thing up rather well. Of course, it was evident that his friends were quite willing to let me get most of the work done before they showed their hand too visibly. I scarcely fancy they know how near we are to getting through, though 313 that rancher man’s lawyer said something about taking proceedings a little while ago.”
“Suppose they went to court, and served you with a notice to quit what you’re doing?”
Nasmyth, turning, pointed with a wet, scarred hand to several holes in the side of the heading, from which a wire projected.