Part 7 (1/2)

”Shoot when you're ready!” grinned Yerkes

I was too excited to sit still So was Fred

”Get a rowled

”Well,” said Monty, ”there seeht to be as good as anybody's But there are one or two stiff hurdles In the first place, the story is common property

Every one knows it--Arabs--Swahili--Greeks--Ger for it would spell failure, for the simple reason that every adventurer on the coast would trail us, and if we did find it we shouldn't be able to keep the secret for five minutes If we found it anywhere except on British territory it 'ud be taken away from us before we'd time to turn round And it isn't buried on British territory! I've found out that much”

”Good God, Didums! D'you mean you knohere the stuff is?”

Fred sat forward like a man at a play

”I knohere it isn't,” said Monty ”They told me at the Residency that in all human probability it's buried part in Gero”

”Then that ten per cent offer by the British is a bluff?” asked Yerkes

”Out of date,” said Monty ”The other governht lishovernment is an unknown quantity, but would probably see reason if approached the proper way”

”The U S Consul tells overnate of cutthroats, horse-thieves, thugs, yeggs, coht-of-hand professors that the world ever saw in one God-forsaken country He says they're of every nationality, but without squea or shoot you as soon as look at you! He says if there's any ivory buried in those parts they've either got it and sold it, or else they buried it thereenhorns over the border!”

”That man's after the stuff himself!” said Fred ”All he wanted to do was stall you off!”

”That schen the doctor told us about,” said Monty, ”is suspected of knohere to look for so He's in British East Africa at present--said to be co Nairobi and other places for a certain native He is known to stand high in the favor of the Gery”

”He shall study deathnology,” said Fred, ”if he gets inup the stuff, of course, if they'd knohere to look for it Our people believe that the Ger the Congo crowd on the scent If we're after it we've got to do two things besides agreeing between ourselves”

”Deal me in, Monty!” said Yerkes

”Nil desperandum, Didums duce, then!” said Fred ”I propose Monty for leader Those against the motion take their shi+rts off, and see if they can lick , Didums!”

For all Fred's playfulness, Yerkes and I came in of our free and considered will, and Monty understood that

”We've got to separate,” he said, ”and I've got to interview the King of Belgiurinned Yerkes, ”I'd prob'ly tell his!”

”I don't pretend to like him,” said Monty ”But it see to Brussels He can't very well refuse o government satisfactory to all concerned He's rapacious--but I think not ninety per cent rapacious”

”Good,” said I, ”but why separate?”

”If we traveled toward the Congo froa and bob-tail on our heels As it is, our only chance of shaking all of theo fro up the trail in Geret back to British East as fast as possible Fred schen You two fellows o by way of British East Africa to Muanza on Victoria Nyanza, and on froo border by way of Ujiji Yerkes is an American, and they'll suspect him less than any of us (they'd nail reat show of looking for land to settle on We'll all four o border, at soree on a code, and keep in touch by telegraph as often as possible Now, is all that clear?”