I did feel a scintilla of sympathy for him, despite his rude demeanor (and my emptied flask). “All is not lost, Mr. Buddle. As you can see, Emerson has the site under control and will uncover more artifacts. Herr Morgenstern will remain on our dahabeeyah until we are confident that he is capable of resuming his position. When he does, Emerson will continue to supervise from a distance. It is unfortunate that Eric von Raubritter was murdered. What do you know about him?”

“Nothing, nothing at all. He arrived shortly after Herr Morgenstern left for Cairo, and announced that he was taking over temporarily. It seemed to me that he had no idea whatsoever how to instruct the workmen.”

“He did not reside in the dig house. Do you have any idea where he was staying?”

Mr. Buddle shrugged. “I barely spoke to the man. At the end of the day a small boat transports me across the Nile to a more civilized dwelling, although, as one would expect, it is well below my standards. Von Raubritter must have found a place somewhere around here.” His eyes turned on me with beady suspicion. “What do you know about him?”

“Very little,” I admitted. “He was a German citizen and in good standing with the police force in Darmstadt. I have no clue whether or not he was acquainted with Herr Morgenstern before his appearance on the scene. It is certainly peculiar that he claimed to have his authorization.”

“I cannot see that it mattered, since he is dead.”

“I am certain that it mattered to him,” I said acerbically. “His head was bashed in and his body buried in the sand. Had it not been for a fluke of rigor mortis, he might have lain there until the inevitable stench was detected by predatory animals. I have seen the remains after the jackals and vultures have had their way. It is quite gruesome.”

He flinched and said, “Well, of course. I apologize if I seem to be blasé about his horrible death, and I wish I could give you more information about him. It seems likely that he was staying in the vicinity of the workmen’s makeshift campsite downstream and became embroiled in some sort of conflict with them.”

“Anything is possible, I suppose. After all, we found your name written on a card in the pocket of an assassin who broke into my bath chamber. When I shared that information with you, you were indeed blasé. Have you any explanation?”

“How could I? I have no idea who this man was. Upon arrival in Alexandria, I took a train to Cairo and stayed for only two days in a decent hotel. I did a spot of sightseeing and subsequently joined Herr Morgenstern here at the site. I did not speak to anyone at the hotel, except for staff, and I had no encounters of significance with the locals.”

“Have you ever been to Cornwall?”