THE LAKE OF MYSTERY
"This stream must be the outlet of the warm lake, all right," said
Schoverling the next morning as they sat at breakfast. "There seems to
be low hills ahead of us, but I think the wagon can get along."
"Yes," announced the doctor. "The hot lake must be of volcanic origin, a
very long time ago. These things one meets with often in Africa. I must
shoot one of those big buffalo, please."
"Then you'd better take my heavy gun," offered Charlie. "I've shot all
of 'em I care to." The doctor's white teeth flashed, as he nodded.
"If it was anywhere else we could ride ahead and pick out a road," said
Jack. "But we wouldn't dare leave the wagon here."
"Not much," laughed Schoverling. "If we'd been gone yesterday we'd have
had to settle down here for life. Well, let's inspan."
"Let's see that plan of Mowbray's--the Arabic one," said Charlie. The
explorer found it and tossed it over. The two boys pored over the
rudely-drawn chart while the oxen were being inspanned.
"This must be the river we're on," and Jack pointed to the line of a
stream flowing to the south and west of a small lake. "Why couldn't
we--"
"Hey, General!" called Charlie. "Come back here a minute!" The explorer,
who was filling his bandolier, came over to their side, and Charlie
pointed to the stream. "This river seems to run west out of the lake,
and then turn south. Now, she's running north and south right here,
isn't she?" The explorer, glancing at his compass, nodded. "Then instead
of keeping close to the stream, why couldn't we strike off northeast and
head straight for the lake? The river only leads us every which way."
"Good idea," exclaimed the General. "I had forgotten all about that map,
to tell the truth. The only question is whether we can depend on it."
"That fellow Selim," put in the interested doctor, "was a man of brains,
my friends. He would not send his camels and partner where he did not
know. There is too much game beside this river, also. I like it not."
"Very well," said Schoverling. "Then we will simply cut around those
hills ahead and march by compass. No lack o' water here, fortunately."
So, much to the relief of the boys, they left the dangerous vicinity of
the river and struck across country. Except on the very banks of the
stream there was no jungle, but open and well-wooded country that seemed
well able to support a population of natives, had there been any to
support. An hour after inspanning they came to another and larger
village, which had fallen to decay as had the first. Monkeys were
everywhere, grinning and chattering among the ruined huts, and in the
center of the old village, fastened to a still sturdy post, they came
upon a pair of heavy iron hand-cuffs, which were simply a mass of rust.
"There's an indication of the slave-trade," and Schoverling pointed.
"Probably a refractory slave was tied up there and whipped. I suppose
those Arabs found this a thickly populated, happy country and simply
made a clean sweep, men, women and children. Those that weren't killed
or carried off north no doubt perished miserably in the wilderness. Poor
devils! It's a tremendously good thing for Africa that the British put
down the slave-trade."
"If they'd only conserved their resources," declared von Hofe, "they
might be running out slaves yet. But it was more than slavers, my
friend." He had advanced to the door of a hut and now drew back. "It is
not a good place to stay. There are skeletons--perhaps of the plague."
"That's more like it," exclaimed Charlie, as they rode on. "Mowbray said
that he had found the Arab place plague-swept, and had burned the whole
thing, prob'ly for fear of infection. That would account for the absence
of human life a whole lot better than by laying it all on the slavers."
There was another thought running through Charlie's head,
however--something of which no one had yet spoken openly. He wondered if
Schoverling had paid any attention to Mowbray's narrative of the big
cache of ivory "underneath the left gate-post." He had been long enough
in Africa to know the tremendous value of tusks, and resolved to talk
things over with Jack at the first opportunity. Von Hofe, meanwhile, had
been thinking along more practical lines.
"If we had a large party, Schoverling, and plenty of time, we could make
money," he announced suddenly, and pointed to the hills on their left.
"Those hills must be of old volcanoes. Why should the Arabs have come so
far to settle here in a terrible land? Not for slaves or ivory alone.
No. In these lakes and rivers there is gold."
"What!" exclaimed the explorer sharply. Then, more slowly, "I shouldn't
wonder if you're right, Doctor. I'd like to take a little trip with a
washing-pan up through there! If that is so, as it well might be,
there'd be some rich pickings for the taking. However, we're here for
elephant first and last, and I'm not inclined to linger with this
outfit."
This excited the boys hugely, but both realized that on this expedition
there would be small opportunity for any gold-hunting, even if the
supposition should prove to be true. The sight of that big python and
the giant buffalo had been a good indication of what they might expect
if they lingered long hereabouts, and the fate of Mowbray's expedition
was vivid in their minds still.
The day passed with no exciting feature, as all kept close to the slow
advance of the cattle and wagon. The Masai spread out fearlessly enough,
and brought in enough game for the party. That terrific battle with the
herd of buffalo had made great inroads on their stock of ammunition, and
the explorer cautioned them not to waste a shot in useless hunting.
No sign of the expected lake appeared during the afternoon, and in the
evening they camped in a little valley between two kopjes, beside a
waterhole that welled out and sank again almost immediately into the
thirsty earth.
"We'll need those traps here, I guess," declared Charlie when the
outspanning was going on. "Prob'ly every one of these water-holes is
pretty well frequented by animals, so we can look out for visitors.
Who's on guard to-night?"
"You are," chuckled Jack; "You and your friend Amir Ali. So mind you
don't go asleep on duty, Chuck! I'd hate to wake up in the morning and
find one of your moccasins left around to remember you by."
"Never you mind about me," retorted Charlie. "I never woke up the whole
camp by letting go an elephant gun at a jackal."
This reminder of an earlier episode in the trip silenced Jack for the
time being, but Charlie had no intention of letting himself be caught
napping on duty. His watch lasted till midnight, when Amir would relieve
him, and as there was no moon the boys got in a plentiful supply of wood
for the fire. While the Indians were setting out the traps as usual, von
Hofe departed to inspect the injured men, and Charlie seized the
opportunity.
"Say, General, what about that ivory cache of Mowbray's? Think we can
lug it off with us?"
The explorer remained silent for a moment, the boys watching him
eagerly.
"Look here, you chaps," he said at last, "there were two words in that
letter I didn't read. Mowbray said 'ivory--_and dust_!' I was afraid you
might get the gold fever, but I guess you're pretty safe. I was talking
to von Hofe about it yesterday. Now, you know that we're paid by him to
get elephant and nothing else. Still, the old boy is a sport clear
through, and underneath his German reserve he's just as eager as any of
us. If we strike the island before we strike the elephant, we'll camp
on it for safety and clear out the cache."
"Hurray!" exclaimed Charlie. "Bully for him! Say, we'll--"
"You wait, Chuck," interrupted Jack quickly. "Look here, Gen'ral, it
ain't so simple. Those Arabs with the camels got clear away. Selim ben
Amoud ain't a man to let Mowbray stick alone down here, not by a
jugfull. I'll bet you that we'll find a bunch of Selim's men there with
Selim himself. He was no slouch, that guy."
Schoverling's face clouded. "You've struck the nail on the head, Jack.
That thought occurred to me also. Well, if he's there then we'll have to
keep away and stick to the rogue. But if we get there first--by thunder,
I'll load that cache into the wagon and get out with the elephant!"
"Still, in a way it belongs to him--" began Charlie, but the explorer
grunted.
"Rot! His expedition lost out. Mowbray directed his letter to me or
Selim, and said nothing about splitting up. Whoever gets there first
lands the loot, that's flat. If it belonged to anyone, it belonged to
the original bunch of slavers. However, we're counting our chickens a
long while before the incubator's opened. When we get there it's time
enough."
To this there was no answer. That night, sure enough, Charlie was glad
that he had kept the big fires blazing high, for herds crowded about in
vain endeavors to get at the water-hole, even pressing up to the thorn
zareba, until the boy had to scatter burning brands among the quantities
of eland and antelope and zebra, not wishing to shoot them. Two of the
steel traps caught, however; one a slinking jackal and the other a fine
oryx, both of which Charlie reluctantly shot with the small rifle
belonging to the doctor.
In the morning Amir Ali reported that lions had been about, but they had
made no disturbance, and the safari took up its advance soon after
sun-up. At the noon halt they were still winding through the valley, but
in the afternoon this opened out into open country once more. Jack had
his glasses out and gave a yell of delight.
"There's the lake! Dead ahead!"
Even without the aid of glasses they could all see the shimmer of water
in the sun, three miles ahead. The Masai gave a yell of joy at the news
that they had nearly reached the end of their journey, but they could
not hope to get up to the lake until evening with the slow-moving oxen.
So, leaving the doctor and the Indians to defend the wagon if need were,
Schoverling and his two assistants rode slowly onward to have a look at
things and pick out a suitable place for the night's camp.
In half an hour they were standing on a slight rise that sloped down
gently to the waters of the lake. These were thickly cloaked with reeds,
but there was no sign of the high jets of hot water of Selim's story on
the _Mombasa_.
"See that steam up at the other end of the lake?" said Schoverling,
looking through his glasses. "That's where the hot springs are, no
doubt."
"There's the island," cried Jack excitedly, who had moved a hundred feet
away. Joining him, the others were now able to see a low island which
had been hidden by intervening trees. It lay barely half a mile beyond
them, and seemed almost a part of the shore. Beyond this the trees
seemed to get thicker, while across the lake itself the green and brown
hills rose to the height of a few hundred feet. In fact, hills seemed
to be all around them, save to the south.
"Shouldn't wonder if this was one of the craters of an old volcano,"
declared the General.
"The ground has risen slightly, since we left the wagon, and those hills
all around would indicate such a thing, as would the steaming hot
springs up at the other end. Well, we can ride forward to the island.
Mowbray's camp must be there somewhere."
Keeping a wary eye open for any danger, they rode on until they arrived
opposite the island. Here, under a group of spreading mimosas, they saw
vague signs of an old camp. All was overgrown with vegetation, but as
they rode down to it the indications of a camp were clear.
"There are tattered old tents, all right," exclaimed Charlie in huge
excitement. "But animals and the weather have covered things up pretty
well."
Arriving on the spot, they leaped from their saddles and kicked away
vines.
"Here's a gun-butt," shouted Jack, holding up a moulded fragment of
wood. "And here's the rest of it--an elephant gun."
Schoverling took the pieces and fitted them together. The barrels were
twisted and bent, the stock splintered. Rubbing the latter clear of
mould, something gleamed in the sun and he uttered an exclamation.
"Mowbray's! Got his name on a silver plate. Well, that's worth keeping
as a trophy, boys. Now about camp. This was a mighty poor place for him
to land, but he wasn't expecting overgrown buffalo and pythons. There's
a little rise behind, where we can camp for to-night, but to-morrow
we'll try to get across to the island. That will be a whole lot safer
from his majesty the rogue."
"Jumping sandhills, I forgot!" cried Charlie suddenly. "Say, General,
we've beat the Arabs back, that's a cinch!"