The assayer glanced over his shoulder at the hope-destroying slips.

"The 'See Saw' claim," he said perfunctorily. "You bought it, Van, who
from?"

"From Selwyn Briggs."

"Sorry," said the assayer briefly. "H'm! That Briggs!"

"You don't mean---- It couldn't have been salted on me!" Van declared.
"I took my own samples, broke down a new face purposely, sacked it all
myself--and sealed the sacks. No one touched those sacks till you
broke the seals in this office. He couldn't have salted me, Frank.
What possible chance----"

The assayer went to a shelf, took down a small canvas bag, glanced at a
mark that identified it as one in which samples of "See Saw" rock had
arrived for the former assay, and turned it inside out.

"Once in a while I've heard of a cute one squirting a sharp syringe
full of chloride of gold on worthless rock, through the meshes of the
canvas, even after the samples were sealed," he imparted quietly.
"This sack looks to me like some I've encountered before that were
pretty rich in gold. I'll assay the cloth if you like."

Van took the sack in his hand, examined it silently, then glanced as
before at his papers.

"Salted--by that lump of a Briggs!" His lip was curved in a mirthless
smile. "I guess I've got it in the neck all right. These last samples