“Good trick,” he said; “I paid fifty dollars fer the recipe tellin’ how to make ’em. I never need to go road agentin’ no more, to git all the cash I want. Feller that I bought the recipe of was a Chinaman. Ordinary, I take the drugs in their raw state, and mix ’em in whisky. But over in Virginny City I found a drug-store man what made it up in that shape fer me; and I kin kerry a lot of it in a small compass.” He held one of the brown tablets up in his fingers. “Contains jest two grains,” he said. “Let a man mix one o’ them in his whisky, and then let him drink it, and he’s jest got to have more. After that, I’ve got him. It makes him see visions and have the howlingest happy ole time, with adventures in clear joy, such as never was; all fer a few cents. One tablet will do that. Give him three; and he gits wild. Give him four er five, and he’d kill his best friend fer a dollar. Give him as high as ten, and he jest lays down and don’t know nothin’ fer twenty-four hours straight.” Tim Benson became intensely interested. He took the tablet and looked at it; felt it, smelled it, then tasted it. “Not much taste to it,” he remarked. “It’s the effect what does the work.” “You’ve tried ’em yourself?” “Not any fer me, thank ye! If I did, I’d simply be eatin’ ’em all the time; and it would be the end of me. It gits the best of ’em, after a while, if they don’t stop it; and they can’t stop it so long as the stuff is to be had. Start an Injun at it, and first he’ll trade ye his gun; then he’ll pass over his ponies and his blankets; finally he’ll give ye his squaws, if ye want ’em.” “He might murder you to get the stuff, I should think.” “It don’t work that way. When he’s the wildest, he’s still got sense enough to pertect the man what furnishes him his means of happiness, so’s he kin git more. See? So I always feel safe.” “Is it an opium compound?” “Thar’s opium in it, and Indian hemp; them’s the principal ingrediments. Thar’s another thing called woolly loco; an’ some jalpasca, which comes frum Ceylon. But--shucks, d’ye think I’m goin’ ter give ye ther recipe of how to make this?” Tim Benson sat staring at the little tablets. “How many you got of them?” he asked. “More’n enough to set a hundred men crazier’n a band o’ bobcats.” “That’s good!” “See hyer,” snarled the apelike man, showing his fang-like teeth. “Seems to me I’m doin’ all the talkin’--answerin’ all the questions! You ain’t opened up any information about yerself, thet I’ve noticed. No hawg bizness goes with me!” “I was just thinking.” “Didn’t I notice it. I want you should do some talkin’.” “I think we can make this stuff highly useful.” “I’m doin’ that already; it’s highly useful, to pull money in my direction. That’s a secrit I ain’t goin’ to sheer with nobody. Besides, you said we would have a confidential ixchange of information personal. I’ve laid my cards on the table; put down yours.” “Oh, I see! You want to hear my story.” “Prezackly.”