duck of his head.

"I went straight on with the answer.

"'Tavor says it's about a five or six days' journey from a sea coast
town.'

"'Hard traveling?'

"'No, Tavor says you can get within two miles of the place without any
difficulty whatever--he says anybody can do it. The only difficulties
are on the last two miles. But up to the last two miles, it's a holiday
journey for a middle-aged woman.'

"Old Nute grunted. He put his fat hands together over his waistcoat and
twiddled his thumbs.

"'Well,'; he said, 'what's in your mind about it?'

"We were now up to the trade and I stated the terms.

"'It's like this,' I said, 'Tavor's down and out. He's got only six
months to live. Fifth Avenue piled full of gold won't do him any good if
he's got to wait for it. What he wants is a little money quick!'

"Old Nute's eyes squinted.

"'How much money?' he said.

"'Well,' I said, 'Tavor will turn his map over to you for ten thousand
dollars... Death's crowding him.'

"Old Nute's fat fingers began to drum on his waistcoat.

"'How do I know the gold's there and the map's straight?'

"'Did you ever know Tavor to lie?' I said.

"'No,' he said, 'Tavor's not a liar; but I am a business man, Mr.
Barclay, and in business we do not go on verbal assurances, no matter
how unquestioned.'

"'That's right,' I replied, 'I'm a business man, too; that's why I came
instead of sending Tavor.... you found out he wasn't a business man in
the first deal.'

"Then I took my 'shooting irons' out of my pocket and laid them on the
table.

"There,' I said, 'are twenty, one-thousand United States bonds, not
registered,' and I put my hand on one of the big manilla envelopes;
'and here,' I said, 'is an accurate description of the place where this
treasure lies and a map of the route to it,' and I put my hand on the
other.

"'Now,' I went on, 'I believe every word of this thing. Charles Tavor is
the best all-round explorer in the world. I've known him a lifetime
and what he says goes with me. We'll put up this bunch of stuff with a
stakeholder for the term of a year, and if the gold isn't there and if
the map showing the route to it isn't correct and if every word I've
said about it isn't precisely the truth, you take down my bonds and keep
them.'

"Old Nute got up and walked about the room. I knew what he was thinking.
'Here's another one of them--there's all kinds.'

"But it hooked him. We wrote out the terms and put the stuff up