"Well, that may be. All his talk today struck me as being straightforward and outspoken. But Kid has been drawing inferences. He keeps hammering at it that Blake must be in thick with his father-in-law, and that all millionaires round-up their money in ways that would make a rustler go off and shoot himself." "Business is business," replied Ashton with all his old cynicism. "I'll not say that H. V. Leslie is crooked, but I never knew of his coming out of a deal second best." "Well, at any rate, it's white of Blake to tell us beforehand what he intends to do if he sees a chance of a practical project." "Has he told you everything?" scoffed Ashton. "How about his offer to drop the whole matter and not go into it at all?" rejoined Knowles. Ashton hesitated to reply. For one thing, he was momentarily nonplused, and, for another, the Blakes had treated him as a gentleman. But a fresh upwelling of bitterness dulled his conscience and sharpened his wits. "It may have been to throw you off your guard," he said. "Blake is deep, and he has had old Leslie to coach him ever since he married Genevieve. He could have laid his plans,--looked over the ground, and found out just what are your rights here,--all without your suspecting him." "Well, I'm not so sure--" "Have you told him what lands you have deeds to?" "No, but if he knows as much about the West as I figure he does, he can guess it. Fence every swallow of get-at-able water to be found on my range this time of year, and you won't have to dig a posthole off of land I hold in fee simple. Plum Creek sinks just below where Dry Fork junctions." "But you can't have _all_ the water?" exclaimed Ashton incredulously. "Yes, every drop to be found outside Deep Canyon this time of year. There's my seven and a half mile string of quarter-sections blanketing Plum Creek from the springs to down below Dry Fork, and five quarter-sections covering all the waterholes. That makes up five sections. A bunch of tenderfeet came in here, years ago, and preempted all the quarter-sections with water on them. Got their patents from the government. Then the Utes stampeded them clean out of the country, and I bought up their titles at a fair figure." "And you own even that splendid pool up where I had my camp?" "Everything wet on this range that a cow or hawss can get to, this time of year." Ashton considered, and advised craftily: "Don't tell him this. Does Miss Chuckie know it?" "She knows I have five sections, and that most of it is on Plum Creek. I don't think anything has ever been said to her about the waterholes. But why not tell Blake?" "Don't you see? Even if he finds a way to get at the water in Deep Canyon, he will first have to bore his tunnel. He and his construction gang must have water to drink and for their engines while they are carrying out his plans. You can lie low, and, when the right time comes, get out an injunction against their trespassing on your land."