ink 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