e
turned on me. I guess I prefer Keralio's job to mine----"

The valet's eyes flashed vindictively as he retorted:

"Could your puny brain have conceived this scheme which will make us
all rich? Keralio outlined ze whole plan to me directly he heard of
your existence. On our reaching Cape Town, after finding you starving
on ze _veldt_, I cabled him ze news. A few hours later he told me
exactly what to do. He knew you would do it. How, I do not know. He
is no ordinary man, Keralio. When I first saw you out zere, unkempt,
in rags, starving, I could have dropped dead from surprise. It never
occurred to me that you might be useful. But Keralio knew. He knows
everything. He also knew that you would accept his leadership, that
you would quickly get rid of monsieur, and secure ze diamonds. Was it
not his idea that you set fire to ze ship? And who set fire to ze
ship, _s'il vous plait_, when you refused? Who but your very humble
servant. And a hard, dangerous job, it was, too--catch me ever wanting
to do it again!"

"Not half so bad as mine. He put up a terrible fight before I threw
him overboard."

"Who--monsieur?"

"Yes--he fought like a wildcat, and he was fast getting the best of me,
when I managed to give him a rap on the head. That quieted him, and
over he went." With an exclamation of disgust, he added: "It was a
d----d nasty job. I'm sorry I ever went into it----"

"Sorry--you fool? _Sapristi_! Just think of this wonderful
opportunity. You have ze keys to his vaults, you have control of his
bank accounts." Lowering his voice, and, with a significant leer on
his face, he added "and you have--his wife!"

Handsome grinned, and the valet went on:

"_Precisement_! Madame is cold and haughty, like all zese American
women. It's not exactly my taste, but she's pretty and dainty, and----"

"Who are all these other people," interrupted the miner, "that man
Steell----"

"Yes, that is so. You must know everyone. You must make a study of
each, so as to avoid making bad breaks. Monsieur Steell is a lawyer.
He's in love with madame's sister, Miss Ray. You've known him all your
life, went to school with him, and all that sort of thing. Say 'yes'
to everything he says. That's your cue at present. Talk as little as
you can, and agree with everybody. The man you must talk with most is
Monsieur Parker. He is president of the mining company. Happily he's
rather shortsighted, so he won't notic