His destination was the telegraph office at Viper. Jerry
O'Keefe and a handful of others were to mobolize inconspicuously
there--though they were to remain seemingly disconnected and await his
instructions. Brent was to come on later and in his command, though
not in his immediate company, were to be Bud Sellers and several more.
The chief difficulty, of course, lay in communication. It was rather a
matter of groping in the dark, and the only plan which had seemed
feasible had been to divide the intervening country into zones and to
arrange outwardly innocent signals which should designate the locality
in which it might become imperative to gather and strike. Telephones
were few, and those that existed purely local in radius, but since
mining properties were dotted over the terrain there were, here and
there, scattered "talkin' boxes."
By neither telegraph nor 'phone would it be practicable to talk
frankly, but Halloway meant to learn what he could, and Brent was to
call him up from time to time--if he could. His inquiries would be
couched in questions as to possible purchases of timber for next
season's cutting and the germ of the reply would be suggestions of
locations--which he would understand.
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