Part 51 (1/2)
”Give ested Fred maliciously
”Deluded man!” she sneered ”All the letters you have written since you came to Muanza lie in a drawer in the commandant's desk! Ishadows thrown by the cheap trade lantern, it was difficult to judge as going on behind that beard of Fred's I had begun to suspect he was co and would yield to her presently, but he returned to the attack--very directly and abruptly
”What is it you know against the Gerovernment?” he de for her answer
”Why should I tell you? Why should I put myself completely in your power?”
”Why not?” asked Fred
”What would prevent you frovery potent that I think you would not understand if I talked of it,” Fred answered ”Listen to me now a minute I haven't conferred with my friends here, as you know Whatever I tell you is subject to their agreeing with me The only condition on which I, for one, would consent to taking part with you in anything--after all our experience of you!--would be that you should put yourself so completely in our power that we could feel we had your safekeeping On those ter to do ree to that like a shot!” said Will; and I nodded
”You !” Fred insisted
”You mean that you also, just like these Gerht you wouldn't understand!” Fred answered ”What we deive us your confidence Without that we have nothing to say to you, and nothing to do with you!”
She broke down then and cried a little, tearing herself with sobs she hated to release Suddenly she raised her head and glared at us wildly, dry-eyed; not a tear had acco
”If I tell you--if you fail me after that--I shall kill myself in such way that you shall know--hed It was no doubt the best thing to do, but I wondered how heus,” he said ”We can discuss the blood-stains afterward!”
Then she suddenly burst into her tale, as if she had rehearsed it a hundred times in readiness to pour into the ears of the first British official who had power enough to shi+eld her She told it dra no breath on side-issues, and without once pausing to explain, letting her words smash down the barriers of unbelief and pave their oay for explanations afterward
”Ger to conquer the world!--not now, but ten or a dozen years fro ready ceaselessly! Part of the plan is to underious influence a the natives That is the special duty of Professor Schillinschen As soon as possible a great native arhly schooled in the fanatical precepts of Islam
But the German people are too heavily taxed already, and refuse to votemust be made because it is only here that they can work unsuspected So funds must be found in so at the bar of justice could have see I was quite sure: she had found it worth her while to convince us if that were possible She was playing no half-hearted gain to see nohy the Ger Tippoo Tib's hoard of ivory? Do you begin to understand why they are deter it, but to learn your secret? If ruh ivory to finance this plan of theirs! They have been going about the search systematically, and sooner or later they feel they must stumble on it They will not let you forestall theain Her very earnestness exhausted her er had done
”Take your ti!”
”When I told you in Nairobi that Lord Montdidier had been murdered, I believed I was so near the truth that you would never know the difference I knew the order had been given to have hiiven by men who are accustoround They feared he overn! To-day London is the ivory e! They mean first to crush competitors, and then monopolize! They hope the ivory is in this country In that case their task will be easy But if it should be found in British East, they are all ready with the necessary ricultural concession, and they will fence that place off so thoroughly that no one will ever be the wiser until they have carried the ivory out of the country!”
”They could never get it out of British East without the governhed at him
”If worse cae ten times the territory elsewhere for just that sive up Ger! They have fooled the French and Russian governland diploain of that kind that the Gerland the whole of Abyssinia, which nobody owns yet, and to back her up against the clai to make temporary concessions, when all Africa is to be theirs in ten years'
tiive to-day, and with the help of thethey will create an army that shall take away to-morrow!”