I have something to say to them."
Within ten minutes the five hundred laborers and mechanics had been
gathered in a compact crowd. Now that the excitement of hustling the
gambler off the scene had died away, many of the men were sorry that
they had not made their disapproval plainer. Though Tom Reade plainly
understood the mood of the men, he mounted a barrel, holding up both
hands as a sign for silence.
"Now, men," he began, "you all know that the pay train is due here this
afternoon. You are all eager to get your money--for what? It is a
strange fact that gold is the carrion that draws all of the vultures. A
few minutes ago you saw one of the vultures here, preparing to get his
supposed share of your money away from you. Does Jim Duff care a hang
about any of you? Do any of you care anything whatever for Jim Duff?
Then why should you be so eager to get into one of his tents and let him
take your money away from you?
"It is true that, once in a while, a solitary player gets a few dollars
away from a gambler.
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