e three night clubs the desert town boasted. He
went to the bar and ordered a drink. He downed it slowly, carefully,
after the manner of a man who wanted to stay sober.

A half-hour passed before a thin, nervous individual elbowed to the bar
and stood beside him. Joe said. "Hello, Nick. You been thinking it
over?"

"I need a drink."

"Sure, Nick. Then we'll go some place and talk." But Nick got rid of
five drinks while Joe protected his own glass from the barkeep. After a
while, Joe said, "I'm willing to up the price, Nick. Two thousand--cash.
All I got."

"Le's get out o' here," Nick mumbled.

They walked out of the town and into the desert, Nick stumbling now and
again, to be supported by the tense, sober Joe. "Two thousand, Nick. You
need the dough."

"Sure. Need the dough. But it wouldn't work. Couldn't get you into one
o' them barrels."

"You wouldn't have to. All I ask is that you come along in the morning
and seal me up in one. All you'll have to do is lock on the lid."

"How you know the barrels are going on the ship?"

"Never mind about that. I just know. I paid to find out."

"Okay--suppose you do get on the ship in a barrel. Maybe it'll be stored
in a hold somewhere. Maybe they wouldn't open it very soon. You'd die."

"I got a way to get out. One of them special torches. The little ones.
Aluminum isn't very strong. I can cut it like butter."

"It'd be hot. You'd burn yourself."

"Let me worry about that," Joe said fiercely. "You want the two grand or
not?"

Nick wanted the two thousand and he was against the wall for excuses.
Then he had a happy thought. "Barrels is air-tight. You'd smother.
Thing's im--impracac'l. We'll forget it."

"I won't smother. I'm taking my own oxygen. Enough to last me clear to
the Moon if it has to. Come on. Break down!"

"Okay. For two grand. Got to have the dough now though."

His heart singing, Joe Spain counted out two thousand in cash. When he'd
finished he had exactly nine dollars left. He was a pauper. But the
happiest pauper who ever bought with his whole fortune the thing he
craved most.

"You won't double-cross me now, will you? If you've got any ideas like
that--"

"I'll do like we said. Nick Sparks never went back on his word--never.
But how you going to stay hid when it's time to leave work?"

"Leave that to me. It'll be easy. They don't check Building B too close.
No double check 'cause it's over a mile from Building A--outside the
safety per