him,
and this division of forces made Alec's position immeasurably stronger.

Dick handed Lucy the letter, and watched her while she read it.

'He says nothing about George,' he said.

'He's evidently quite well.'

Though it seemed strange that Alec made no mention of the boy, Dick said
no more. Lucy appeared to be satisfied, and that was the chief thing.
But he could not rid his mind of a certain uneasiness. He had received
with misgiving Lucy's plan that George should accompany Alec. He could
not help wondering whether those frank blue eyes and that facile smile
did not conceal a nature as shallow as Fred Allerton's. But, after all,
it was the boy's only chance, and he must take it.

* * *

Then an immense silence followed. Alec disappeared into those unknown
countries as a man disappears into the night, and no more was heard of
him. None knew how he fared. Not even a rumour reached the coast of
success or failure. When he had crossed the mountains that divided the
British protectorate from the lands that were to all intents
independent, he vanished with his followers from human ken. The months
passed, and there was nothing. It was a year now since he had arrived at
Mombassa, then it was a year since the last letter had come from him. It
was only possible to guess that behind those gaunt rocks fierce battles
were fought, new lands explored, and the slavers beaten back foot by
foot. Dick sought to persuade himself that the silence was encouraging,
for it seemed to him that if the expedition had been cut to pieces the
rejoicing of the Arabs would have spread itself abroad, and some news of
a disaster would have travelled through Somaliland to the coast, or been
carried by traders to Zanzibar. He made frequent inquiries at the
Foreign Office, but there, too, nothing was known. The darkness had
fallen upon them.

But Lucy suffered neither from anxiety nor fear. She had an immense
confidence in Alec, and she believed in his strength, his courage, and
his star. He had told her that he would not return till he had
accomplished his task, and she expected to hear nothing till he had
brought it to a triumphant conclusion. She did her little to help him.
For at length the directors of the North East Africa Trading Company,
growing anxious, proposed to get a question asked in Parliament, or to
start an outcry in the newspapers which should oblige the government to
send out a force to relieve Alec if he were in difficultie