“I don’t think he is,” Kitwater replied slowly.  “It put me to a lot of inconvenience, and came just at the time when I was most anxious to leave.  Besides it might have meant trouble.”  He paused for a moment.  “As a matter of fact they brought it in ’suicide during temporary insanity, brought on by excessive drinking,’ and that got me over the difficulty.  It must have been insanity, I think, for he had no reason for doing away with himself.  It was proved that he had plenty of money left.  What was more, Coddy gave evidence that, only the day before, he had told him he was tired of life.”

Hayle looked at both with evident admiration.

“Well, you two, taken together, beat cockfighting,” he said enthusiastically.  Then he added, “But what about the secret?  What did you get out of him?”

“Here it is,” said Kitwater, taking an old leather case from his pocket, and producing from it a small piece of parchment.  “There’s no writing upon it, but we have compared it with another plan that we happen to have, and find that it squares exactly.”

He leant over Hayle’s shoulder and pointed to a certain portion of the sketch.

“That’s the great temple,” he said; “and what the red dot means we are going to find out.”

“Well, suppose it is, what makes you send for me?” Hayle inquired suspiciously.

“Because we must have another good man with us,” Kitwater replied.  “I’m very well, but you’re better.  Codd’s head-piece is all right, but if it comes to fighting, he might just as well be in Kensal Green.  Isn’t that so, little man?”

Mr. Codd nodded his head.

“I said, send for Hayle,” he remarked in his quiet little voice.  “Kit sent and now you’re here, and it’s all right.”

“Codd speaks the truth,” said Kitwater.  “Now what we have to do is to arrange the business part of the matter, and then to get away as quickly as possible.”

The business portion of the matter was soon settled and Hayle was thereupon admitted a member of the syndicate for the exploration of the ancient town of Sengkor-Wat in the hinterland of Burmah.

For the remainder of the day Hayle was somewhat more silent than usual.

“If there’s anything in their yarn it might be managed,” he said to himself that night, when he was alone in his bedroom.  “Kitwater is clever, I’ll admit that, and Coddy is by no manner of means the fool he pretends to be.  But I’m Gideon Hayle, and that counts for something.  Yes, I think it might be managed.”

What it was he supposed might be effected he did not say, but from the smile upon his face, it was evident that the thought caused him considerable satisfaction.

Next day they set sail for Rangoon.

PART II