-22-

spoke before Bill had a chance... "Not very long," said Jack quietly. Bill glanced curiously at Jack but said nothing. If Jack thought that thirty years was not very long that was all right with Bill.

   Thomason said, "I've been in and out of the Death Valley country for twenty years.  So has my partner. We know where there is a lost treasure. We've known about it for several years, and we're the only men in the world who do know about it. We're going to let you two fellows in on it. You've been good to us. You're both fine fellows. You haven't asked us any questions about ourselves, and we like you. We think you can keep a secret, so we'll tell you ours." 

   Jack blew smoke and asked, "A lost mine?"

   "No, not a mine," said Thomason. "A lost treasure house. A lost city of gold. It's bigger than any mine that ever was found, or ever will be."        

   "It's bigger than the United States Mint," Said White, with his voice and body shaken with excitement. "It's a city thousands of years old and worth billions of dollars. Billions of Dollars! Billions! Not millions. Billions!"

   Thomason and White spoke rapidly and tensely, interrupting each other in eager speech.

   Thomason said, "'We’ve been trying to get the treasure out of this golden city for years. We had to have help, and we haven't been able to get it."

   "Everybody tries to rob us," put in White. "They all want too big a share. I offered the whole city to the Smithsonian Institution for five million dollars -- only a small part of what it's worth. They tried to rob us, too! They said they'd give me a million and a half, and not a cent more."  White's fist crashed on the table...  “A lousy million and a half for a discovery that’s worth a bill1an dollars," he sneered.

   "Boats!" demanded the astonished Bill. "Boats in