“So you see, you have to learn to manage. If there’s votes for the wrong candidate in your camp, the fact gets out, and if the returns is too one-sided, there’s a lot of grumbling. There’s plenty of bosses that don’t care, but I learned my lesson that time, and I got my own method--that is not to let any opposition start. See?” “Yes, I see.” “Maybe a mine-boss has got no right to meddle in politics--but there’s one thing he’s got the say about, and that is who works in his mine. It’s the easiest thing to weed out--weed out--” Hal never forgot the motion of beefy hands with which Alec Stone illustrated these words. As he went on, the tones of his voice did not seem so good-natured as usual. “The fellows that don’t want to vote my way can go somewhere else to do their voting. That’s all I got to say on politics!” There was a brief pause, while Stone puffed on his pipe. Then it may have occurred to him that it was not necessary to go into so much detail in breaking in a political recruit. When he resumed, it was in a good-natured tone of dismissal. “That’s what you do, kid. To-morrow you get a sprained wrist, so you can’t work for a few days, and that’ll give you a chance to bum round and hear what the men are saying. Meantime, I’ll see you get your wages.” “That sounds all right,” said Hal; but showing only a small part of his satisfaction! The pit-boss rose from his chair and knocked the ashes from his pipe. “Mind you--I want the goods. I’ve got other fellows working, and I’m comparing ’em. For all you know, I may have somebody watching you.” “Yes,” said Hal, and grinned cheerfully. “I’ll not fail to bear that in mind.” SECTION 6. The first thing Hal did was to seek out Tom Olson and narrate this experience. The two of them had a merry time over it. “I’m the favourite of a boss now!” laughed Hal. But the organiser became suddenly serious. “Be careful what you do for that fellow.” “Why?” “He might use it on you later on. One of the things they try to do if you make any trouble for them, is to prove that you took money from them, or tried to.” “But he won’t have any proofs.” “That’s my point--don’t give him any. If Stone says you’ve been playing the political game for him, then some fellow might remember that you did ask him about politics. So don’t have any marked money on you.” Hal laughed. “Money doesn’t stay on me very long these days. But what shall I say if he asks me for a report?” “You’d better put your job right through, Joe--so that he won’t have time to ask for any report.” “All right,” was the reply. “But just the same, I’m going to get all the fun there is, being the favourite of a boss!”