The Ivory Trail

vernment's very special reasons were legal or right

is leading us?"

change of pla

means you don't go to

y they are to lose sight of me. I'll take care to have several red herrings 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

ck in his chai

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

inced, too, that there's something worth looking fo

the intervals when cold reason shed its comfortless rays on us. Intuition, or whatever it is that has proved superior so often to

hrough our cabins and searched thoroughly everything except the wallet of important papers that Monty kept under his shirt. The first and second officers were rather young, unmarried men possessed of limitless ignorance of the wiles of such as Lady Waldon. It was they who signed a paper recommending Coutlass to the B. I. agen

united, serious mistake. It was

rally. That, though, 'll lend color to the theory that you're in league with me-whereas, if I leave you to your

w hours we'd have the benefi

dmit

ghty near as useful on

" said Will. "We'

would rather be rude to some poor devil with a title than draw pay (and it loves its pay, you ma

wn proposal?"

bearer for the amount you three have in the common fund-here, take it. If you think you'll need more than

y," sa

him home!" p

dy with the aid of a pocket Portuguese-English dictionary

. You keep them posted

nager I'll ask him to ke

e alongside the wharf and the half-breed customs officials pounced smiling on us. My eyes were keenest. I could see Monty pacing the upper deck, too rapidly for evidence of peace of mind-a straight-s

the veriest handful of Englishmen. There are strange hotels-strange dwellings-streets-stores-tongues and faces. The great grim fort that brave da Gama built, and held against all comers, domin

ld and his wife according to tariff; all those things are the alphabet of Mombasa's charm. Arranged, and rearranged-by chance, by individual perspective, and by point of view-they spell fascination, attractiveness, glamour, mystery. And no acquaintance with Mombasa, however intimate or old, dispels the charm to the man not guilty of cynicism. To the cynic (and for him) there are sin-as Africa alone knows how to sin-disease, of the dread zymotic types-and death; death peering through the doors of godowns, where the ivory tusks are piled; death in the dark bac

el-Syrian by birth, Jew by creed, Englishman by nationality, and admirer first, last and

ng to watch Fred's financial methods, had been paid double the customary price, and had gone away grumbling (to laugh at us behind our backs). "Th

had a store that was part of the hotel, in which he claimed to sell "everything the mind of

new arrivals and make the old ones feel at home. Lose a little money, but why grumble? Get it back when the boom comes. As it will, mind you. As it will. Can't help it. Richest country in the wo

ank, and found its manager conservative. The amount o

. "Take a good look round be

bank feeling friendly and more confident. Later, a chance-met English official showed us over the old fort (now jail) where men of more bree

ir sentences expire!" he told us. "See you a

ndered to us by the customs people. We had paid duty on them second-hand at the rate for new ones, and had then been told to

tridges we would need a permit from the collector specifying how many, and of what bore we might buy. There was an Arab in the

n Arab?"

to the governmen

fident nor friendly. And the collector's Goane

there that afternoon. It was provided in regulations that we could have neither guns, sporting licenses, nor permits for ammunition. Th

ve paid duty on the

guns with you unless you desire

e collector?" Y

t," was the answer.

ed us out of the office. At that we took chairs and announced our intention of staying until the collector should come or be fetched. We were informe

n a little one!" he announced. "

-soldier, half-police-man, who drowsed i

skari, soldi

!" he said in English, and t

mfortably, screwed up his courage, tried to lo

, I said!" sa

to put us out

oanese, glancing at the clock in a half-

tor comes and closes i

nced with

rupees and offered

said. "We intend to stay in here

lit. big master, senior g

waving it aside with the air

to hand it to the British if they t

f his arm, turned on his heel and vanished-not stopping in his hurry to put on the sandals that lay on the door-step. We amused ourselves while h

married?"-"Does your wife love you?"-"Do you keep white mice?"-"Is your life insured?"-"How often have you been i

to try to answer, when suddenly the collector came in grea

ion behind the partition in tones too low for us to catch more than a word or two, and then Fernandez came out again with

e to go in ther

either young nor incompetent. His jaw was neither receding nor too prominent. His neck sat on his shoulders with the air of full responsibility

you," he said. "Y

and he wrot

uldn't do that. We are at great pains to keep the police

him the exact facts. He listen

hem. They mean well. The country has no money to spend on

Fred c

e first time my character has been questioned by

collector, eyin

" sai

s so,"

y so," s

, "that you men are ivory hunters. That you left Portuguese territory because

aid Fred. "Confront us, p

ing, became so disgusted with your conduct that he refuse

posed to sail for an hour yet. But the thought had hardly flashed in mind when we heard the roar of steam and clanking as the anchor

er next st

Fred a

pretation of Monty's remaining on board was exactly what we wanted. T

th our accusers

," said the collector. "You are refused r

d of being iv

t-something rather stronger than rumor to you

e have we?" F

are bona fide travelers or intending s

ly I thought, "when I've seen a copy of

us a well thumbed c

r reading that to go farther up country I'm willing to issue provisional game licenses, subject to confirmation afte

w b

d rupees fo

intended to be away over our

lity has been confirmed. By the way, the only claim you've made

pistol or revolver as one? Three guns apiece

rim pleasure in his own unreasonablen

eeable?" he aske

government can have as much more again if it wants it," he said

s confused, for he had to

est on the money at the

malic

bout that," sai

're inquiring, look into the antecedents of Lady Isobel Saffren Waldon! I

nswered tartly. "It's people who want to carry firearms-peo

"If my partner hadn't paid you that check I'd be all for having this business out! I'm

ord. You weren't invited,

ountry for months past. Even papers I've had sent me from the States have carried press-agent dope about it. Why, you've been yelling for settlers li

ot settlers," the co

, your ads bragged about the big game as one of the chief attractions! All the information you can possibly have against us must

tion to offend," s

re's another thing I want to know. What about ammunition? We're to

tomorrow morning-seven hundred and fifty rupees apiece-I'll charge them against your deposit. If the licenses

yelled with laughter, and

inspection. We're going to wander the country over and report home to the newspapers-South African-British-U. S. A.-and any other part of the world th

sly uncomfortable and we, if not at e

ollector genially, a

face to face with Lady Saffren Waldon. She was the one surprised, not we. She probably thought she had spiked our guns in that part of th

, dressed in her flimsiest best, a lace parasol across her knee, and beside her an obvious mem

sed the parasol to make believe she had not seen us. But the awnin

whisper

her and at the pink and white puppy she had taken in leash. And then the sort of thing happened that nearly always does when men with

ny lands that they talk of naming a tenth of a continent after him-the mightiest hunter since Nimrod, and very likely mightier than he; surely more looked-up to and respected-

aimed, in a squeaky, worn-out voice that is as well

d. "There's only one

ier are still inseparable, I suppose! How are you

ed us to Courtney, and I experienced the thrill of shaking hands with the man accounts of whose ex

k. Going down now to see about a passage to Somali

we'll send a note and say we can't come. We'll d

so did the collector who was headed acros

eh, Fred, don't you? They'll expect stories,-stories. I get tired of telling the same tales so many times over. Suppose I join you

and unnecessary business, but there is no need to forego while young the thrills of unashamed hero-worship; in fact, that is o

-car trundled down among the din, smells and colors of the business-end

g absolution,

urtney won't tell too much!" So quickly does a man j

aid Will, "like a man who

nk that of hi

hy

u later,

to a tinkling guitar that somewhere in the distance spoke of civilized delights. The surf crooned on coral half a mile away, and very good cigar smoke (from a box that Monty had sent ashore with our belongings) supplemented coffee and the other aids to physical contentment. Then, limping between the armchairs, and ashamed that we should rise to greet him-motioning us down again with a little nervous laugh-Courtney came to us. Within five minutes of his coming the

u boys are in trouble. What is it?" he asked, shifting and

t's the matter wit

s shoulder half a mile or so. At this time of year I get

whole evening, yet never once compla

d, with a glance at Y

rything with

ression that he knew more secrets than he could tell should he talk down all the ye

he middle of things. "Monty has gone to drive a bargain with

since the flood. Ivory must have accumulated. It's somewhere. Some of it must be so old and well seasone

ion where it is

Behold me leaving t

d look. If I

give us

ls live in some of them. Cannibals and caverns is a combination that might appeal to Tippoo Tib, but there's no likelihood that he buried all

they disc

t they di

m turning their kno

ey, too, seemed to forget for the moment

ns. Nobody understood it at the time. My own idea is that Emin thought he knew more or less where that hoard is. He didn't really want to come away with Stanley, you know. Being a German, I suppose he preferred to share his secret with his own crowd. I dare say he thought of telling Stanley but judged that the 'Rock breaker' might demand a too

for the stuff yo

since the earth took shape out of ooze. Awful swampy, malarious, densely wooded, dangerous country, sparsely inhabited by savages not averse to cannibalism when they've opportunity. The ivory may be there. If the Germans know it's there they're naturally afraid the British government would claim the whole district the minute the secret was out. Their p

I said, "if they'r

is forehead was a mass of deep wrink

sleeps. Do you remember there was a mutiny of native troops in Uganda not many years ago? Some said that was because the troops were being paid in truck inste

to do with Germ

ning, I have heard them talk of missionaries from German territory who spread a doctrine of what you might call pan-Islam for lack of a better name. I said at the time of the Uganda mutiny that I believed Germans were behind it. I've seen no reason to change my opinion since. It's obv

vernment know all t

you mean by the word k

secret of my

wouldn't

e or two men out here believed, but I think they're dead. When the Foreign Office took the country over I don't

her colonies!" vowed Fred, caught

ney l

'll qualify that verdict! We do our best. God gave us our work to do,

male woman, known to the police in Zanzibar and so notorious in Europe that she's in no hurry to go home-said, too, on every hand to be in the

ernment superseded the British East Africa Trading Company. He has never had the advantage of legal training. Went to a common school. No advantages of any kind. Poorly paid and overworked. There's no money in the country yet. Nobody to tax. Salaries-expenses and so on come from home, voted by Parliament. As long as that condition lasts they're all going to feel nervous. They know they'll get the blame for everything that goes wrong, and precious little credit in any case. Parliament advertised the country in answer to their complaints of no revenue. Parliament called for settlers. But they're not ready fo

id Fred. "I'll

man letters of credit. She's so notoriously in league with Germans that you'd think even these little Napoleons 'ud know it. I'm American myself, thank God,

lew six sm

ents of strategy and psychology and tactics-some of them brilliant men who have had to apply for colonial service because of debt or scandal. They're overmanned where we are under-manned-backed up from home where our boys are only blamed and neglected-well supplied with troops and ammunition, where our police are kept down to th

with anybody. That woman lied about us. There's no e

had the impudence to try to flatter me. I don't doubt she's telling a crowd of men tonight that I'm in love with her-perhaps not exactly telling them that, but giving them to understand it. Why don't I stroll down to the club

infernally anxious to spoil our chances-and they suspect what we're after, you know

ivory in it, tons and tons and tons of

omaliland and come with us! I can speak for Monty

ceased being friends. But I can't come with you. No. I'm making a sort of semi-official trip. I shall hunt, of cou

n on the Elgon Caves and Bahr

as. I'm sure I hope you find the stuff

I'm thinking of the s

ith it

with the King of the Belgians or with the Congo government

reasons. And then, you know, the King of the Belgians has the name of being a grasping dealer. The management of his priv

Fred, laughing and yawning. "That wom

ourtney answered. "I've no official standing,

don't tell them too m

march on her. I wouldn't be surprised if your licenses and ammunition permits were here at the hotel by ten tomorrow morning. I see they've sent your guns already. Well, there's a

answered, one

then, boys; I

ell as of envy of his scars, his five or six South African campaigns, his adventures, and (by no means least) his unblemishe