Northrup demurred, but after a little pressure accepted the
accommodation.
"I pay you soon back," he promised.
Trelawney laughed recklessly. He had been drinking.
"You bet. Me too."
His companion flashed a look of warning at him and explained that they
were going down the river to look for work outside of the district.
Suddenly Trelawney broke loose and began to curse Macdonald with a
bitterness that surprised the Government agent. What struck him most,
though, was the obvious anxiety of Northrup to quiet his partner and to
gloss over what he had said. Thinking of it later, Gordon wondered why
the Dane, who had as much cause to hate Macdonald as the other, should
be at such pains to smooth down the man and explain away his threats.
Elliot bought an automatic revolver next morning and a box of
cartridges. He was not looking for trouble, but he intended to be
prepared for it when trouble came looking for him. With a rifle he was a
fair shot, but he lacked experience with the revolver. In the afternoon
he walked out of town and practiced shooting at tin cans for a half an
hour. On his way back he met Peter Paget.
The engineer came straight to the subject in his mind.
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