diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 6a2b5e3bf..7a9d985ec 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
+# We use native code; sue me.
+
 language: go
 
+# Detective work is required to ascertain why this is required BOTH in the
+# before_script directive and in the shell library.
 before_script:
-- gvm install go1.1 || true
-- gvm use go1.1 || true
+ - gvm install go1.1 || true
+ - gvm use go1.1 || true
 
 script:
- - make
+ - bash -l ./tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.sh
diff --git a/build/Makefile b/build/Makefile
index 3aa007b4d..9f9df0fcc 100644
--- a/build/Makefile
+++ b/build/Makefile
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ goskiplist-stamp: go-stamp
 
 gvm-stamp: bison-stamp cc-stamp mercurial-stamp
 	[ -x "$$(which gvm)" ] || { echo "gvm not found; install manually from https://github.com/moovweb/gvm." ; false ; }
-	-gvm install go$(GO_VERSION)
 	#
 	# ********** **********
 	# gvm installed go$(GO_VERSION) if it did not exist already.
diff --git a/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.sh b/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a111001fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Copyright 2013 Prometheus Team
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# A helper until https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-cookbooks/issues/184 is
+# remedied.
+
+. ./tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.shlib
+
+make -f Makefile || exit 1
diff --git a/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.shlib b/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.shlib
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bdad54490
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests-for-die-in-a-fire-travis.shlib
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Copyright 2013 Prometheus Team
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# A helper until https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-cookbooks/issues/184 is
+# remedied.
+
+gvm install go1.1
+gvm use go1.1
+
+go version
+go env