"Hey! Get off this ground!" shouted a voice from the tent and as Denver looked up a man stepped out with a rifle in his hand. "What are you doing around here?" he demanded angrily and, as Denver made no answer, another man stepped out from behind. Then with a word to the guard he came down the trail and Denver knew it was Murray himself. He was a tall, bony man with a flowing black beard and, hunched up above his shoulders, was the rounded hump which had given him the name of "Bible-Back." To counterbalance this curvature his head was craned back, giving him a bristling, aggressive air, and as he strode down towards Denver his long, gorilla arms, extended almost down to his knees. "What are you doing here, young man?" he challenged harshly, "don't you know that this ground is closed?" "Why, no," bluffed Denver, "you haven't got any signs out. What's all the excitement about?" Bible-Back Murray paused and looked him over, and his prospector's pick and ore-sack, and a glint came into one eye. The other eye remained fixed in a cold, rheumy stare, and Denver sensed that it was made of glass. "Who are you working for?" rasped Murray and as he raised his voice the guard started down the dump. "I'm not working for anybody," answered Denver boldly, "I'm out prospecting along the edge of the rim." "Oh--prospecting," said Murray suddenly moderating his voice; and then, as the guard stood watching them narrowly, he gave way to a fatherly smile. "Well, well," he exclaimed, "it's pretty hot for prospecting--you can't see very well in this glare. Whereabouts have you made your camp?" "Over on the crick," answered Denver. "What have you got here, anyway? Is this that diamond drill?" "Never mind, now!" put in the guard who, anticipating a call-down for his negligence, was in a distinctly hostile mood, "you know danged well it is!" "Oh, I do, do I?" retorted Denver, "well, all right pardner, if you say so; but you don't need to call me a liar!" He returned the guard's glare with an insulting sneer and Murray made haste to intercede. "Now, now," he said, "let's not have any trouble. But of course you've no business on this ground." "That's all right," defended Denver, "that don't give him a license to pull any ranicky stuff. I'm as peaceable as anybody, but you can tell your hired man he don't look bad to me." "That will do, Dave," nodded Murray and after another look at Denver, the guard turned back towards the tent. "Judas priest," observed Denver thrusting out his lip at the guard, "he's a regular gun-fighting boy. You must have something pretty good hid away here somewhere, to call for a guard like that." "He's a dangerous man," replied Murray briefly, "I'd advise you not to rouse him. But what do you think of our district, Mister--er----" "Russell," said Denver promptly, "my name is Denver Russell. I just came over from Globe."