Part 49 (1/2)

asked the Manager.

Zahn was silent.

”We had a small difference in a hotel,” said Jack. ”But for my part I am quite willing to let bygones be bygones.”

Zahn scowled. ”That may be so,” he said, ”but I should prefer to travel alone.”

”Dear, dear; well, well,” said the Father of Timber Town. ”But, after all, this is a mere matter of detail which can be settled by and by. If you go to the diggings, sir”--he turned his benignant gaze on the clerk--”you will not only be in a most responsible position, but you will be able to do such profitable business for your Bank, sir, that you will probably earn promotion.”

”It's settled,” said the Manager. ”We shall send a representative, and I hope that the arrangement will be satisfactory to all parties. I hope you are contented, Mr. Crewe.”

”Perfectly, my dear sir, perfectly,” said the Father of Timber Town.

”Then you may consider the thing done,” said the Manager; and ushering his visitors from the room he conducted them to the garish street.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Signal-Tree.

”I jest walked in,” said Dolphin, ”an' I says, 'About thisyer gold-escort: when does it start?' I says. The shrivelled party with the whiskers looks at me acrost the counter, an' e' says, 'What business is that of yours, my man?' 'None,' I says, ''xcept me an' my mate is nervous of swaggin' our gold to town ourselves.' 'Don't you bother about that,' 'e says. 'All you've got to do is to sell your gold to our agent on the field, and leave the rest to him.' The escort will leave reg'lar, accordin' to time-table; so we can stick it up, sure as Gawd made little apples.”

”And what about goin' through the Bank?” asked Sweet William.

”Now I ask you,” said Dolphin, ”what's the use of messing with the Bank, when we can clean out the gold-escort, an' no one the wiser?”

”Same here. My opinion,” said Gentleman Carnac.

”I'm slick agin letting the Bank orf,” growled Garstang. ”Why not let the escort get its gold to the Bank, and then nab everything in the show. The original plan's the best.”

”I gave you credit for more sense, Garstang.” The leader of the gang looked darkly at his subordinate. ”I gave you credit for knowing more of your trade.”

”More credit, eh?” asked the man with the crooked mouth. ”For why?”

The four rascals were in the cottage where they had met before, and the room reeked with the smoke of bad tobacco.

”Why?” replied Dolphin. ”Because you're the oldest hand of the lot, an'

you've been in the business all your life.”

”Jes' so,” said Garstang, with an evil smile. ”'Xcept when I've bin the guest of the Widow.”

”Which has been pretty frequent,” interjected Sweet William.

”To clean the Bank out is easy enough,” said Dolphin: ”the trouble is to get away with the stuff. You ought to see that with half an eye. To stick up the escort requires a little skill, a little pluck; but as for gettin' away with the gold afterwards, that's child's play.”

”Dead men don't tell no tales,” remarked Sweet William.

”But their carcases do,” objected Garstang.

”You beat everything!” exclaimed the leader, growing almost angry.