have split! The one ambition she
has left is to be with Tippoo Tib in Paradise. But he can intercede
for her and get her in--provided he feels that way; so she rounded on
me in the hope of winning his special favor! But the old ruffian knows
better! He'll no more pray for her than tell me where the ivory is!
The Koran tells him there are much better houris in Paradise, so why
trouble to take along a toothless favorite from this world?"

"Has the government any official information?" asked Monty.

"Quite a bit, I'm told. Official records of vain searches. Between
you and me and these four walls, about the only reason why they didn't
hang the old slave-driving murderer was that they've always hoped he'd
divulge the secret some day. But he hates the men who broke him far
too bitterly to enrich them on any terms! If any man wins the secret
from him it'll be a foreigner. They tell me a German had a hard try
once. One of Karl Peters' men."

"That'll be Carpets!" said Monty. "Somebody belonging to Carpets--Karl
Peters."

"The man's serving a life sentence in the jail for torturing our friend
Juma here."

"Then Juma knows the secret?"

"So they say. But Juma, too, hopes to go to Paradise and wait on
Tippoo Tib."

"He told us just now that he dislikes Tippoo Tib," I objected.

"So he does, but that makes no difference. Tippoo Tib is a big
chief--sultani kubwa--take any one he fancies to Heaven with him!"

We all looked at Juma with a new respect.

"I got Juma his job in here," said the doctor. "I've rather the notion
of getting my ten per cent. on the value of that ivory some day!"

"Are there any people after it just now?" asked Monty.

"I don't know, I'm sure. There was a German named Schillingschen, who
spent a month in Zanzibar and talked a lot with Tippoo Tib. The old
rascal might tell his secret to any one he thought was England's really
dangerous enemy. Schillingschen crossed over to British East if I
remember rightly. He might be on the track of it."

"Tell us more about Schillingschen," said Monty.

"He's one of those orientalists, who profess to know more about Islam
than Christianity--more about Africa and Arabia than Europe--more about
the occult than what's in the open. A man with a shovel
beard--stout--thick-set--talks Kiswahili and Arabic and half a dozen
other languages better than the natives do themselves. Has
money--outfit like a prince's--everything
imaginable--Rifles--m