The Winslow mail., 1924-05-16
VICTOR
ROUSSEAU
dpyRlGtFT 6y VIC cHAP1AN
CHAPTER xI
Sans Dance.


blue ground had been investigated, and
| it required an exposure of the blue
| rock to sun and air for weeks in order
to permit of proper disintegration.
! The crushing of the excavated material
had been a makeshift, inspired by
urgency. But stones should have been
found, and only a few small pebbles
had come to light.
Three days before the month ex-
| pired Winton received a letter from
! Judge Davis, in his capacity as
shareholder, requesting him to call
meeting in order to discuss certain
subjects of Importance. Winton ad-
vertised the meeting in the Chronicle,
set his teeth, and prepared for the in
evitable.
The day arrived. He found himself
at the table with Davis De Witt, Han
son, and the four small shareholders.
The transfer had been made irreyo-
cable He held forty-seven shares, and
the syndicate with Hanson, the same
number. The local men, with their six
shares, thus controlled the situation,
and their decision was not in doubt.
Winton went to the meeting in the
full expectation Of being Ousted and
of seeing De Witt reinstalled as purser.
He had steeled himself to bear the
humiliation, but the severance of his
relations with the claim, the end Of the
enterprise so far as he was concerned,
was difficult to face, And there would
be Ned out Of employment-Ned, still
in the hospital, though physically well,
in the hope that something could be
done for him; Ned, greeting Winton
with his mysterious mods and smiles
and Bible passages, and believing tnat
his references were understood.
The hostile atmosphere Of the meet
ing, De Wits expression Of triumph,
and Hanson's vindictive glances con-
vinced Winton that this move was
about to be made. But Davis never
did the obvious thing, and he had other
ends in view.
''NIr. Purser,'' he said, "the PROPOSE
ton to be placed before this meeting
Is as follows: that we go into volun-
tary liquidation for the purpose Of an
Immediate reorganization, in order to
raise fresh capital to develop our water
supply.
"You have made frequent complaints
that the flow of the company's water Is
not adequate to the working OF the
claim. l can bear you out in this, tor
I have investigated the matter, and,
being interested both in the claim ana
in the water company, phave naturally
done all that was possible to increase
the flow.
'1'he Big MalopO promises to be-
come the most profitable claim upon
the fields. The prosperity of all Ma
lOpo is closely bound up with the water
supply. By improving our water re-
sources we shall not only promote fra
ternity and concord'-here the judges
voice assumed it's quaverlng lntona-
ton, which in turn gave way to the
sharp business tone-"but shall enter
into a very profitable business enter
prise.
"Our water supply is at present
wholly dependent upon the under
ground storage accumulated during the
preceding rainy season. A succession
of two dry years would mean the total
cessation of all labor for months. Ob-
yiously we cannot remain at the mercy
Of the elements when"-he looked
about him for the anticipated approba-
tion-'it is possible to tap the Groot-
spruit river and secure an unfailing
supply throughout the year"
A storm of applause greeted him as
he sat down. Winton sprang to his
feet
"The Grootspruit is fifty miles
!" he cried. ''What is your est1-
mate Of the cost Of installing a plant
and laying pipes across the desert"
'I have submitted the question to
two competent engineers, Mr.. Garrett,
answered the judge. Their estimates
are practically the same. They place
the cost at, roughly, ninety thousand
pounds This will provide a sufficient
flow for the entire mining field"
Winton sat down, stunned more at
what lay behind the proposition than
at the suggestion itself. II the syndi-
cate was willing to invest as heaVly
as that, it meant that they were aware,
In ways unknown to himself, that the
Big Malopo was not merely a promls-
ing claim. but one of the biggest out
side the famous Kimberley fields.
For if was hardly likely that the syn
dicate was planning to cut the throat
Of It's own water company, which could
supply 1t with an ample quantity, in
order to bring water for fifty miles
across the desert And the scheme
meant, of course that Winton would
he frozen out completely, together with
the little men, who had doubtless been
let into the secret and had agreed to
sell. He would own only an inslgnih-
cant number of shares in the reOrgan-
/ lied concern.