"Yes," said he; "only the mine itself has the last chance. But they think they know that Pete won't turn up, and they gamble on stealing the mine with the Brady certificate. Your perspicacity enables you to estimate the importance of Mr. Peterson." "My perspicacity," I said, giving it back to him cold, "informs me that some jackleg lawyer has been and bunked Pete out of the paper long since. And he couldn't pay off what's ahead of him any more'n he could buy the Homestake? Come, there's more than this to the initiation!" "Yes, there is," he admitted. "You remember Lucy, of course? No one could forget her! Well, her father and I are in on a secret pool of his friends, they to find the money, we to get this certificate." "Where does Lucy come in?" said I. "I get her," he replied, coloring up. "And success makes us all rich!" I never said a word. Lungy was leery that I was soft on Lucy--I might have been, easy enough--and sat looking at me for a straight hour. "Can you find him for me?" said he, at last. "Sure!" said I. He smoked another pipeful and knocked out the ashes. "Will you?" said he, kind of wishful. "If you insult me again," I hissed, "I'll knock that other lung out! Turn in, you fool, and be ready for the saddle at sun-up!" We rode two days in the country that looks like the men had gone out when they had the construction work on it half done, when a couple of horsemen came out of a draw into the cañon ahead of us. "The one on the pinto," said I, "is the perspiration specialist." "If he doesn't recognize you," said Lungy, "let the dead past stay dead!" Out there in the sunshine the Jackleg looked the part, so I wondered how we come to be faked by him. We could see that the other fellow was a sheriff, a deputy-sheriff, or a candidate for sheriff--it was in his features. "Howdy, fellows!" said I. "Howdy!" said the sheriff, and closed his face. "Odd place to meet!" gushed the Jackleg, as smily as ever. "Which way?" "We allowed to go right on," I said. "This is our route," said Jackleg, and moseys up the opposite draw, clucking to his bronk, like an old woman. "What do you make of his being here?" asked Lungy. "Hunting Swedes," I said. "And with a case against Pete for robbery and assault. I hope we see him first!" We went on, Lungy ignorantly cheerful, I lost-like to know what was what, and feeling around with my mind's finger for the trigger of the situation. Suddenly I whoaed up, shifted around on my hip, and looked back. "Lost anything, Bill?" asked Lungy. "Temporarily mislaid my brains," said I. "We're going back and pick up the scent of the Jackleg." Lungy looked up inquiringly, as we doubled back on our tracks.