that in his opinion there was no oil of any
kind on the claim. He told me that he knew Lorimer Spell very well, and
that while Spell was all right in the main, he had been daffy on the
subject of oil, so much so that it had just about turned the poor
fellow's brain until he imagined that there was fabulous wealth in oil
on every acre he possessed. Mr. Fitch got down to facts and figures, and
showed me all of his deductions, and he said that it was his honest
opinion that any money spent on the Lorimer Spell claim would be utterly
wasted."

CHAPTER XXV

DAVENPORT'S ACCUSATION

"Then the Lorimer Spell claim is positively no good!" exclaimed Jack.

"I wouldn't say that exactly, Jack. No claim down here can be said to be
worthless until it has actually been bored for oil. It is just possible
that those oil experts may be mistaken. At the same time, from what Mr.
Fitch said, I would be very slow about putting money in that land."

"It's too bad, Uncle Dick, if that claim's no good when we all supposed
it would be so wonderful," came from Fred, and his face showed his
disappointment.

"Well, I haven't lost anything," answered his Uncle Dick. "I feel a
great deal better than if I had sunk thirty or forty thousand dollars in
a dry hole."

Andy began to snicker.

"Gee! it's rich, Uncle Dick, to pass Davenport and that crowd the white
elephant," he chuckled. "I only hope they get bit bad, especially if
they were the rascals who came here and knocked you out."

"They must have been the crowd, because no one else would be interested
in those documents. They knew I was going to Wichita Falls to get them,
and they probably hung around waiting for my return. And they probably
got Martell and Brown to get you boys out of the way. The story about
Gabe Werner having a broken leg was probably faked up."

"Nappy admitted that he and Slugger expected to work for the Davenport
crowd," said Jack. "They are all tarred with the same stick, and I hope
they get stuck bad."

"Uncle Dick, why don't you pretend to be terribly put out over the fact
that you have lost your interest in the claim?" cried Andy. "That will
throw them completely off the track. Let them imagine that you think
there is a lot of oil to be found there."

"I'll think it over and at the same time I'll think over what other
investments I might make while I'm down here. But just at present I
think I'll try to get a good night's sleep and reduce this swellin