Читать книгу Buffalo Bill's Weird Warning; Or, Dauntless Dell's Rival онлайн

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“Buffler Bill is workin’ fer ther gov’ment,” said Tex. “He won’t bother none with the cap’n.”

“Ye never kin tell about him, Tex,” averred Clancy. “Wharever Buffler scents any unlawful doin’s, he’s li’ble ter butt in; an’ we don’t want ter give him no chance ter git fracasin’ round with us.”

“But if he does,” said Tex, “we’re goin’ ter do him up?”

“We are,” declared Clancy; “him an’ his pards—Nomad an’ ther Injun kid, Leetle Cayuse. I’m close ter the last ca’tridge, Tex, an’ you an’ Andy better go up an’ have ther hosses ready. We won’t linger around ther ore-dump none, arter we come out.”

Wild Bill, screened by the corner of rock, had heard every word of this talk. The mysterious doings, in the light of the conversation among the scoundrels, was now clearly explained.

The five men were “salting” the worthless mine; that is, they had loaded the shotgun-shells with fine gold, and were blowing the gold into the breast of the level. When the intended victim came to take his samples of the vein, he would chip off pieces of the doctored rock, and when the rock was assayed, it would show the mine to be a heavy “gold-producer.” On this showing, unless the intended victim was warned, a hundred thousand dollars would change hands, and Captain Lawless, of the Forty Thieves, whoever he was, would be that much richer.