The man continued speaking slowly.
"When, finally, it was borne in upon us that Major Carstair was
seeking a treasure somewhere on the barren plateau of the Gobi,
we took every measure, consistent with a proper courtesy, to show
him how fantastic this notion was. We had, in fact, to exercise
a certain care lest the very absurdity of the conception appear
too conspicuously in our discourse."
He looked across the table at the girl.
The man's great bald head seemed to sink a little into his
shoulders, as in some relaxation.
"We brought out our maps of the region and showed him the old
routes and trails veining the whole of it. We explained the
topography of this desert plateau; the exact physical character
of its relief. There was hardly a square mile of it that we did
not know in some degree, and of which we did not possess some
fairly accurate data. It was entirely inconceivable that any
object of value could exist in this region without our knowledge
of it."
The man was speaking like one engaged in some extremely delicate
mechanical affair, requiring an accuracy almost painful in its
exactness.
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