ebellion?" he said curtly, looking towards his firearms.

"No, sir, not that. It's some mortual sickness. I don't know what it is.
I've been up half the night with them. It's spreading, too."

"Sickness! what does it seem like? Just give me that jacket. Not that
sleeping sickness?"

"No, sir. It's not that. Missis Marie was telling me about that--awful
scourge that, sir. No, the poor chaps are wide-awake enough. Groanin',
and off their heads too, mostly."

"Have you called Mr. Oscard?"

"No, sir."

"Call him and Mr. Durnovo."

"Met Mr. Durnovo, sir, goin' out as I came in."

In a few moments Jack joined Durnovo and Oscard, who were talking
together on the terrace in front of the house. Guy Oscard was still
in his pyjamas, which he had tucked into top-boots. He also wore
a sun-helmet, which added a finish to his costume. They got quite
accustomed to this get-up during the next three days, for he never had
time to change it; and, somehow, it ceased to be humorous long before
the end of that time.

"Oh, it's nothing," Durnovo was saying, with a singular eagerness. "I
know these chaps. They have been paid in advance. They are probably
shamming, and if they are not they are only suffering from the effects
of a farewell glorification. They want to delay our start. That is their
little game. It will give them a better chance of deserting."

"At any rate, we had better go and see them," suggested Jack.

"No, don't!" cried Durnovo eagerly, detaining him with both hands.
"Take my advice, and don't. Just have breakfast in the ordinary way and
pretend there is nothing wrong. Then afterwards you can lounge casually
into the camp."

"All right," said Jack, rather unwillingly.

"It has been of some use--this scare," said Durnovo, turning and looking
towards the river. "It has reminded me of something. We have not nearly
enough quinine. I will just take a quick canoe, and run down to Loango
to fetch some."

He turned quite away from them, and stooped to attach the lace of his
boot.

"I can travel night and day, and be back here in three days," he added.
"In the meantime you can be getting on with the loading of the canoes,
and we will start as soon as I get back."

He stood upright and looked around with weatherwise, furtive eyes.

"Seems to me," he said, "there's thunder coming. I think I had better be
off at once."

In the course of his inspection of the lowering clouds which hung,
black as ink, just above the