"That," replied Biff with a smile, "was Chandra's idea."
"It looks like I picked the right United States," put in Chandra. He turned to Biff and Kamuka. "You had chance number one and two. That gave me chance number three. I hit it right."
"You sure did," Biff agreed. He turned to Mike. "But how do you come to be in India? How do you know about all this?"
"You remember my uncle, the judge in Mexico City?"
"Of course."
"I came here with him on a visit, and we happened to meet your father. My uncle can tell you about it, better than I can." Mike paused a moment, then asked: "Do you have the ruby?"
For answer, Biff looked around and saw that he and his friends were alone. Then he brought out the priceless packet, opened it, and displayed the Light of the Lama. It took Mike's breath away. Never before, perhaps, had the rare gem flashed more vividly, more dramatically, than at that moment. That was all Mike needed to see.
"Put it away," he said. "We'll go over to my uncle's hotel and talk to him."
Mike arranged for a cab, and they went to the hotel. There they met Judge Felix Arista, a quiet man with a white beard and flowing hair that gave him a very austere expression. But the kindly welcome that he gave to Biff put Chandra and Kamuka completely at their ease.
Then Judge Arista went further. He spoke to Kamuka in Portuguese, then to Chandra in Hindi, so fluently that both boys were quite overwhelmed. Judge Arista also assured Biff that all was well with his father, the last they had heard from him. Next, Judge Arista introduced a middle-aged man of military bearing named Colonel Gorak, who evidently held some key position with the government of India. Both were keenly interested in the ruby when Biff produced it. Then Judge Arista turned to the boys and said, "Tell us all that has happened."