Heeley burst into laughter.

"It's that blanky monkey," he said.

"D'yeh mean t' say you leave four thousan' quids' worth o' monkey run round loose in the bush like this ?" Mr.Heeley grinned amiably, replaced the revolver on the stump, and turned his attention to the cash box once more.

That cash box was decidedly heavy, but the Professor, whose heart had been in his boots at the prospect of a big loss, was now tremulous with hope, and watched the Missing Link anxiously.

Mahdi scraped and picked at the grass with a diverting show of monkey antics, sniffed at the boiler in which the leg of mutton had been cooked, and backed away nearer Heeley, with a yowl of consternation as his nose encountered the scalding water.