Telling Chick and Patsy to keep somewhere near the wharf, so that they could be found when he returned, Nick Carter strolled off with Jefferson Arnold and Jai Singh to the office of the Arnold corporation on one of the several business streets of the ancient city. There were white and Indian employees about the place. But in the office was only one young man, an American, who had been brought up in his native city, New York, until he had taken the position of assistant manager in the Calcutta branch of the importing and steamship house of the Arnold Company, a year before. This young man’s name was John McKeever, and he was as keen as a newly ground bayonet. “Hello, McKeever!” was Jefferson Arnold’s greeting. “What has become of Pike?” “Gone,” replied McKeever laconically. “Know where?” “No idea. He just simply dried up. I came here one morning and he had cleaned out the safe and decamped. I went to the bank and found he had not deposited much of late, but that, two days before, he had taken out most of the company’s balance.” “And they let him have it without question, eh?” put in Nick Carter. “Certainly. It was not an unusual thing for him to take out all the money he had there--or most of it, especially when one of the ships of the company was nearly due. Everybody knew that the steamer _Jefferson_ was expected about that time.” “The _Jefferson_ is the sister ship of the _Marathon_, Carter,” explained Arnold incidentally. “They are the two finest vessels of our fleet.” “So he had no difficulty in getting the money,” continued McKeever. “It was supposed he meant to ship the cash to the home office in New York.” “I see,” nodded Nick Carter. “Pretty well managed. But what about Leslie Arnold, Mr. McKeever?” “He had been in the office two or three times. He said he was going tiger hunting soon, but that he thought he’d wait till the _Jefferson_ came in, so that he could hear something about his father and affairs at home generally by direct word of mouth from the captain.” “But he did not wait, after all?” “No. He vanished just about the time Pike went,” replied McKeever. “We are not sure that there is any relation between the two in appearances. But there are the facts, just as I give them to you.” “A hundred thousand dollars, you told me in your telegram, McKeever,” observed Jefferson thoughtfully. “That’s what I figure it,” answered the young man. “But I cannot swear that Pike didn’t fix the books.” “H’m! Very likely he did,” grunted Jefferson. “Well, we’ll get out on the night train. Jai Singh will have to be our guide. He seems to have some idea of where we may find Leslie. What do you say, Carter?” “That’s the only thing to do,” answered the detective. “We will get what things we need and go. There is nothing to be done here. Fortunately, I know both your son and Pike. So does my man Chick. My other assistant, Patsy Garvan, has never seen either of them. But I can rely on him to help when the time comes.”