:09:08
Someday the schoolbooks
of my country will sing your praises.
:09:15
I don't think we want
this nosed around, do we, Doctor?
:09:18
I was taking poetic license.
:09:20
Our literacy rate in Central Vatawi
is 99 percent.
:09:24
The point is, my entire country
will be in your debt...
:09:28
for returning the Sahara Stone
to its rightful people.
:09:32
- This is him?
- I am the permanent representative...
:09:35
- of Central Vatawi
at the United Nations.
- Some job of explaining you did.
:09:39
You may call me "Doctor" Amusa,
Mr. Dortmunder.
:09:43
You see, the countries
of Central and Outer Vatawi...
:09:47
have been stealing the Sahara Stone
from one another for generations.
:09:51
We like to think
it was originally ours.
:09:54
The whole matter at present is
being studied by the United Nations.
:09:57
Being a member of that body...
:10:00
I, of course, have complete faith in
the wisdom of their eventual decision.
:10:06
But as you Americans might say,
in case they blow it...
:10:11
I'd feel more secure
with the jewel in my possession...
:10:14
which is why,
naturally enough, we are here.
:10:17
Mr. Dortmunder is not entirely
committed yet, Doctor.
:10:20
I won't pay a penny
more than 25,000 a man.
:10:23
I didn't ask for any more.
:10:25
It comes to a total
of exactly $100,000.
:10:29
Four men. If you need five,
you'll each take less.
:10:33
What if we can do it with three?
:10:35
That will still be 25,000.
:10:38
I wouldn't want
to encourage greed.
:10:41
There's no greed around here, Doctor.
We're all men of goodwill.
:10:45
If I weren't a man of goodwill...
:10:48
I might think that some of us lied...
:10:51
about the prison records
of others of us.
:10:54
As it is, I know it
was only an oversight.
:10:59
The doctor is, uh,
a most understanding employer.