"That's true," said Dick. "Still, I wedged the thing up shortly before the accident. It has stood a number of shocks; in fact, it can't be loosened by pressure on the back. When do you _think_ the last blow was struck?" "After yours," Jake answered meaningly. "Then the probability is that somebody wanted the truck to fall into the hole and smash the block." "Yes," said Jake, who paused and looked hard at Dick. "But I'm not sure that was all he wanted. You were standing right under the block, and if I hadn't been a little to one side, where the lights didn't dazzle me, the smashing of a lot of concrete wouldn't have been the worst damage." Dick said nothing, but his face set hard as he braced himself against the unnerving feeling that had troubled him on the previous night. The great block had not fallen by accident; it looked as if somebody had meant to take his life. The cunning of the attempt daunted him. The blow had been struck in a manner that left him a very slight chance of escape; and his subtle antagonist might strike again. "What are you going to do about it?" Jake resumed. "Nothing," said Dick. Jake looked at him in surprise. "Don't you see what you're up against?" "It's pretty obvious; but if I ask questions, I'll find out nothing and show that I'm suspicious. If we let the thing go as an accident, we may catch the fellow off his guard." "My notion is that you know more than you mean to tell. Now you began by taking care of me, but it looks as if the matter would end in my taking care of you. Seems to me you need it and I don't like to see you playing a lone hand." Dick gave him a grateful smile. "If I see how you can help, I'll let you know. In the meantime, you'll say nothing to imply that I'm on the watch." "Well," said Jake, grinning, "if you can bluff Stuyvesant, you'll be smarter than I thought. You're a rather obvious person and he's not a fool." He went away, but Dick lighted a cigarette and sat still in the shade. He was frankly daunted, but did not mean to stop, for he saw that he was following the right clue. His reason for visiting the Adexe wharf had been guessed. He had been watched when he went to the Vice-Consul, and it was plain that his enemies thought he knew enough to be dangerous. The difficulty was that he did not know who they were. He hated to think that Kenwardine was a party to the plot, but this, while possible, was by no means certain. At Santa Brigida, a man's life was not thought of much account, and it would, no doubt, have been enough if Kenwardine had intimated that Dick might cause trouble; but then Kenwardine must have known what was likely to follow his hint.