My first impulse was to warn Maqueda and Oliver that they were being watched, but reflecting that the business was awkward, and that the spy would doubtless have given over his task for this day, I left it alone, and went down to the Tomb of the Kings to help Higgs.  Just afterwards Quick came on duty, long before his time, the fact being that he had no confidence in the Professor as a director of mining operations.  When he appeared Higgs and I retreated from that close and filthy tunnel, and, by way of recreation, put in an hour or so at the cataloguing and archaeological research in which his soul delighted.

“If only we could get all this lot out of Mur,” he said, with a sweep of his hand, “we should be the most famous men in Europe for at least three days, and rich into the bargain.”

“Ptolemy,” I answered, “we shall be fortunate if we get ourselves alive out of Mur, let alone these bones and ancient treasures,” and I told him what I had seen that evening.

His fat and kindly face grew anxious.

“Ah!” he said.  “Well, I don’t blame him; should probably do the same myself if I got the chance, and so would you—­if you were twenty years younger.  No, I don’t blame him, or her either, for the fact is that although their race, education, and circumstances are so different, they are one of Nature’s pairs, and while they are alive nothing will keep them apart.  You might as well expect a magnet and a bit of iron to remain separate on a sheet of notepaper.  Moreover, they give themselves away, as people in that state always do.  The pursuit of archaeology has its dangers, but it is a jolly sight safer than that of woman, though it did land me in a den of lions.  What’s going to happen, old fellow?”

“Can’t say, but I think it very probable that Oliver will be murdered, and that we shall follow the same road, or, if we are lucky, be only bundled out of Mur.  Well, it’s time for dinner; if I get a chance I will give them a hint.”

So we made our way to the old temple in the great cave, where we kept our stores and Oliver had his headquarters.  Here we found him waiting for us and our meal ready, for food was always brought to us by the palace servants.  When we had eaten and these men had cleared away, we lit our pipes and fed the dog Pharaoh upon the scraps that had been reserved for him.  Then I told Oliver about the spy whom I had caught tracking him and Maqueda.

“Well, what of it?” he said, colouring in his tell-tale fashion; “she only took me to see what she believed to be an ancient inscription on a column in that northern aisle.”

“Then she’d have done better to take me, my boy,” said Higgs.  “What was the character like?”

“Don’t know,” he answered guiltily.  “She could not find it again.”

An awkward silence followed, which I broke.

“Oliver,” I said, “I don’t think you ought to go on sleeping here alone.  You have too many enemies in this place.”