Untitled Chapter

He ate dry food, drank sparingly, slept at the mine mouth with the Winchester under his arm, and listened to the desert night press against the canyon. By day, he cut ore from the wall. By night, he sealed the entrance with stones and left only a gap wide enough for himself. He was not greedy. Not yet. One man could not carry away a mountain. A man who tried would become another body outside the mine. He needed the first stake. Enough to buy horses, guns, men, and information. Enough to change him from a hunted pauper into an enemy worth fearing. On the third morning, Jack lashed six sacks of ore to the horses. Old Bill carried the lightest load.