"Sure I will," agreed Bunker, "the best title a man can have--continuous and undisputed possession. I've been here fifteen years and I've never had a claim jumped yet." "Who's this Bible-Back Murray?" demanded Denver, "has he got a clean title to his ground?" "You bet he has," replied Bunker Hill, "and he's got my name as a witness that his yearly assessment work's been done." "And you, I suppose," suggested Denver sarcastically, "have got _his_ name, as an affidavit man, to prove that _your_ work has been done. And when I look around I'll bet there ain't a hole anywhere that's been sunk in the last two years." "Yes there is!" contradicted Bunker, "you go right up that wash that comes down from them north hills and you'll find one that's down twelve hundred feet. And there's a diamond drill outfit sinking twenty feet a day, and has been for the last six months. At five dollars a foot--that's the contract price--Old Bible-Back is paying a hundred dollars a day. Now--how many days will that drill have to run to do the annual work? No, you're all right, young man, and I like your nerve, but you don't want to take too much for granted." "Judas priest!" exclaimed Russell, "twelve hundred feet deep? What does the old boy think he's got?" "He's drilling for copper," nodded Bunker significantly, "and for all you and I know, he's got it. He's got an armed guard in charge of that drill, and no outsider has been allowed anywhere near it for going on to six months. The cores are all stored away in boxes where nobodv can get their hands on them and the way old Bible-Back is sweating blood I reckon they're close to the ore. But a hundred dollars a day--say, the way things are now that'll make or break old Murray. He's been blowing in money for ten or twelve years trying to develop his silver properties; but now he's crazy as a bed-bug over copper--can't talk about anything else." "Is that so?" murmured Denver and as he went about his work his brain began to seethe and whirl. Here was something he had not known of, an element of chance which might ruin all his plans; for if the diamond drill broke into rich copper ore his chance at the two treasures would be lost. There would be a big rush and the price of claims would soar to thousands of dollars. The country looked well for copper, with its heavy cap of dacite and the manganese filling in the veins; and it was only a day's journey in each direction from the big copper camps of Ray and Globe. He turned impulsively and reached for his purse, but as he was about to plank down his five hundred dollars in advance he remembered Mother Trigedgo's words. "Choose well between the two and both shall be yours. But if you choose unwisely, then both will be lost and you will suffer humiliation and shame." "Say," blurted out Denver, "your claims are all silver--haven't you got a gold prospect anywhere?"