down the hammer.

"I suppose we'll have to let up for an hour or two," he said
reluctantly.

Saunders staggered when they reached the open air, and Weston seemed
to have some difficulty in straightening himself, but they got
breakfast, and afterward lay smoking beside the fire, almost too stiff
to move. It was getting cold among the ranges now, and they were glad
of the warmth from the blaze.

"We'll go on for two or three days," said Weston. "Then we'll pack
every load of ore out to the New Passage smelter and get them to
reduce it. Devine and I will take it down to the railroad over the
Dead Pine trail. The freighter from the settlement should be in with
his pack-train by the time we're ready."

"Nobody ever brought a pack-beast in or out by Dead Pine, and there'll
be deep snow in the pass," Saunders expostulated.

"Then," said Weston, curtly, "I'm going to do it now. If we can't
raise a stamp and reducing plant, we have got to prove that we can
make a trail to the railroad by which we can get our ore out without
spending a small fortune on packing. If we can get over Dead Pine
divide it should shorten the present trail by half; and I'm under the
impression that if we spend a few thousand dollars on making a road up
the big gully it could be done."

Saunders looked at Devine, who made a little sign.

"Oh," he said, "he means to try it. I guess we've got to let him."

They went back to work by and by; and a few days later Weston and
Devine and a grizzled freighter breakfasted in haste beside a
sputtering fire. A row of loaded pack-horses stood close by in the
rain, and a cluster of dripping men gathered round when at length
Weston rose to his feet. The freighter waved his hand to them with a
little, dry smile.

"We're going to blaze you out a new road, boys, and it will save me
some in horses if it can be done," He said. "Guess you'll be sorry
when you see what the next man strikes you for, if we don't come back
again."

There was some laughter; and rude good wishes followed the three wet
men as they plodded away beside the loaded beasts into the rain.

CHAPTER XXXII

GRENFELL'S GIFT

It was snowing hard, and, though it was still two hours before sunset,
the light was growing dim when Weston pulled the foremost pack-horse
up on the edge of the gully. He and Devine had each a beast in his
charge, and the freighter had started with two, but one of these had
been left behind with a broken leg an