And Markel has ruined me--I did not see through his trick until too late.

Listen! For years, as a mining engineer, I made a good salary--and I saved it.

Two years ago I had nearly seventy thousand dollars--it represented my life work.
I bought an abandoned mine in Alaska for next to nothing--I was certain it was rich.

A man by the name of Thurl, Jason T.Thurl, another mining engineer, a steamer acquaintance, was out there at the time--he was a partner of Markel's, though I didn't know it then.

I started to work the mine.