Page:London - Son of the Wolf, 1900.djvu/74

60, and they 'll be down by the water-hole in a few minutes to settle it."

The incident was repeated for his benefit, and Malemute Kid, accustomed to an obedience which his fellow men never failed to render, took charge of the affair. His quickly formulated plan was explained, and they promised to follow his lead implicitly.

"So you see," he concluded, "we do not actually take away their privilege of fighting; and yet I don't believe they 'll fight when they see the beauty of the scheme. Life 's a game, and men the gamblers. They 'll stake their whole pile on the one chance in a thousand. Take away that one chance, and—they won't play."

He turned to the man in charge of the Post. "Storekeeper, weigh out three fathoms of your best half-inch manila."

"We 'll establish a precedent which will last the men of Forty-Mile to the end of time," he prophesied. Then he coiled the rope about his arm and led his followers out of doors, just in time to meet the principals.

"What danged right 'd he to fetch my wife in?" thundered Bettles to the soothing overtures of a friend. "'T wa'n't called