Bob nodded. “I figured it out that way also. Now, suppose an outsider--myself, for instance--succeeded in getting his application filed without designating the basis for the exchange of lands, and the surveyor-general has issued me a receipt for my preliminary payment of twenty dollars on account of the purchase of the lieu land--what then? When he discovered I was an outsider, could he reject my application?” “Well, he might try, Bob. But with his receipt in your possession, that would be bona-fide evidence of an implied contract of bargain and sale between you and the State of California. You could institute a mandamus suit and force him to make the selection of lieu lands for you.” “I figured it out that way” said Bob musingly. “The only rift in the surveyor-general's lute is the fact that while he has never yet bumped up against the right man, he is due to so bump in the very near future. However, Mr. Dunstan, I do not think our present surveyor-general is doing business with the land ring. I think the guilty man is one of his deputies through whom ninety-nine per cent of the office routine is transacted, and the land-grabbers have him under their thumbs.” “Then why not go direct to the surveyor-general with your troubles?” queried Dunstan. Bob shook his head. “No hope in that direction. The office records show all bases used, and the deputy--the surveyor-general, in fact--can find defense for their arbitrary ruling in the matter of designation of the basis--by claiming that their office force is not large enough to permit of such extended search of the records; hence they turn their records over to the applicant of lieu lands and let him search for himself. The surveyor-general, being honest, will be hard to convince that his deputy is not--particularly since the deputy is probably an old friend.” “It's a peculiar condition” said Dunstan. “The worst that can happen to the deputy is to lose his job, the dummy entryman can abandon his filing at any time he may elect, and there is no law making it a felony to accept money in exchange for information--if you do not state where you acquired it. How are you going to stop this looting?”