Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BANDIT OF BATAKALAND. shack toward the brick building. Tom looked after him. | ‘“P’raps you wouldn’t mind eating here, sir, till we get things ship-shape for you,” he said. ‘Tl eat anywhere,” answered Dean. Tom Binns took down a can of bully beef from a shelf, lit a fire in front of the shack, and boiled a kettle of tea. In a few minutes Dean, seated on a packing-case, was eating with a relish. Ten minutes later he leaned back with a sense of intense sat- isfaction, and lit his pipe. He was con- scious of the old watchman’s eyes turned suspiciously on his. ‘“T suppose you don’t want any papers to show who I am?” he inquired. ‘“ Mr. Eltzmann said they would not be neces- sary. I have the keys.” ‘No, Mr. Gervaise,” answered Tom. “I was just wondering where you come from. You don’t look like these here managers from Johannesburg as we’ve been having,” “Tm an American,” said Dean, “ but I was in Johannesburg for some time. This is a pretty rich mine, I understand—I haven’t been through the reports yet.” “ Richer than the Rand, boy!” answered Tom. “We got gold enough here to mint all the money the world’s a going to need for the next hundred years.” “You don’t look very busy,” said Dean, glancing about him. Tom seemed disconcerted at the remark. “ They’m. waiting for new machinery, maybe,” he answered. ‘‘ What you ask me for?” he continued with sudden ferocity. ‘You ought to know, sir. The company don’t tell me nothing. I’m only the watch- man. And it was me that found it.” ‘You located this mine?” ‘“T did that!” shouted Tom. “ Eight year agone, when they was saying there was no gold in Batakaland.”’ “You ought to have held on to it.” ‘Held on to it? There was half a dozen more besides me that was a-holding on to it —damn ’em all!” He slammed his fist down on his knees, and then shot a glance at Dean so full of suspicion that Dean came to the conclusion - the old man was a little deranged. “T think I’ll take a look over the place, 359 Tom,” he said, ‘‘ to get some sort of idea of it. Then to-morrow we'll take it up in detail.” ‘“Very well, sir,” answered the other, who seemed ashamed now of his outburst. He accompanied Dean into the stamp- mill, which he unlocked with the keys that he carried. Dean went through it, inspecting the machinery carefully. It was small, but of the modern kind, with gyrating rock- breakers for crushing the ore, which was then. passed to the storage bins, and from here fed to the stamps. Next it was passed over the concentrating tables, where the gold was extracted with sodium cyanide, a final quantity being recovered from the tailings in the amalgamating pans. From the mill Dean went over the terri- tory, looking at the empty mule stables and - taking a cursory glance into the mine. The headgear was in good order, but no ventila- tion had been installed, and there was stag- nant water in the bottom of the shaft. ‘‘ When do you expect to start up again?” Dean asked. Tom Binns tapped him on the shoulder. ‘“ Never!” he hissed in his ear. “What d’you mean?”’ Tom became evasive instantly, and Dean could get nothing more out of him. He Jed the way toward the brick building. ‘‘ This here’s your quarters, sir,” he said as they entered. The building consisted of two rooms. The outer was a cheaply furnished living- room, with a few plates and dishes on a buffet. The inner contained a cot bed and bureau; clothes were scattered about the floor, and on the bed lay Newman, fast asleep. ‘‘ Jim’s been a-sleeping here, Mr. Ger- vaise,’ said the watchman apologetically. ‘“ He had a touch of rheumatiz,-and didn’t like his quarters over yonder. But he'll be turning out this afternoon, and then welll get the place shipshape. I'll cook for you; there ain’t no boys here, Mr. Ger- vaise, at present.”’ Dean was wondering what had become of Tietjens. He would have given a good deal just then for the services of the Hot- tentot. ‘Where does this door lead to?” he COmiclbooks.Gornn