I dunno.
I'll make a note of it. Well, you get the right idea for the first thing.
Honest men wanted; no questions asked. And then what?"

"Money."

"You've said it, kid! We could quitclaim that hill for a million cash
to-morrow--"

"If we had any claim to quit," interrupted Stanley; "and if we could drag
capital out here and rub its nose in our hill."

"That's the word I was feelin' for--capital. It's capital we want,
Stanley--not money. I could get a little money myself down at Tucson.
Them two honest men of mine live there. We used to steal cattle together
down on the Concho--the sheriff and Jose Benavides and me. I aim to feed
'em a slice of my share, anyway--but what they could put in wouldn't be a
drop in the bucket. We want to go after capital. There's where you come
in. Got any rich friends back East?"

Stan reflected.

"My cousin, Oscar Mitchell, is well-to-do, but hardly what you would call
rich, in this connection," he said. "But he is in touch with some of the
really big men. We could hardly find a better agent to interest capital."

"Will he take the first steps on your bare word--without even a sample or
an assayer's report?"

"Certainly. Why not?"

"Back you go, then. Here's where you come in. I had this in mind,"
declared Johnson, "when I first throwed in with you. I knew we could find
the mine and you'd be needed for bait to attract capital. I rustled a
little expense money at Tucson. Say, I didn't tell you about that.
Listen!"

He recited at length his joyous financial adventures in Tucson.

"But won't your man Marsh tell Zurich about your unruly behavior?" said
Stan at the finish.

"I think not. He's got too much to lose. I put the fear of God in his
heart for fair. I couldn't afford to have him put Zurich on his guard.
It won't do to underestimate Zurich. The man's a crook; but he's got
brains. He hasn't overlooked a bet since he came here. Zurich is
Cobre--or mighty near it. He's in on all the good things. Big share in
the big mines, little share in the little ones. He's got all the water
supply grabbed and is makin' a fortune from that alone. He runs the
store, the post-office, and the stage line. He's got the freight
contracts and the beef contracts. He's got brains. Only one weak point
about him--he'll underestimate us. We got brains too. Zurich knows that,
but he don't quite believe it. That's our chance."

"Just what will you ask my cousin to do? And when shall I go?"

"Day b