"You put up a great fight," she agreed. "Oh, I'm handing it to you, all of you! You're the best little bunch I ever ran across. Say, I wouldn't believe an English lord could be as much of a hustler as you, Lord Chesby. Your uncle, he—"
She shrugged.
"What about my uncle?" asked Hugh eagerly. "D'you mind telling how your push got on to him?"
"N-no, I suppose there's no harm now," she answered slowly. "Poor old fellow! I was darned sorry he was croaked. We none of us— Well, what's the use talking? That Toutou is a devil, Mr. Nash knows it. I only hope he and the rest of you don't get to know him any better. But about your uncle, Lord Chesby. He was a cinch. He ran around here like a kid in a game of 'Cops-and-thieves.' Everybody knew he was up to something. The authorities thought he was just a nut. But when he took to snooping around Tokalji's house, our folks got wise to it he might be on to something good. Tokalji's tribe have always had this tradition of a treasure— But you know about that. Tokalji had been working with us since before the War, and he realized this was more than he could tackle by himself, so he called on Toutou. The rest is what's going to happen."
"And that?" asked Hugh, grinning.
"My dear young lord, you'll lose your shirt—if not your life," she retorted airily.
"Tough luck," said Hugh, "but your people have got to do better, in that case."
"You're dead right," she agreed. "Say, Mr. Zaranko, on the level now, did that girl of Tokalji's sell out to you last night?"
Nikka stared at her blankly, his face a perfect mask.
"We had a good deal of trouble with her," he returned. "Had to tie her up. She was right on our heels, with her knife."