My father it was
who found the manuscript at Cuzco, and although I cannot state
authoritatively, yet I believe I am correct in saying that he had
a copy made. But whether the copy was merely a transcript or
actually a translation, I cannot tell. I think it was the
former, as if Vasa, reading a translation, had learned of the
jewels, he undoubtedly would have stolen them before selling this
mummy to the Parisian collector."
"Perhaps he did," said Braddock, pointing to the rifled corpse.
"You see that the emeralds are missing."
"Your assistant's assassin stole them," insisted Don Pedro
coldly.
"We cannot be sure of that," retorted the Professor, "although I
admit that no man would jeopardize his neck for the sake of a
corpse."
Archie looked surprised.
"But an enthusiast such as you are, Professor, might risk so
much."
For once in his life Braddock made a good-humored reply.
"No, sir. Not even for this mummy would I place myself in the
power of the law. And I do not think that any other scientist
would either. We savants may not be worldly, but we are not
fools. However, the fact remains that the jewels are gone, and
whether they were stolen by Vasa thirty years ago, or by poor
Sidney's assassin the other day, I don't know, and, what is more,
I don't care.
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