Stacy had thought this before, but did not care to have it corroborated
by this superfine young foreigner. "And I don't reckon that Barker is
offended if he is," he said curtly as he turned away. Nevertheless, he
felt irritated that one of the three superior partners of Heavy Tree
Hill should be thought a dupe.

Suddenly the conversation dropped, the laughter ceased. Every one turned
round, and, by a common instinct, looked towards the door. From
the obscurity of the hill slope below came a wonderful tenor voice,
modulated by distance and spiritualized by the darkness:--

"When at some future day
I shall be far away,
Thou wilt be weeping,
Thy lone watch keeping."

The men looked at one another. "That's Jack Hamlin," they said. "What's
he doing here?"

"The wolves are gathering around fresh meat," said Steptoe, with his
coarse laugh and a glance at the treasure. "Didn't ye know he came over
from Red Dog yesterday?"

"Well, give Jack a fair show and his own game," said one of the old
locators, "and he'd clean out that pile afore sunrise."

"And lose it next day," added another.

"But never turn a hair or change a muscle in either case," said a third.