ng our time coming here," the cattleman said
to his companion.

"Good day, gentlemen," said Judge Gordon, politely.

And the pair went out to Sorenson's machine.

Shortly after, the two other directors left to catch a train at
Bowenville, Pollock planning to stay with Weir to formulate a report
during the next day or two for presentation to the entire directorate
at its next meeting. Sorenson caught a glimpse of the car whirling
through town, with Weir at the wheel, who with Pollock accompanied the
departing men that certain unsettled points might be discussed up to
the last moment.

As Weir and Pollock were returning, the latter eyed the engineer and
laughed.

"You've evidently brushed these fellows', Sorenson's and Gordon's, fur
the wrong way to please them. But they'll probably leave us alone from
now on."

"They'll not leave me alone."

"Eh? How's that?"

"Well, I have, as it happens, a little trouble with them on my own
hook. A private matter antedating the building of the dam. They're
after me. I had to put a piece of lead into a fellow who tried to kill
me from the dark one night. I speak of it in case you should be told
and wonder; otherwise I should not have mentioned the thing. I'm not
popular in San Mateo, in consequence."

"Ah, I had heard nothing of that. It interests me. You were not
touched."

"My hat, that was all."

"Very interesting, very interesting, indeed," was Pollock's only
comment. But if his tone was casual, his eyes were busy in sidelong
study of the engineer, making a new appraisal and drawing fresh
conclusions.

Meanwhile several knots were being tied in the web of circumstance.
Sorenson took his telephone and conversed briefly with Vorse, passing
the information that he had just seen the three directors leaving for
the east. So they were out of the way. In reply the saloon-keeper
stated that he would start the whisky end of the game that evening.
By the morrow, Sunday, when the camp was at rest, the workmen would
all be "celebrating." Burkhardt had reported the last load of
"southern cattle" shipped in and driven on the range the previous
evening--a seemingly innocent statement that Sorenson understood
perfectly. Up in the hills, safely hidden in the timber, lay the fifty
men brought from Mexico to make the assault on the dam the next night,
men whose instruments of destruction would be fire and dynamite.
Twenty-four hours more would bring the moment of action.

Ignorant