CHAPTER XXII
JOE EMBRY'S HAND
WITH Steele in his cabin were Rice and Turk Wilson. Jim Banks after the one outburst had maintained stoutly that he had appeared on the scene of action tonight merely because he had heard rifle shots and because it was his sworn duty to keep the peace. That when Steele had come upon him from the rear he had supposed he was one of the gang trying to rob the Goblet.
"You lie so well," Steele had said contemptuously, "that we'd have no case against you in court. Good night, Jim."
Now his one interest lay in Turk Wilson. There were ten feet of water covering his gold and he could forget the Goblet for the rest of the night. He turned from Turk, who lay white and silent on the cabin bunk, and picked up his telephone, ringing Indian City and curtly asking for Mr. Carruthers.
"Hello, Bob; this is Steele," he announced when, after ten minutes' delay he heard Carruthers' sleepy voice at the other end of the line. "You said Dr. Gilchrist was in camp, didn't you? Well, I want him to come over right away … Oh, I know. But listen. Bob. It's a case of a friend of mine pretty badly hurt and in my fight. Yes, we've had it little shindy over here; remember Embry? He's at the bottom of it.
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