'No, come along,' he said.
Mayne made no objection and I climbed over the clutter of machinery. Already they had made a great gap in the concrete flooring. Keramikos was beginning to pick at the earth underneath. There was a hard frozen crust at the top, despite the concrete covering. But six inches down it was soft. Engles put his hammer down and I took up a pick. 'Take it easy,' Engles whispered to me. 'There's no hurry. Sorry you didn't make it. Good try — but quite hopeless.'
I nodded. 'It was foolish of me to try,' I said.
We worked in silence. Keramikos and Engles took up shovels and left me to pick the earth loose for them. Mayne gave us no rest. We worked steadily and methodically and all too quickly the hole deepened. 'We'll soon be on to the gold if this is where it is,' I whispered to Engles when our heads were bent close together. The hole was over two feet deep already. 'He'll start shooting as soon as we get down to it, won't he?' I asked.
'Yes,' he said. 'But he'll have us get it all up first. That is, as you say, if it's here. How are you feeling now?'
'Cold,' I whispered back. 'But all right as long as I keep on the move.'
'Well, don't start anything until I tell you.' He bent close to Keramikos and began whispering to him. The Greek nodded and his thick hairy hands seemed to fasten more firmly round the haft of his shovel.
'Stop talking and get on with it,' Mayne ordered. His voice was cold, but he could not keep a tremor of excitement out of it.
'He begins to get excited now,' Keramikos said, his little eyes bright behind their lenses. 'Soon he will lose control. He will become obsessed by the gold. Then he may get careless. That will be our chance. Do not work too fast.' I wondered whether he had his gun on him.
'Stop talking!' Mayne's voice trembled. 'Work in silence or I'll shoot one of you.'