Part 13 (1/2)
”Q E D!” said Fred, finishi+ng his drink
”Not at all,” said Monty ”There are two things yet to be deovernovernment has very special reasons for secrecy and tricks”
”We four against the Gerish odds,” said I
”Reovernhteous they'd be announced with a fanfare of tru us?” dee of plan,” said Monty
”Thank the lord! Thatof the sort, Fred But you three keep together They're going to watch you You watch theschen particularly closely, if you find him The closer they watch you, the ht of s drawn across my trail after I reach London Perhaps I'll return down the west coast and travel up the Congo River At any rate, when I do coal, in writing Let your game be to seem mysterious See Above all, listen!”
Fred leaned back in his chair and laughed
”Diduoose chase we ever started on! I adue first But think of it--here we are--four sensible men--hitherto sensible--off after ivory that nobody can really prove exists, said to be buried somewhere in a tract of half-explored country overnment, and half the criminals in Africa already on our idiotic heels!”
”Yet the Gerovernment and the crooks see for!” laughed Monty And none of us could answer that
For thatto withdraw froht seem in the intervals when cold reason shed its comfortless rays on us Intuition, or whatever it is that has proved superior so often to worldly wisdohed reason, and Fred hio the search
The voyage is short between Zanzibar and Mombasa, but there was incident We were spied on after very thorough fashi+on, Lady Saffren Waldon's title and gracious bearing (when that suited her) being practical weapons The purser was Goanese--beside himself with the fumes of flattery He had a pass-key, so the Syrian hly everything except the wallet of important papers that Monty kept under his shi+rt The first and second officers were rather young, unnorance of the wiles of such as Lady Waldon It was they who signed a paper recoents and a lot of other reputable people in Mo the possibility that the authorities ht not let hiainst hiht have caused him to be shi+pped back whence he came, but we did not find it out until afterward; nor did we know the law)
And at Mombasa we made our first united, serious reed
”I can coet you put up for the club, and be useful generally That, though, 'll lend color to the theory that you're in league with me--whereas, if I leave you to your own resources, that ain we'll be knowing better where we stand”
”If you came ashore for a few hours we'd have the benefit of your prestige,” said I
”I adhty near as useful on British territory as in N'York or Boston,” said Will ”We'd bask in smiles”
”Not wholly,” said Monty ”There's another side to that There's an English official element that would rather be rude to some poor devil with a title than draw pay (and it loves its pay, you h places, but o ashore with you”
”What's your own proposal?” Fred demanded
”I've stated it I want you fellows to choose There's no need of me ashore--that's to say, I've a draft to bearer for the amount you three have in the common fund--here, take it If you think you'll need o to the bank with you and cash soh”
”Plenty,” said Will
”Let's send him home!” proposed Fred
”How about communications?” We had contrived a code already with the aid of a pocket Portuguese-English dictionary, of which Fred and Monty each possessed a similar edition