“Blast his old pork rind!” confided the Cap’n to Hiram.  “I can circle him round and round the pen easy enough, but when I try to head him through the gate, he just sets back and blinks them hog eyes at me and grunts.  To get near him at all I had to act simple, and I reckon I’ve overdone it.  Now he thinks I don’t know enough to know that old Bodge is mostly whiskers and guesses.  He’s known Bodge longer’n I have, and Bodge don’t seem to be right bait.  I can’t get into his wallet by first plan.”

“It wasn’t no kind of a plan, anyway,” said Hiram, bluntly.  “It wouldn’t be stickin’ him good and plenty enough to have Bodge unloaded onto him, just Bodge and northin’ else done.  ’Twasn’t complicated enough.”

“I ain’t no good on complicated plots,” mourned Cap’n Sproul.

“You see,” insisted Hiram, “you don’t understand dealin’ with jay nature the same as I do.  Takes the circus business to post you on jays.  Once in a while they’ll bite a bare hook, but not often.  Jays don’t get hungry till they see sure things.  Your plain word of old Cap Kidd and buried treasure sounds good, and that’s all.  In the shell-game the best operator lets the edge of the shell rest on the pea carelesslike, as though he didn’t notice it, and then joggles it down over as if by accident; and, honest, the jay hates to take the money, it looks so easy!  In the candy-game there’s nothing doin’ until the jay thinks he catches you puttin’ a twenty-dollar bill into the package.  Then look troubled, and try to stop him from buyin’ that package!  You ain’t done anything to show your brother-in-law that Bodge ain’t a blank.”

The Cap’n turned discouraged gaze on his friend.  “I’ve got to give it up,” he complained.  “I ain’t crook enough.  He’s done me, and I’ll have to stay done.”

Hiram tapped the ashes from his cigar, musingly surveyed his diamond ring, and at last said:  “I ain’t a butter-in.  But any time you get ready to holler for advice from friends, just holler.”

“I holler,” said the Cap’n, dispiritedly.

“Holler heard by friends,” snapped Hiram, briskly.  “Friends all ready with results of considerable meditation.  You go right over and tell your esteemed relative that you’re organizin’ an expedition to discover Cap Kidd’s treasure, and invite him to go along as member of your family, free gratis for nothin’, all bills paid, and much obleeged to him for pleasant company.”

“Me pay the bills?” demanded the Cap’n.

“Money advanced for development work on Bodge, that’s all!  To be taken care of when Bodge is watered ready for sale.  Have thorough understandin’ with esteemed relative that no shares in Bodge are for sale.  Esteemed relative to be told that any attempt on the trip to buy into Bodge will be considered fightin’ talk.  Bodge and all results from Bodge are yours, and you need him along—­esteemed relative—­to see that you have a square deal.  That removes suspicion, and teases at the same time.”