FRESH SPOOR
"That's a good bluff, Selim," rejoined Schoverling coolly, "but it won't
go down with me. You might as well give in."
The other shook his head, still smiling. But at this instant Jack, who
had listened with intense interest to the duel of words, struck in and
cut the Gordian knot.
"Look here, General, and Mr. ben Amoud," he said, leaning forward
earnestly. "There's no sense in getting hot-headed over this. As near's
I can see, we've each got a mighty good excuse to scrap, and we can do a
whole lot of damage once we start. But this country isn't the place to
start a row, not to my notion.
"You hold on, Gen'ral, till I get through. We might shoot things up
consid'able, both of us, an' when we got through there wouldn't be
enough of us left to get back home with. If you start anything, Selim,
we'll raise you the limit; but there's no sense to it. _I_ say, let's
each of us divvy up the loot an' dig out for home."
That Schoverling had not considered any division of the cache was
evident, and he considered Jack's speech silently. Selim, however,
smiled again.
"My young friend, you are very wise. Mr. Schoverling, perhaps we might
agree on that basis. A fight would be costly to each of us, and might
leave us unable to get home, as is suggested. I am none too anxious to
stay in this land after the tales you tell. I recognize the fact that
you have the advantage of having the treasure in your power, and see no
reason why we should not share it and be gone."
Schoverling hesitated as Selim spoke. He plainly realized the force of
the argument, and yet to give up even a share of the ivory and dust went
against the grain. Perhaps he doubted the good faith of his friend the
enemy, but in any case von Hofe's grunt of approbation decided him.
"It iss goot," said the doctor anxiously. "We haf come for elephant,
please."
"All right," and the American's face cleared as he held out his hand to
the Arab. "We'll split even, Selim!"
"Hurray!" shouted Charlie in delight. "Bully for you, General! Good
work, Jack!"
"That is entirely agreeable," smiled Selim, as he gripped Schoverling's
hand. "Now, my friends, we have been in this country for two days, and I
have many affairs to get back to. There is no reason why we should delay
here for an hour. It is still two hours to sunset, and our camels could
cover much ground before then. So, if you are willing, let us divide the
spoils and I will trouble you no more."
"That suits us," exclaimed the explorer, springing to his feet. "Come
along and we'll have a look at the stuff."
Casting a glance opposite as they arose, Charlie saw that the Arabs had
started a fire and seemed to be eating, while the camels grazed. The
party left the zareba and moved over to the stockade. Jack threw the
canvas from the two piles, and for a moment the Arab's eyes glittered as
he surveyed the great heap of ivory.
"Those tusks," he said, "will be hard for us to carry off. We had
thought to sling them on our camels, but after our experience of that
desert to the north it would make hard work, I fear."
"Well," suggested Charlie, "you might swap your share of the ivory for
some of our gold-dust. That would make it easier to carry."
"Yes," added the General thoughtfully. "We can carry the tusks easily
enough in the wagon. There are sixteen each, Selim, and the same number
of bags. Here's one I cut open."
The Arab ran the soft gold-dust through his fingers for a moment.
"There is no use stopping to count or weigh all this, Schoverling. Each
tusk must be worth, at an average, some fifteen pounds at the coast.
Each of these bags seems to be of a size, and they are probably weighed
to the same amount. My share of the ivory is worth, at a guess, some two
hundred and forty pounds, or twelve hundred of your dollars. What would
you say the dust weighs?"
"That is a little hard to say," returned the American. "I rather think,
however, that an estimate of about two hundred and fifty dollars--or
fifty pounds a bag--would be just about right. If that suits you, I'm
agreeable."
"I think that is nearly correct," smiled Selim, nodding. "It is, I
believe, slightly an under-estimate, but that matters little. Then, at
the rate we figure, I would have twenty-one bags as my share, leaving
you all the ivory. That is correct?"
"Perfectly," returned Schoverling. "It looks to me like a fair split,
and if the gold runs over that figure, I won't kick. I'll throw in an
odd bag for good luck, Selim; that leaves us an even ten and the ivory.
There must be more gold where that came from, just the same. You might
come back here with a good force and make a clean-up, old man."
"Perhaps I will," said the other seriously. "Now, will you help me get
these bags into my saddle-bags? I have no fancy to remain overnight by
this lake."
All pitched in and helped to carry the twenty-two little bags of
precious metal over to the camel, which was kneeling and chewing
stolidly. Jack stepped too near with his burden, and the vicious head
swung about to snap. He leaped back amid the laughter of the rest, who
remained at a safe distance.
"Well, I suppose we must part," smiled Selim, holding out his hand as
the last of the bags was laced in the leathern flaps. "It would be
insincere to say that I am not sorry at finding you here before me, but
I am really very glad we did not have to fight. To tell the truth, my
men were almost too frightened to remain here, and had it come to
fighting, they would have refused point-blank."
"Well," laughed Schoverling whimsically, "I might as well show under
true colors, since you have led the way," and he called in all the men.
At sight of their real numbers, Selim gave a shout of laughter.
"Good, brother, good!" he cried as he urged his camel forward from its
knees. "We played the game well, you and I." He waved a hand as the
camel plunged into the water at the ford. "_Abqa'la kheir!_"
"_Abqa'la kheir_," shouted the American, and the two boys waved their
hats with attempts at the Arabic, which drew a last laughing wave from
Selim. Then his camel went up the farther bank.
"That means 'until the next time,'" laughed Schoverling. "Well, I'm glad
that we got out of that as we did."
"So am I," declared von Hofe, smiling broadly. "See, they are going."
So it appeared, for as Selim joined the rest there was an immediate
bustle. The camels were unpicketed, the saddles adjusted, and the camp
broken. All twelve Arabs were now in camp, and one by one the awkward
steeds rose to their feet.
"They're mighty fine beasts," declared Schoverling. "No common camels
there, but picked racers, worth a fortune apiece. Selim does things up
right, no doubt about that."
"He come pretty near doing us up right," grinned Jack. Then came a
flutter of the burnouses, those on the island waved, and the group of
camels moved away at an amazing speed, to the southwest.
"Probably going to circle around the hills and strike for the north,"
commented Charlie.
While daylight remained they did nothing save store the ivory in the
wagon and place the gold-dust in the brass trunk belonging to von Hofe.
It was decided to place the traps along the shore of the island near the
mainland, and all the men were called upon to make note of where they
were placed, as they would be left in position until the camp was
abandoned.
The injured Masai were slowly recovering from their hurts, for although
their wounds rapidly healed, the broken bones took longer. As they sat
around the dinner-table that night the four explorers decided that every
day spent in that country added to their danger, and that the search for
the rogue elephant should begin the next morning.
"I'm kind of disappointed," muttered Charlie to Jack, as they rolled up
that night with Schoverling on guard. "Aren't you? I thought that stuff
would be worth heaps o' coin, but according to the General's figures it
doesn't come to more'n five thousand iron men."
"What're you looking for?" retorted Jack wearily. "Four or five million?
S'pose we split up on that, it means a thousand each, easy. Why, I never
saw a thousand dollars in my life. It looks mighty good to me, Chuck."
"Oh, it looks good," admitted Charlie hastily. "But when you talk about
treasure you reckon in big figures. I'm not kicking, though,--not on
your life! Good thing you came in when you did with that splitting
proposition. How'd you happen to think of it?"
"Who wouldn't?" returned Jack. "Made me tired to hear 'em sit there and
argue back and forth, making threats and so on. No sense in it."
Nothing occurred that night to disturb the camp, although the Masai kept
up until late a dance and chant in triumph at having, as they supposed,
put the Arabs to flight. But in the morning Schoverling made an
announcement that roused everyone.
"About eleven last night," he said at breakfast, "I heard a big crashing
north of us, farther toward the head of the lake. Then came snorts, and
a single trumpet. Sounded as if the rogue elephant was out on a stroll
and had run into a buffalo or something."
"Then I feel very sorry for that buffalo," smiled von Hofe. "We shall
all go out this morning, no?"
"You don't have to go, Doctor," said the explorer earnestly. "At best
you could only take one of the rifles, for we'll have to carry the big
guns."
"Pouf!" grunted the German. "It is my party, and I shall go."
"We might as well go on foot," declared the American. "Now, boys, we can
put a little tracking into play. The Masai won't do us any good. As
near as I can see, we'll have to catch that fellow when he isn't looking
for trouble. And remember, under no circumstances fire at his head."
"How about the bull you killed back at Kenia?" objected Charlie. "You
put a bullet in each eye, an' laid him out cold."
"He was within ten feet of me then, and I had no choice in the matter.
No, when we do get a shot just you aim to cripple him--in the shoulder
or leg. If he charges, hit his trunk or break his leg. One of those
bullets, big as they are, would simply flatten out on his skull and stun
him."
Von Hofe, who still wished to kill one of the giant buffalo himself,
took a 30-30, and Akram Das had perforce to take his Snider or go
weaponless. The three hunters carried their own heavy guns, for they
might be needed at an instant's notice, and filled their bandoliers to
the limit. Gholab Singh was left in charge of the camp with five Masai,
Bakari and the other five accompanying the party as flankers and scouts.
An hour after sunrise they waded across the strip of water between the
island and shore, and turned toward the head of the lake, as it was in
this direction that the explorer had heard the elephant during the
preceding night. There seemed to be no sign of any game around them, for
once, at which Jack wondered.
"Scared out," said the explorer grimly, "if that rogue was around."
Ahead, the country did not appear so densely wooded as they had thought.
It ascended toward the hills beyond in gentle, rolling swells, and they
had no difficulty in advancing through the knee-deep grass. On every
hand were trees in clumps or singly, but no sign of elephant spoor could
they see.
"Maybe we'd better strike in a little from the river," suggested
Charlie. "Jack and I could have a look, anyhow, an' we might pick up a
trail."
"I don't think there's much danger that he'd be here, so go ahead,"
returned Schoverling to their delight. "Circle around for a couple of
hundred yards, but don't get out of sight. If he was here last night, he
was probably drinking, and has gone in to feed."
The two boys left the party, followed by Akram and Amir Ali, their
gun-bearers. But although they searched the ground well, no sign of a
trail did they see. Getting a little farther from the party all the
time, they proceeded for nearly a mile, and found the forest verging
into a jungle of bamboo.
"Jack," exclaimed Charlie quietly, stopping, "come over here."
Jack and the Indians joined him, and he pointed to the ground a yard
ahead. There, deep in the soft soil, was the fresh spoor of an
elephant--and at its size the Indians gave a gasp of wonder. It was the
rogue!