a general way it's the
high point of an ore-body--the highest place where it shows above
ground. But the law works out like this: every time a man finds a mine
and opens it up till it pays these apex sharps locate the high ground
above him and contest the title to his claim. You can't do that in
Mexico, nor in Canada, nor in China--this is the only country in the
world where a mining claim don't go straight down. But under the law,
when you locate a lode, you can follow that vein, within an extension
of your end-lines, under anybody's ground. _Anybody's_!"

He shifted his chair a little closer and fixed her with his fighting
blue eyes.

"Now, just to show you how it works," he went on, "take me, for
instance. I was just an ordinary ranch kid, brought up so far back in
the mountains that the boys all called me Rimrock, and I found a rich
ledge of rock. I staked out a claim for myself, and the rest for my
folks and my friends, and then we organized the Gunsight Mining
Company. That's the way we all do, out here--one man don't hog it all,
he does something for his friends. Well, the mine paid big, and if I
didn't manage it just right I certainly never meant any harm. Of
course I spent lots of money--some objected to that--but I made the old
Gunsight pay.

"Then--" he raised his finger and held it up impressively as he marked
the moment of his downfall--"then this McBain came along and edged into
the Company and right from that day, I lose. He took on as attorney,
but it wasn't but a minute till he was trying to be the whole show.
You can't stop that man, short of killing him dead, and I haven't got
around to that yet. But he bucked me from the start and set everybody
against me and finally he cut out Lon Lockhart. There was a man, by
Joe, that I'd stake my life on it he'd never go back on a friend; but
he threw in with this lawyer and brought a suit against me, and just
naturally took--away--my--mine!"

Rimrock's breast was heaving with an excitement so powerful that the
girl instinctively drew away; but he went on, scarcely noticing, and
with a fixed glare in his eyes that was akin to the stare of a madman.

"Yes, took it away; and here's how they did it," he went on, suddenly
striving to be calm. "The first man I staked for, after my father and
kin folks, was L. W. Lockhart over here. He was a cowman then and he
had some money and I figured on bidding him in. So I staked him a good
claim, above mine