"UNDER THE LEFT GATE-POST"
They made a brief examination of the ground for any sign of elephant
spoor, but were relieved to find that there was nothing to indicate a
recent visitation from the rogue to the scene of his exploits.
"Hold on," cried Charlie as they remounted. "Something's wrong!"
The faint sound of gun-shots drifted to them against the wind, and as
the safari was out of sight behind the clusters of trees, all three
urged their horses into a gallop, grave anxiety in their hearts. With
rifles ready, they galloped on to find the wagon stuck hard and fast in
a rocky drift, while at one side lay the huge body of a rhinoceros.
"All is well, sahib," saluted Gholab Singh, beaming. Von Hofe grinned
through his beard.
"The rhino wished to inspect us, Schoverling, but the boys soon finished
him off. We'll have to work to get out of this, I fear."
Congratulating the four gun-bearers, all placed themselves at the wheels
of the wagon, while Schoverling went to the heads of the cattle. After
twenty minutes of hard work they got the wagon across the drift and onto
better ground.
They told of finding the camp abandoned by Mowbray, and the General
showed the fragments of the broken elephant-gun. This was a visible sign
that the rogue elephant was indeed to be feared, and the doctor
brightened up and rubbed his hands.
"Ach, he must be wonderful! Let us push on, please!"
They camped that night on the little hill that sloped down to the lake,
just opposite the island. None knew what danger might lurk in the reeds,
and as these seemed to be dry above the level of the water, with the
wind off-shore, they sent the Masai ahead to fire them while the others
waited with rifles ready.
The reeds blazed up quickly for a width of a hundred feet, beyond which
they managed to keep the fire under control, for had it spread to the
country behind it would have worked sad havoc with animal life.
Gradually the smoke died down without anything having happened. But a
moment later there was a rustling of the reeds and grass off to the
right, and a cry broke from the Masai as a tremendous python swept
toward them.
The heavy guns roared out instantly. With its head blown to pieces, the
huge snake lashed around for a few moments and then lay still. When they
advanced to measure it the boys could hardly believe their senses. The
python was a good forty feet in length, and while the excited Masai
danced around, von Hofe took photographs eagerly.
"We'll get over to that island to-morrow." Schoverling peered through
his glasses as the sun sank below the hills. "No trees on it, but you
can make out the ruins of the place that Mowbray burned. We'll have to
make sure the oxen can get across that thirty yards of water, too."
Von Hofe and Gholab Singh were on guard that night, but the dawn came
without any disturbance. The first move was to make sure that the cattle
and wagon could get across the strip of water to the island; if not,
then all their plans would have to be changed. Fortunately, they had met
with no crocodiles in the country.
Schoverling and the boys, right after breakfast, rode down to the shore.
The burned patch of reeds had left the lake clear before them, and as
they urged the reluctant horses down into the water, they were gratified
to find that it was shallow--at the deepest part there was only three
feet of water. Without returning, they shouted to Gholab to lead on, for
the bottom was sandy and strewn, with small rocks.
On these one of the oxen went down, but without injury. With the Masai
tugging at the wheels to help, the wagon soon rolled up on the shore
where the three were waiting, and they turned to look ahead. The island
seemed bare of trees, which fact was explained later; only thorn-bushes
clustered around them, the ground gently rising.
"There's the stronghold Mowbray talked about," exclaimed Charlie as they
urged their horses to the crest of the little rise on the bank. Ahead of
them lay the ruins of a burned building, black and desolate. Others
could be seen behind, while around the first was a ring of half-burned
stakes that had at one time formed a strong palisade of heavy timbers.
"We'd better keep out o' there," said Schoverling. "Here's a good place
for the outspanning, just at the bank. Bakari, better get a thorn fence
up right away. There's no telling what's liable to happen here, and we
can command the shore at all events."
"Why can't we take a look around inside?" queried Jack, somewhat
puzzled. "There's no sign of any animals around."
"Plague," returned the explorer briefly. "First thing we do, we must go
back and get in some game. The Masai only got one impalla buck
yesterday, and we can't run short on grub."
With no disappointment the boys gazed over the blackened ruins before
them. At one time these must have formed a stronghold indeed. Signs of a
"corduroy" road for wagons led down to the water; a clear spring bubbled
out cold and refreshing from inside the compound and ran on past their
camping-place; and the sturdy palisade had resisted even the fire.
Charlie looked regretfully at the huge gate-posts, each nearly three
feet thick and planted solidly in the ground.
"Well, the sooner we do the shooting the sooner we can dig," he sighed,
and turned to the horses. The three gun-bearers had old Snider rifles
of their own, which so far had not come into use, and these they left
with the doctor and Gholab, carrying the 30-30s as had been their custom
during the march.
It was still an hour before noon, and by midday they had shot two
impalla, which with four hartebeest made up all the game they could
carry back. No signs of danger were seen on that short excursion,
although once a lion broke cover and trotted away ahead of them. The
boys could see no sign of elephant with their glasses.
"He's around," laughed Schoverling to their expressions of doubt. "An
old rogue will stay hidden away until he makes up his mind to wipe the
earth with whomever's around. When we get ready to go after him, you'll
have your hands full." Which statement later turned into a very true
prophecy.
They rode back to camp to find the zareba done, and von Hofe standing
before the charred gate-posts, hands on hips. He turned at their
laughter and smiled.
"But yes," he retorted to their jokes as they surrounded him, "I too
have the treasure-hunt fever got! Yet is there one question which
puzzles me, my friends!"
"What's that?" laughed Charlie.
"The letter said 'under the left gate post.' Now, when you face the
burned buildings here, this one is the left; but when you turn around,
it becomes the right!"
"Well, we'll tackle that one first," smiled the explorer. "But we'll
have to satisfy Gholab before we do anything else. Impalla steak would
taste pretty good right now, to me."
None the less, the boys were too hungry to do much speculating over the
treasure, eager though they were. Half an hour later, over their tea, a
council was held as to just how to get at the cache. Spades they had
none, and the spears and swords of the Masai were not fitted for
digging.
"Listen," said Jack impatiently. "Mowbray said he located the cache,
didn't he? Well, at best, he had only a few hours over here. When he
burned down the place the smoke kept him from knowing that his Arabs had
lit out. That stands to reason. He didn't have time to dig around; he
knew right where that stuff was hid, and he went for it. If he found
it, the earth would still be pretty loose where he dug."
"I've got a better scheme than digging," put in Charlie, his eyes
gleaming. "Hitch up the cattle to the posts an' pull 'em out."
"Good!" shouted Schoverling. "We're behind the times on thoughts,
Doctor! Gholab, inspan the cattle over by those posts."
Ten minutes later the oxen were standing ready, while the explorer and
the boys made the ox-chains fast to one of the heavy posts. Slowly the
oxen forged ahead, but to their dismay the post broke off short.
"That's a pretty good sign that the earth is unmoved," declared
Schoverling cheerfully. "Now for the other one."
Once more the oxen were inspanned to the other post, and walked off at
the yells of the Indians. This time a shout went up from all, for the
huge post had been ripped out of the earth bodily, leaving a cavity
exposed. Charlie leaped down at once, feeling around.
"More logs down here," he cried. "We'll have to throw out the dirt after
all."
Instantly Jack was at his side, with two of the broad-bladed Masai
knives. There was but room for one to work, but with Jack above and
Charlie below the dirt began to fly at a great rate. The two boys were
soon plastered with sandy mud. Then came a shout from Charlie, who was
buried to his eyes.
"Catch hold, up there!"
Something rose above the ground, and Schoverling and Jack caught it,
while the doctor peered down. No sooner had the explorer caught the long
object than he gave a cry.
"Those aren't logs, Chuck! They're tusks--wrapped up for carriage!"
A moment later the hole had been enlarged in the sandy soil enough to
let Jack leap down to his chum's aid. One by one the tusks were passed
back to the Indians and Masai, who grouped them in a pile with much
wondering chatter.
"Reg'lar cave down here," came the muffled voice of Jack. "All ready?"
"All ready," and more tusks came up. A moment later the dirt-smeared,
excited face of Charlie appeared, and he clambered out, followed after
by the figure of Jack.
"That's all, General. Hurray!"
"All!" echoed Schoverling. "Sure there's nothing else? Here, let me get
down there."
For the first time Charlie remembered the gold-dust. But although the
explorer poked around in the cave-like hole beneath with one of the
Masai knives, he finally had to climb up with the admission that the
boys had been right. There was no gold-dust.
For a few moments they stood around the huge pile of tusks, while von
Hofe counted them. All were wrapped securely in canvas, mouldy and
rotted away with the damp of the ground. Charlie tore at one and it came
loose in his fingers.
"Thirty-two," announced the big German excitedly. "They vas all goot,
but none fery large, too. Ach, vat a pile of ifory!"
"I'm sorry there was no gold-dust, though," said Schoverling. "Funny
Mowbray mentioned it. Prob'ly he took it for granted that it was down
there with the tusks. You don't suppose there could be a cache under
that other post, do you?"
"One o' these would be plenty to build," returned Jack. "Let's have a
look at the ivory, Chuck."
He pulled out his knife and ripped off the covering of the tusk Charlie
had been pulling at. The ivory gleamed yellow and discolored in the
sunlight, while a gasp of surprise went up from the Masai, as for the
first time they realized what these things were. The gun-bearers gazed
stolidly.
[Illustration: One slash of the knife, and out trickled a little stream
of yellow grains into the brown fist of the explorer.]
"What's this?"
Jack had held up the tusk, the point of which towered far above his
head. As he lowered the hollow butt to the ground in triumph, Charlie
sprang forward and picked up a little bag of skin that had been held
inside the hollow end by a wooden plug, rotted away. The explorer leaped
forward, whipping out his knife, and grabbed the little bag from
Charlie's hand. One slash of the knife, and out trickled a little stream
of yellow grains into the brown fist of the explorer.
"Gold!"
For a moment they all stood motionless, gazing at the little bag. Von
Hofe's face expressed mild interest; that of Schoverling was aflame with
passion; Charlie knew that his own eyes were gleaming and glittering, as
were those of Jack. But almost instantly the General laughed and resumed
control of himself.
"We're acting like a lot of fools. Here, boys, rip open the rest of
those tusks and see if there are more sacks."
They fell to work with their knives, von Hofe joining in the work, and a
few moments later a little heap of skin bags, each the size of a man's
fist, was piled up. Each tusk had held one, and two or three yet
retained the wooden plugs, which had to be dug out, so firmly were they
fastened.
Charlie stood at the edge of the group, oblivious to all else. Suddenly
he felt the hand of his gun-bearer, Amir Ali, laid on his arm, and the
Gurkha whispered in his ear.
"Will the sahib come over here?"
Wondering, the boy followed the Gurkha off to one side. The gun-bearer
pointed to the mainland, toward the foot of the lake, and Charlie
whipped out his glasses instantly.