"An’ have a knife in my back?" exclaimed Blascom, "or be killed in my sleep? I don’t know much about Jake, but what little I do know about him, th’ less he, or any of th’ fellers in town know about that sump, th’ better I’ll like it. There ain’t one I’d trust, an’ most of ’em are busted an’ plumb desperate. I’ve been pannin’ a lot better than fair day’s wages out here, but I’m doin’ without everythin’ that I can because I dassn’t look so prosperous. Let me show much dust in town an’ I’d be raided an’ jumped th’ same night. They’re like a pack of starvin’ coyotes. I don’t even keep my dust in this shack. I cache it outside at night." "Suppose you was to buy things in town with coin or bills, lettin’ on that it is yore bedrock reserve that yo’re livin’ on," suggested Tex. "That ought to help some." "But I ain’t got ’em," objected Blascom. "Got nothin’ but raw gold." Tex laughed and dug down into his pocket. "That’s easy solved. Here," he said, bringing up a handful of double eagles. "Gold weighs as much in one shape as it does in another--even less, bulk for bulk, without th’ alloy. I’ll change with you if you want." Then he drew back his hand and grinned quizzically. "It’s allus well to think of th’ little things. It might be better if we didn’t swap. You fellers ain’t likely to have a currency reserve: more likely to have it just as you dug it out. That right?" Blascom nodded. "Yes; ’though I knowed a feller that allus carried big bills in place of gold when he could get ’em, an’ when he wasn’t broke. They weighed a lot less. Raw gold would be better, out here." "All right; how’d you like to drop into th’ hotel about eleven tonight an’ win heavy from me in a two-hand game of draw? Say as much as we can fix up? How much you want to change? Couple of hundred?" He chuckled. "We can fix it either way: raw gold or currency." "Make it raw gold, then; better yet, mix it," said Blascom, arising, his face wrinkled with pleasure. He nodded swiftly. "Be back in a minute," and he went out. When he returned he went into a corner where he could not be seen by anyone passing the hut and took several sacks from his pocket. It did not take him long to weigh their contents and, calling his visitor over to verify the weights and the cleanness of the gold, he put the odd gold back into a sack and handed the other to his companion. "Two hundred even," he said. "Keep yore money till I take it away from you tonight. Much obliged to you, Jones." "How do you know I’ll be there?" asked Tex, smiling. "I got th’ gold an’ a cussed good cayuse. With such a good start it’ll be easy."