Part 56 (2/2)
He had known honest ht for it, to commit any crime for it--and, if need be, to die for it But the chief ith his ene to be done was to carry the treasure directly to the chief's hut and there await him He would bribe the men with him sufficiently to close their aaze and discovered no sign of hied his elephants so that they could start at once up the coast to the seaport He aiting on the native highway for the return of histhe botherso of U thunder of the explosions worried hio and see
Every village chief has his successor in hope This individual was one of those who had helped Umballa to carry the treasure frouided him to the cave itself He spoke to Uht; for to these yet sie folk Uion was the same
”Holy one,” he said, ”we can best your eneerly
”Yonder is the chief's bullock cart I myself will find the bullocks!”
”What then?”
”We shall be on the way south before the others land”
”An extra handful of gold for you! Get the oars out! Let us hurry!”
”More, holy one; these men will obey me”
”They shall be well paid”
Umballa had reached the point where he could not plan without treachery He proposed to carry the basket into the jungle somewhere, bury it and make ith every man who knew the secret; then, at the proper time, he would return for it with a brave caravan, his own men or those whose loyalty he could repurchase
The landing was made, the basket conveyed to the bullock cart, which was eht out and harnessed--all this activity before the fishi+ng boats had covered half the distance
”I see light,” murmured Umballa
He tried to act coolly, but when he spoke his voice cracked and the blood in his throat nigh suffocated him
”Sand, holy one!”
”Well, what of sand?”
”You can dig and cover up things in sand and no one can possibly tell
The sand tells nothing”
They drove the bullocks forward mercilessly till they ca, but not before Uold to set the men wild
They were his He smiled inwardly to think how easily they could have had all of it! They were still honest
The sand was smoothed down over the basket It would not have been possible for the hue
Umballa drove down a broken stick directly over where the basket lay
He had beaten the Now to rid himself of these sied to become the chief's successor was then played upon by Umballa; to set the two factions at each other's throats; a perfect elimination Umballa advised him to rouse his friends, declare that the white people had taken the gold away froent
Thus, in this peaceful fisherold and politics, for the two are inseparable Uleefully He witnessed the rival approach his chief, saw the angry gestures exchanged, and knew that dissension had begun The e clustered about