He found Dick superintending the careful erection of a wall of rock and cement, and he thought for an instant that the American looked annoyed to see him there.  But Dick assumed his poker expression the moment afterward, and you couldn’t have guessed whether he was glad or sorry.

“You block the tunnel?” the maharajah asked.

“The vein’s disappeared,” said Dick.  “The rock’s all faulty here this and that way.  I’m shoring up the end to keep the roof from falling down on us, and next I’m going to turn sharp at right angles and try to find the end of the vein where it broke off.”

“You are too near the fort in any case,” said the maharajah.  “No use driving under the fort.”

“What do you propose I should do?” Dick answered a trifle testily.

“Dig elsewhere.”

“What, and scrap this outlay?”

“Yes.  I have a reason.  A particular—­eh—­reason.”

Dick nodded, poker face set solid.

The maharajah paused.  His advantage was that his face was all smothered in the bandages, and the dim light in the tunnel was another good ally.  His back, too, was toward the entrance, so that the American’s chance of reading between the words was remarkably slight.  Dick’s back was against the uncompleted masonry.

“Could I—­eh—­count on you for—­eh—­very absolute silence?”

“I talk like that parrot in the story,” Dick answered.

“You—­eh—­know a little now of Sialpore, Mr. Blaine.  You—­eh—­understand how easily—­eh—­rumors get about.  A little—­eh—­foundation and—­eh—­ up-side-down pyramids of fancy—­eh?  You comprehend me?”

“Sure, I get you.”

“Eh—­you have a good working party.”

“Fine!” said Dick.  “Just about broke in.  Got the gang working pretty well to rights at last.”

“Would you—­eh—­it would take a long time to get such another party of laborers—­eh—­trained to work well and swiftly?”

“Months!” said Dick.  “Unless you’ve got tame wizards up your sleeve.”

“Eh—­I was wondering—­eh—­whether you would be content to—­eh—­take your working party and—­eh—­do a little work for me elsewhere?”

“I’m right set on puzzling out this fault in the reef,” Dick answered promptly.  “My contract reads—­”

“For compensation, of course,” said Gungadhura.  “You would be adequately—­eh—­there could be a contract drawn.”

“I wouldn’t cancel this one—­not for hard cash,” Dick retorted.

“No, no.  I do not ask that.  It would—­eh—­not be necessary.”

“Well, then, what’s the proposal?”

Dick settled himself back against the masonry crossed his feet, and knocked out ashes from his pipe.  The maharajah walked twice, ten yards toward the entrance and back again.

“How long would it take you—­eh—­to—­eh—­what was it you said?—­to puzzle out this fault?”

“No knowing.”

“A short—­eh—­additional delay will hardly matter?”