"You're hired--for a year, month, and day. And as much longer as you
like. Suit you?"

"Suits me."

"You're my foreman, then. Hire your teams the first thing. Make your own
terms. I'll tell you this much--it's a big thing. A mine--a he-mine;
copper. That's partly why Stan is in jail. And if it comes off, you won't
need to worry about the kid's schooling. I aim to give you, extra, five
per cent of my share--and, for men like you and me, five per cent of this
lay is exactly the same as all of it. It's that big.

"I'm askin' you to obey orders in the dark. If you don't know any details
you won't be mad, and you won't know who to be mad at; so you won't jump
in to save the day if I fail to come through with my end of it on
schedule, and get yourself killed off. That ain't all, either. Your face
always gives you away; if you knew all the very shrewd people I'm
buckin', you'd give 'em the marble eye, and they'd watch you. Not knowin'
'em, you'll treat 'em all alike, and you won't act suspicious.

"Listen now: You drift out quiet and go down on the Gila, somewhere
between Mohawk Siding and Walton. Know that country? Yes? That's good.
Leave your teams there and you go down to Yuma on the train. I'll
get a bit of money for you in Tucson, and it'll be waitin' for you in Old
Man Brownell's store, in Yuma. You get a minin' outfit, complete, and a
good layout of grub, enough to last six or seven men till it's all gone,
and some beddin', two or three thirty-thirty rifles, any large quantity
of cartridges, and 'most anything else you see.

"Here's the particular part: Buy two more wagons, three-and-a-half-inch