you explain?" The rancher
spoke very deliberately, his voice was well modulated but cold.

Hervey laughed boisterously to cover a slight nervousness. This
attitude of Iredale's was embarrassing. He had anticipated something
different.

"Is there any need of explanation?" he asked, when his forced hilarity
had abruptly terminated. "The only thing which puzzles me is that
you've kept it up so long without being discovered."

There was a long pause. Then Iredale removed his pipe from his mouth,
knocked it out upon the heel of his boot, and returned it to his
pocket. Then he rose from his seat and stood squarely before the
other.

"Don't let us beat about the bush," he said. "I think plain speaking
is best--in some cases. Now, what have you to say?"

Hervey shrugged his shoulders. His dark eyes avoided the other's gaze;
the steely flash in Iredale's grey eyes was hard to confront.

"A good deal," he said, with raucous intonation. "The smuggling of
Chinese and consequently opium is a profitable trade. There's room for
more than one in it."

"Go on."

Iredale's tone was icy.

"Of course I am not the man to blow a gaff like this. There's too much
money in it, especially when worked on extensive lines, and when one
is possessed of such an ideal spot as this from which to operate That
was a positive stroke of genius of yours in selecting the graveyard as
a hiding-place. I suppose now that place is honeycombed with cellars
for the storage of--of--yellow. Must be, from the number of
'yellow-devils' I saw come out of the grave the other night. My, but
you're slick, Iredale; slick as paint. I admire you immensely. Who'd
have thought of such a thing? I tell you what, you were never intended
for anything but defeating the law, George, my boy. We could do a lot
together. I suppose you aren't looking for a partner?"

Iredale's face wore an almost genial expression as he replied. The
rancher's tones were so cordial that Hervey congratulated himself upon
the manner in which he had approached the subject.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't," he said. "As a matter of
fact, you must have seen me despatching my last cargo of--yellow. Why?
Were you thinking of starting in the business?"

"That _is_ my intention."

"Is?"

"Yes, is." Hervey's tone was emphatic, and his attitude truculent.

"Ah! are you prepared to buy this place?" Iredale went on. "I can
easily hand you over my connection."

"Buy?" Hervey thought this