Part 31 (1/2)

”I guess you can count upon every one of us,” he announced.

A rea.s.suring murmur ran along the double row of men, and Nasmyth felt a thrill of exultation.

”Thank you, boys,” he said with evident grat.i.tude. ”Now, there are difficulties to be grappled with. To begin with, the Crown authorities would sooner have leased the valley to me, and it was some time before they decided that as a special concession they would sell it in six hundred and forty acre lots at the lowest figure for first-cla.s.s lands. The lots are to be laid off in rectangular blocks, and as the valley is narrow and winding, that takes in a proportion of heavy timber on the hill bench, and will not include quite a strip of natural prairie, which remains with the Crown. The cost of the land alone runs close on twenty thousand dollars, of which, one way or another, I can raise about eight thousand.”

He looked at Wheeler, who sat near the lower end of the table, and he nodded.

”My offer stands,” he said.

”You want another twelve thousand dollars,” said the hotel-keeper dubiously. ”It's quite a pile of money.”

There was a little laughter from the men. ”Well,” said one of them, ”I guess we can raise it somehow among us, but it's going to be a pull.”

”Then,” said Nasmyth, ”we have provided for the cost of the land, but before we lower the fall and cut the drainage trenches in the valley we will run up a big bill--that is, if we hire hands. My notion is that we undertake the work ourselves, and credit every man with his share in it to count as a mortgage on the whole land that belongs to us.”

Waynefleet stood up and waved his hand. ”I want to point out that this is very vague,” he objected. ”The question will arise where the labour is to be applied. It would, for instance, be scarcely judicious to give a man a claim on everybody else for draining his own land.”

He would have said more, but that Tom of Mattawa laid a hard hand on his shoulder and jerked him back into his chair.

”Now,” Tom admonished, ”you just sit down. When Nasmyth takes this thing in hand he'll put it through quite straight. What you'd do in a month wouldn't count for five dollars, anyway.”

Everybody laughed, and Wheeler spoke again. ”We'll get over that trouble by cutting so many big trenches only for the general benefit.

In the meanwhile Mr. Nasmyth said something about trustees.”

”I did,” said Nasmyth. ”The Crown will sell in rectangular six hundred and forty acre blocks. My proposition is that we take them up in three separate names. You have to understand that the man who registers in the Crown deed is legal owner.”

”Then we're sure of two of them,” declared the hotel-keeper. ”Nasmyth takes the first block, and Wheeler the other.”

Wheeler laughed. ”I guess I stand out. As a United States citizen, I'm not sure I'm eligible to record Crown lands. Still, since Nasmyth and I are putting up a good many of the dollars, I'll nominate Gordon.”

As one man they decided on that, but there appeared to be a difficulty about the third trustee until Nasmyth turned to them.

”As you don't seem sure about him, I would like to suggest Mr.

Waynefleet, boys,” he said. ”He is a man who has an extensive acquaintance with business and legal affairs.”

There was dead silence for several moments, and the men looked at one another uneasily. It was evident that the suggestion was unwelcome to most of them, and Nasmyth was quite aware that he was doing an unpopular thing. In the meanwhile dusk had crept up the valley, and the room was growing dim. Perhaps Waynefleet could not see his companions' faces very well, but it is also possible that, had he been able to do so, he would not have troubled himself about the hesitation in most of them. There are men of his kind who appear incapable of recognizing the fact that they are not regarded with general favour.

Finally one of the men spoke. ”Seeing that the scheme is Nasmyth's, I guess it's only reasonable to fall in with his views as far as we can,” he said. ”We'll fix on Waynefleet.”

There was a murmur of very dubious agreement, and Waynefleet, who stood up, smiled on the a.s.sembly patronizingly. His manner suggested that he was about to confer a favour.

”Our friend was warranted in mentioning that I have been accustomed to handling affairs of a somewhat similar nature, but of considerably greater magnitude,” he said. ”I have pleasure in placing what abilities I possess at your disposal, gentlemen.”

Though it was growing dark, Nasmyth saw the amused light in Gordon's eyes. ”I'm with you in this,” said Gordon. ”Still, I scarcely figured the boys would have stood him.”

They discussed the scheme at length, and when the a.s.sembly broke up, Waynefleet approached the table where Gordon, Nasmyth and Wheeler sat under a big lamp.

”There is a point I did not mention at the time. It seemed to me it was one that could, perhaps, be arranged,” said Waynefleet. ”It is, of course, usual for a director of any kind to hold a certain financial interest in the scheme.”