e 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."

"Rubbish," he answered, "though it's true Pharaoh seemed uneasy last
night, and that once I woke up and thought I heard footsteps in the
court outside. I set them down to ghosts, in which I have almost come to
believe in this haunted place, and went to sleep again."

"Ghosts be blowed!" said Higgs vulgarly, "if there were such things I
have slept with too many mummies not to see them. That confounded Joshua
is the wizard who raises your ghosts. Look here, old boy," he added,
"let me camp with you to-night, since Quick must be in the tunnel, and
Adams has to sleep outside in case he is wanted on the army business."

"Not a bit of it," he answered; "you know you are too asthmatical to get
a wink in this atmosphere. I won't hear of s