He was entirely content to work on a farm for wages.

But he gave Whiteman his map, and described the cement region as well as he could and thus transferred the curse to that gentleman--for when I had my one accidental glimpse of Mr.W.in Esmeralda he had been hunting for the lost mine, in hunger and thirst, poverty and sickness, for twelve or thirteen years.
Some people believed he had found it, but most people believed he had not.

I saw a piece of cement as large as my fist which was said to have been given to Whiteman by the young German, and it was of a seductive nature.

Lumps of virgin gold were as thick in it as raisins in a slice of fruit cake.

The privilege of working such a mine one week would be sufficient for a man of reasonable desires.
A new partner of ours, a Mr.Higbie, knew Whiteman well by sight, and a friend of ours, a Mr.Van Dorn, was well acquainted with him, and not only that, but had Whiteman's promise that he should have a private hint in time to enable him to join the next cement expedition.