'Wouldn't it be better to open it up?' Engles suggested.
Mayne hesitated. The lust to actually see the gold shone in his eyes. 'All right,' he said. 'Prise it open with that pick and let's have a look at it.'
Engles pushed the box along the concrete floor towards him. 'You'd better do it,' he said. 'It's your gold.'
Mayne laughed. 'I'm not a fool, Engles,' he said. 'Break it open!'
Engles shrugged his shoulders. He took up one of the picks and, setting his foot on the box to steady it, drove the point of the pick into it. It went in quite easily and when he put pressure on it, the rotten box fell apart.
It was full of earth.
Mayne uttered a cry and peered forward. Then he jumped back, the gun quivering in his hand. 'What sort of trick is this?' he screamed. 'What have you done with the gold, Engles? That's not gold. It's earth. What have you done with it?' He had lost control of himself completely. His face was twisted with rage. 'What have you done with it?' he repeated. 'Tell me what you've done with it, or — or—' He had become almost incoherent. For a moment I thought he was going to shoot Engles down.
'Don't be a fool,' Engles said. His voice was abrupt and had a ring of authority in it. 'Those boxes have lain there in the earth since they were put there. Your friends Muller and Mann probably know where the gold is. But you've killed them.'
'Why did you suggest opening the box?' Mayne demanded. He had got a grip on himself now. 'Why did you want me to see what was inside? You knew the gold wasn't there.'
'I only suspected that your friends had double-crossed you,' Engles replied.