he talked as if the fact of the girl's long absence was not in any way
remarkable.

Having mixed a batter the American sliced pork fat into the hot pan and
was instantly obscured from view by the smoke thereof. In a minute his
face appeared above it like the face of a genius.

"You will observe, gentlemen," he cried without bashfulness, "that I now
perform the eminently interesting operation of dropping cakes--one, two,
three. May the intelligent young lady return to eat them!"

No one laughed, but his companions smiled patiently at his antics--a
patience born of sitting in a very hot, steamy room after weeks in the
open air.

"You are a cook," remarked Bates.

The youth bent his long body towards him at a sudden angle. "Born a
cook--dentist by profession--by choice a vagabond."

"Dentist?" said Bates curiously.

"At your service, sir."

"He is really a dentist," said one of the surveyors with sleepy
amusement. "He carries his forceps round in his vest pocket."

"I lost them when I scrambled head first down this gentleman's
macadamised road this morning, but if you want a tooth out I can use the
tongs."