Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

362 hand. ‘ That’s the regular game, Mr. Ger- vaise,” he answered. ‘“ Chiefly, because of their investors. But they knows there’s a big pocket of alluvial somewheres along the Fulani bed, only they don’t know I knows where it is. It’s been known for years past. And it’s known that there’s just the one pocket and no more. So, by purtending that they’ve found it, they’ve skeered away the little fellows who was hangin’ on to ’em and can’t find nothing.” ‘So the other managers left because they discovered that the mine was not going to start up again?” ‘““'They guessed it was a fake, and they didn’t trust the comp’ny. This mine will never start up, Mr. Gervaise. It’s bluff— bluff all through, like the comp’ny itself. When the little fellows’ abandoned claims fall in the comp’ny will take them over and search. But they won’t never find noth- ing unless they come to Tom Binns.” ‘“And nobody knows but you?” “Me and Sir Phil Ashton—and he’s in jug and can’t tell. Damn him! TI told him afore the comp’ny men come in that if he and me went partners we’d be mil- lionaires in a few years. Wouldn’t listen to me. Didn’t care nothing for gold. Head all whirlin’ about freedom and oppressed races, and sich damn nonsense, when there was the gold a-lying at his feet for the picking up. Damn him!” he raved malevo- lently. ‘‘ Gimme a knave rather’n a fool every day, sir!” ‘‘Look here, Tom,” said Dean, “ if you know where this pocket is to be found, why don’t you give up your job and work it?” Tom turned his face upon Dean’s scorn- fully. ‘“ Look here, boy—I mean Mr. Ger- vaise,” he said, ‘it’s clear enough to me you're a raw hand at this game. That’s what made me take to you. I wouldn’t ha’ told these things to nobody but you. Eight years agone I found this here pocket of gold. And I went to the king to get the concession. And there was others had wind of it, and was buzzin’ round the old king like bees. Time was when Sir Phil and I could have pulled off the trick. But, as I was a-sayin’, he wouldn’t come in with me. He had other fish to fry. And he got the concession, and wouldn’t let me in—me ARGOSY-ALESTORY WEEKLY. . that could have made him a millionaire in- side of a year. ‘Why didn’t I take out a license and work my claim after his concession fell through and the comp’ny grabbed the land. You heard what they did to him?” ‘“‘T’ve heard something.”’ ‘“‘ Put him away in jug, because he’d got a treaty from King Matsucbenga, and they wanted his land. Jugged him for trading in @ lump of gold he’d picked up on his own land! There ain’t no law nor justice in Batakaland sence the British got out. Why don’t I work that mine? You think I want to serve five or ten years on the breakwater at Cape Town? Them as knows things like that finds it pays to keep quiet. I’m a going to let that thieving comp’ny look for the gold, and I’m a going to set back and laugh. I’m the watchman—that’s me!” ‘And now,” said Dean, “‘ I want you to tell me what you know about that gold inside the safe.” Tom turned his face suspiciously upon Dean. ‘“'What you ask me that for again?” he demanded. ‘I told you—”’ “Yes, I know what-you told me, Tom. But I want to know how long that gold has been there. The company told me nothing about it. They must know it is there. A thousand pounds’ worth of gold isn’t put away and forgotten.”’ Old Tom was trembling. ‘‘ Look a-here, sir,” he began, laying his forefinger on Dean’s hand again. “I just told you how the comp’ny jugged Sir Phil Ashton for selling a lump of his own gold. That was’a plant, same as this. They want to jug me, ’cos they guess I know where the alluvial lies and won’t tell them.” The suspicion flashed through Dean’s mind that it was himself the company want- ed to implicate, that this was Eltzmann’s revenge for the incident in Johannesburg. But he dismissed the idea as too fantastic. “T’ve been thinking it over,” quavered Tom. “It’s a plant, like that one. And I’m a going to leave. They wants to jug me. They’re a going to say as they weighed it, and some of it’s gone. I’m a going to leave, sir. And if I was you I’d leave. I COMmMiCMoolks.CGonm