Show K ff eto WW I 1 I 1 ON V bep wf jr jl WILLIAM amy BYRON im MOWERY ry EM A COPYRIGHT WILLIAM WILIIAM BYRON MOWERY SERVICE SER CHAPTER XV continued IS 15 it was only t through rough h his alert eyed curiosity as a scientist that ho he himself on a flold trip last summer bummer had suspected the secret of tho the lako lake along the ho he had noticed pitchblende stains in hi tho the frost frac aured rock and he ha had also observed that they were more numerous and pronounced at the water edge than farther back taking his cue from that he had waded out knee deep grubbed under the water mucked away the tha silt and turned up a halt half inch shoot sheet of the blackish ore on out as tar far as he could wade tho the deposit was two inches thick those were the samples which he had carried in his pack and which had ruined his photograph films after he and bolcon had eaten dinner they took their hand drill shovels and halt a caso case of dynamite and hurried out toward the center of tho the lake A stiff cold wind was blowing down atom rom tho the arctic ocean but tho the applegreen apple green sky was cloudless the sun hot and high overhead a wedge of blue blua geese earliest of the migrants were winging north toward their rookery grounds in baffin land they came to tho the little area in the exact middle of the lake which they had not yet prospected in the center of the area craig selected a spot for pit no 63 65 they picked up their shovels and began scooping away the snow over a space 15 feet square it took them an hour to lay the ice bare fetched the drill and oiled it taking turn about ono one of them steadied the tha wobbly contraption while lethe the other spun the big raspy wheel after boring down five feet into the ice they pulled the drill out prepared two dynamite cartridges lowered them into the hole with a string and then tramped out across the snow to a safe distance the explosion lifted a cloud of ice and big chunks high in the air when the cloud had settled they trudged back shoveled out the loose debris and drilled on down to the lake bed craig dropped in tour four sticks that time to make a good job of it he 10 remarked looking at his calloused and blistered hands we can spare dynamite better than our strength lets clear a way away this Is s going to be a big puff when they came back after the mellowing bellowing explosion craig stepped up on the edge of the little crater and looked down at the bottom there it was the foot thick stratum of black pitchblende As at all the other mid lake borings bolings bo rings clambered into the pit picked up several fragments stuck them hem into the specimen bag well dats nummer craig were we gonna put down nummer craig glanced gain again at the black bottomed crater glanced around the he lako lake at the dozens of other pits what good would another pit do he already had pages of scientific data hundreds lund reds of specimens from this pitchblende lense lease it all that mass of it proof would not convince a min ing ng company number sixty six can go to belll were hitting for the bayl bay I 1 he turn bled led the drill and shovels into the tha pit unspeakably glad to get rid of them hem come bill lets be travel ing ng wo wove weve ve got our lode our bat tle le now Is to raise money on IV it lupe stepped into warrens cabin late one afternoon tarlton Is back he announced hoorn heem and dat to warren was writing a wireless to russell parkes about the federal investigation he stopped short at aipel news over in de den lupe added deres a lot of excited talk mong dose men dey day say tarlton has mado made a hoyu beeg radium strike warrens pencil dropped from his hand hoyu beeg radium strike the words thoroughly thorough li jolted him for weeks alij had been deathly afraid that tarlton would come back from his secret trip with some rich lode in his pocket the fellow was an uncanny geologist with a miraculous nose tor for mineral and he knew this resurrection territory like an open book it if he did have a radium strike hed sell to these vanguard people or some other concern hed hold the men together held hed have tills this whole field in his power and patricia would stay on working with him after a moments iio ments swift thinking he ordered lupe lipe go down to decarlos cabin and ask him to step up here then you get back across to that that community house and scout around and pick up aw aay information you rou can I 1 when decarle came cama in a taw few minutes I 1 later ater warren told I 1 him about the radium rumor ayou believe theres anything to this he asked the geologist possibly decarlo said aall all the pitchblende occurrences that ive personally examined here have been merely stains or extremely thin laminations with so steep a strike in the hard rock that mining would bo be unprofitable but its certain that there are richer concentrations trat ions omit tho the technical details tell me yes yea or no could tarlton have found a radium property that ho he can raise quick money on yes what I 1 wanted to know suppose you go over to his place and see sea it if you can find out anything from him id go myself but youre on better terms with him than I 1 am and youre a geologist ila ho may talk about it with you lies iles evidently not trying to keep tho the thing a secret all those men over there seem to know about it if hes really got a rich strike TU ill well ill have to stop him all right IU ill find out what I 1 can decarlo decario agreed and left ila he was gone a full hour and a half ile ho came back excited banging the door shut and bursting out good lord has tarlton got a radium deposit did he ha locate a he try to keep anything back from me hes hea got the lode staked filed sewed up airtight ile he even allowed me to look his specimens over and nee his plot of the lake and we talked about the geology of the lode loda tor for a whole bourl As warren listened to decarles description of the radium find his self control completely deserted him ills his face turned gray his hands twitched fumbling for a cigarette tumbling fumbling tor for a match to light it he sat down heavily at his desk staring at the geologist in the last fortnight and espe dally since patricia had definitely refused his bargain of returning to chicago with him he ha had built up a careful plan as to what he was going to do if tarlton did come back with a rich mine but now face to face with the necessity of using that plan he hesitated the scheme was a dangerous one a criminal recourse and besides it might not work against tarlton decarle finished his account for a few moments neither man spoke decarle reached tor for a cigarette lit it held the match to warrens Lo looks as though hes got us in a bad corner warren he remarked warren wetted his dry lips yes bad he mumbled ile he tried to fight off the numbing shock and to think these figures these estimates youve told me are you sure about them dead sure it anything decarle decarla said tarlton has underestimated his discovery warren asked one ene last question what are his plans his immediate plans about the tha lode 1 11 1 I 1 very well inquire ind and ho he say any we talked mostly about the scientific features of deposit but I 1 assume hes going out to edmonton or winnipeg and lay his data before some soma mining company that has money warren got up and and walked over to the window and stood I 1 oking looking 0 out oblivious to decarle decarie and to the slant beautiful sunshine outside the crushing advantage of money power which he had used with heavy hand all that winter had suddenly vanished tarlton was no longer penniless feeding those men on promises fighting a defensive fight on sheer nerve he too had money and power or would have before many days ile ha had gone out and secured a mine property 0 spectacular value and was at last in position to launch a withering of now well settle it on the basis of might well battle it out those were Tarl tons words to him in this cabin on new years day talton had had the might now lie he had been a fool he told himself not to take Tarl tons offer last january and a worse fool ever to have come on this arctic venture at all he ha had overreached a fatal mistake which he had seen other business men make instead of being the easy setup set up that he had expected this dynamite bay affair had turned d into a dangerous gamble with ruinous consequences to himself personally if he lost all in all he was at a crisis in his career ile he was facing nothing less than personal annihilation decarles voice broke into his thoughts you going to do about this warren youve got to t do something and dar dary awl quick warren turned frum from ne me window afis face was hard set with deel slon sion go find lupo lupe ho he ordered tell him to come hero ive got a lob job tor for him ArTEIl CH X XVI at owl dusk that same evening reeste appeared at the tha den where craig was studying a list ot of the mining com panics which he had jotted down as possible buyers of his radium lake maleu lovett want to talk wit you tho the metis informed over at hees cabane cabana what does he want to see me about 1 I dono done ile iia lua jus say it Is eem portana beez ness riess craig glanced out into the tha purpling twilight of halt half past nine at tho the dark river and the dark fringe of woods across resurrection to go over there would be like walking into a lion den and just now when tho the welfare of men was abouna up with his own personal safety ho he was taking no chances wherever he ha went and sam honeywell walked beside him and they carried rifles rides lie ile said to tho the go back and tell maleu lovett that it he wants to see me hell have to come over hero when the metts metis was gone craig turned again to his list of mining companies trying to remember something about their head men and figure out his best prospects lie ile had decided to got gat out to the city country as swiftly as ho he could take his data straight to company presidents and directors and sell his radium lake outright at a fleo figure a hundred thousand if he could get that mitch tho the personal loss of nearly meant little to him the thing that mattered was to savo save this field for the men and to drive ahead with his far reaching program someone knocked at the OMCO office door craig turned saw warren lovett there thera come in warren he bade placing a chair tor for his visitor warren sat down laid his hat on the desk decarie told me about IQ PC V your game warren your r radium odium lode tarlton I 1 exactly glad to hear the news of course but I 1 suppose I 1 ought to congratulate you nevertheless kind of you but what did you want to see sea me ma about this lode lodee warren answered ans vered without hedging edging If youre going to sell it I 1 assume to raise money 10 craig nodded warren drummed on the table finally since youre going to sell anyway I 1 wonder whether you might consider negotiating with me if you and I 1 can work out a deal save you expense time abd trouble my company being already on the ground surprised craig looked at warren warran narrowly your game warren theres no game I 1 assure you this is purely a business proposition we can make a mutually advantageous vantage vant ageous ois deal you need money cash at once I 1 need your mine ill give you as good a price palca its as you can get anywhere else and maybe better craig shook his head warren I 1 dont believe I 1 care to deal with you on anything youre out for yourself first last and always and sometimes you deal from the bottom of the deck warrens cheekbones reddened but he made no reply to the tha thrust tarlton he be said presently youre quite right in thinking that im out for myself in this proposition I 1 am and ill explain why ive got to get back to chicago theres a federal investigation on down there its ita getting ugly and nobody except myself can handle lt it besides parkes Is edging me out of the firm and ive got to fight him it if I 1 stay here hee he e in the arctic any longer im going to lose the position that I 1 worked 12 years to attain tain 00 craigs interest picked up he kney that warren was talking honestly so far at least tor for patricia Patri cla had ud tild about parkes and the investigation ive been hanging on and on here warren continued in hope that these men would break but they end now youre back with a valuable property and well I 1 realize that the held field is yours I 1 intend to close out my iny dynamite day affairs to the best advantage I 1 can and return to chicago where does docs my pitchblende lako ake fit into this picture craig inquired ive got to t take ako back som something ething to show how for foe tile tho time and money ive spent on tills this venture except tor for the kessler hill block the tha claims claim I 1 own now are not a very striking exhibit your radium property would be why I 1 want 0 to o buy it I 1 puzzled as to what warrens game was craig decided to probo probe a bit and find out how much ore are you offering tor for the lode illow how much are you asking two hundred and fafty aty thou and brind craig said coolly a steep price objected a quarter of a million its hardly an el eldith pith of what tho the lodo lode Is worth ayou call that a steep price well no not exactly warren admitted parkes and old wellington would never go that high on a single claims block dut but I 1 can make up the difference I 1 suppose out of my own money tho the lodes worth it all right ill pay you two hundred and fifty thousand craig was astonished ito ho had demanded a quarter million merely to call warrens bluff and warren was taking him cupl ill pay you in cash of course warren added no notes or time payment this oner offer of spot cash astonished craig still more ile ho know knew perfectly well that there was a trap tor for him somewhere in this proffer that warren was planning to doub lecross him somewhere along the line though tho the man was indeed frantic to get back to chicago ho he was also grimly determined to take the resurrection ur field and patricia along with him but tills this spot cash offer ho he seemed to mean business therel there where and how would tho the money bo be paid warren anywhere and anyhow you like you can write your own ticket to see just how tar far warren would go craig made an almost impossible demand have to pay mo me beforehand tho the money would have to bo be in the bank in my name nam and without restriction before id sign any papers to that lake a pretty harsh stipulation id have to take your word that sign but yes ill agree to it 90 you seem willing to agree to just about anything anything within reason yes im getting a barg bargain nin and so are you craig thought a moment there was no question but that warren stood ready to deposit the quarter million in any bank and under any conditions that ho he specified no crookedness possible there where then was the deadfall in this proposition ion lon craig pondered a long while in spite of the unknown trap in this deal warrens proposition attracted him ile he was waa convinced that warren intended to deposit the money according to promise under conditions that riled out trickery if ho he dealt with warren lie he would have a quarter million dollars in hand within a low few days of that he was entirely sure all this could mean but one thing warren was going to trap him after the deal maybe Mayb eyou you will craig thought eying his pokerfaced poker faced opponent whatever happened however warren warran might try to doub lecross him the fact remained that lie he himself was holding back a far better trap than warren could possibly have before he and coloon had returned to the day bay he had deliberately built that trop trap out of a fierce resolve that no legal trickery no shrewd investment house or bargain break ing company was wag going to cheat him of his radium lode suppose you go ahead warren he suggested finally and deposit |