se idiots of English are
worse than the Turks! They have stopped all excavation. They
are so afraid of Bolshevism that, if they could, they would
imitate Joshua and make the sun stand still!"

"Well, what's the idea?" asked Grim, finishing his whiskey.

Scharnhoff shrugged his shoulders.

"You know my position. I am helpless--here on suffrance--obliged
by idiotic regulations to sit in idleness. But if I could find a
British officer with brains--surely there must be one somewhere!
--one with some authority, who is considered above suspicion, I
could show him, perhaps, how to get rich without committing any
crime he need feel ashamed of."

I could not see Grim's eyes from where I sat, and he did not make
any nervous movement that could have given him away. Yet I was
conscious of a new alertness, and I think Scharnhoff detected it,
too, for he changed his tactics on the instant.

"Hah! Hah! I was joking! Nobody who is fool enough to be a
professional soldier would be clever enough to find the Tomb of
the Kings and keep the secret for ten minutes! Hah! Hah! But I
have a favour I would like to beg of you, Major Grim."

"I've no particular authority, you know."

"Ach! The Administrator listens to you; I am assured of that."

"He listens sometimes, yes, then usually does the other thing.
Well, what's the request?"

"A simple one. There is a risk--not much, but just a little risk
that some fool might stumble on that secret of the Tomb of the
Kings and get away with the treasure. Now, did you ever set a
thief to catch a thief? Hah! Hah! I would be a better watch-dog
than any you could find. I know Jerusalem from end to end. I
know all the likely places. Why don't you get permission for me
to wander about Jerusalem undisturbed and keep my eye open for
tomb-robbers? If I am not to have the privilege of discovering
that Book of Chronicles, at least I would like to see that no
common plunderer gets it. Surely I am known by now to be
harmless! Surely they don't suspect me any longer of being an
agent of the Kaiser, or any such nonsense as that! Why not make
use of me? Get me a permit, please, Major Grim, to go where I
please by day or night without interference. Tomb-robbers
usually work at night, you know."

"All right," said Grim. "I'll try to do that."

"Ah! I always knew you were a man of good sense! Have more
whiskey? A cigar then?"

"Can't promise anything, of course," said Grim, "bu