n, and shipped on board the
steamer _Jemadar_ for London."

"When did the _Jemadar_ reach London?"

"On the twenty-third of June," he answered. "We have made inquiries upon
that point."

I made a note of this and then continued my inquiries.

"One other question," I said. "While we are on the subject, what do you
suppose would be the total value of the treasure of which he
robbed you?"

"That is very difficult to say," Kitwater replied, and then turned to
his companion and held out his hand. The other took it and tapped upon
the palm with the tips of his fingers in a sort of dot-and-telegraph
fashion that I had never seen used before.

"My friend says that there were ninety-three stones, all rubies and
sapphires; they were of exquisite lustre and extraordinary size.
Possibly they might have been worth anything from a hundred and seventy
thousand pounds to a quarter of a million."

I opened my eyes on hearing this. Were the men telling me the truth? I
asked myself, or were they trying to interest me in the case by
exaggerating the value of the treasure?

"What you say is almost incomprehensible," I continued. "I trust you
will forgive me, but can you substantiate what you say?"

"When we say that we are willing to pay your expenses in advance if you
will try to find the man, I think we are giving you very good proof of
our _bona fides,_" he remarked. "I am afraid we cannot give you any
other, seeing as I have said, that we are both poor men. If you are
prepared to take up our case, we shall be under a life-long gratitude to
you, but if you cannot, we must endeavour to find some one else who will
undertake the task."

"It is impossible for me to decide now whether I can take it up or not,"
I said, leaning back in my chair and looking at them both as I spoke. "I
must have time to think it over; there are a hundred and one things to
be considered before I can give you a direct reply."

There was silence for a few moments, and then Kitwater, who had been
holding his usual mysterious communications with his friend, said--

"When do you think you will be able to let us have an answer?"

"That depends upon a variety of circumstances," I replied. "It is a
matter difficult to average. In the first place there is no knowing
where the man is at present: he may be in London; he may be in America;
he may be in any other portion of the globe. It might cost five hundred
pounds to find him, it might cost five thousand. Y