Page 92 - The snake's pass

80 THE SNAKE'S PASS.
" The idea," he said, " is Murdoch's own, and I have
neither lot nor part in it. My work is simply to carry
out his ideas, with what mechanical skill I can command,
and to invent or arrange such appliances as he may
want. Where his theories are hopelessly wrong, I point
this out to him, but he goes on or stops just as he chooses.
You can imagine that a fellow of his low character is
too suspicious to ever take a hint from any one ! We
have been working for three weeks past, and have been
all over the solid ground, and are just finishing the
bog."
" How did you first come across him ? " I asked.
"Very nearly a month ago he called on me in Dublin,
having been sent by old Gascoigne, of the College of
Science. He wanted me to search for iron on his pro-
perty. I asked if it was regarding opening mines? he
said, ' no, just to see if there should be any old iron
lying about.' As he offered me excellent terms for my
time, I thought he must have some good—or rather I
should say some strong motive. I know now, though
he has never told me, that he is trying for the money
that is said to have been lost and buried here by the
French after Humbert's expedition to Killala."
" How do you work ? " I asked.
"The simplest thing in the world; just carry about
a strong magnet—only we have to do it systematically."
"
" And have you found anything as yet ?
" Only old scraps—horseshoes, nails, buckles, buttons
;
our most important find was the tire of a wheel. The