etched up at the _casa_ and had dinner, which commenced with a
dry soup of ochre-coloured rice. It was a curious meal all through, and
across the little well-yard we could watch the cooking done in earthen
pipkins of various sizes, each over its own charcoal fire. Then we went
into the _cafe_--an irregular room, with the roof partly supported
on arches, concrete floor, and heavy odour of rancid oil and Government
tobacco--and sat on rush-bottomed chairs round a little deal table to
sip our cognac and discuss on the next move.

"Now that we are coming to close quarters," said I, "it's beginning to
be borne in upon me that our proceedings are very lawless."

"Anarchistic, to say the least of it," observed Haigh.

"We are simply acting on the principle of the 'greatest good for the
greatest number,'" said Taltavull. "Pether is one; you are two, and I
flatter myself that I and my Cause make an important third; the
interests of the one must go under in favour of the interests of the
three."

"Which being interpreted," said I, "is, that if A has a watch, and B,
C, and D are poor men with pistols, the watch of necessity changes
hands. It may be natural enough from your point of view, but it's
devilish like highway robbery from mine."

Taltavull shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. "I shall never convert
you, _amigo_," said he.

"I tell you what it is," said Haigh. "Senor Taltavul's conscience is
satisfied, and so much the better for him. You and I, Cospatric, are
too poor to afford the luxury of consciences. Pether, it seems, has
this Recipe in the form of an undeveloped photographic negative.
Perhaps he had no particular title to it in the first instance; but
then, on the other hand, nor had we. Correctly speaking, I suppose the
thing either belonged to the owner of the Talayot, or else, as
treasure-trove, should revert to the crown. But on the glorious
principle of 'no catchee no havee,' I think we may leave these two last
out of consideration. Under ordinary circumstances, I should have
barred jumping on the chest of a man who is afflicted with blindness;
but as this particular individual has seen fit to humbug me to the top
of his bent, I shall waive that scruple. Senor Taltavull, I'm with you
in this to anything short of justifiable manslaughter. And
Cospatric----"

"Won't pin himself, in spite of that scrawled insult of
_Hereingefallen_," I cut in. "So that's how we all stand. And now
easy with the debate, for if