oys--I dare say you
know how Courtney can make a native tell him all he knows.
Schillingschen, he said, had eliminated pretty nearly all the likely
places until Mount Elgon was about all there is left. Courtney said,
too, that there were always so many thousands of elephants near Elgon
that Tippoo Tib probably gathered a harvest there. We discussed
probabilities, and agreed it wasn't likely he would carry the stuff far
in order to hide it. It seemed likely to both of us, too, that if the
quantity the old man hid was anything like what rumor says, then there
were probably half a dozen hiding-places, not one. Most of the stuff
may be in the Congo Free State, and we'll do well to leave that to
Leopold of Belgium and his pet concessionaires. Some of it may be near
here. I stayed in the lazaretto an extra day with Courtney, talking it
over. One other thing he remembered to tell me was that Schillingschen
had hunted high and low for Tippoo Tib's old servants, and had finally
managed to have the relatives of that man Hassan--I remember, Fred, you
called him Johnson in Zanzibar--thrown in jail in German East for some
alleged offense or other."

Monty stopped to scrape out a faithful pipe, fill it, press down
tobacco with a practised thumb, and reach toward the campfire for a
burning brand. Then he smoked for two minutes reflectively.

"I offered Courtney a share should we find the stuff. Knew you fellows
would agree." Pause. "Courtney wouldn't hear of it." Pause. "Said
good-by to him, and took a coastwise trading steamer back to Mombasa.
Delightful trip--put in everywhere--saw everything. Saw a lot of the
Galla--fine tribe, the Galla."

"Suppose you cut the travelogue stuff until later on!" suggested Will.

"Landed at Mombasa, and learned the first day that you fellows had
managed to make more enemies than friends. Put in a number of days on
heavy social labor--lingered at the club--drank too much of their
infernal gin-and-black-pepper appetizer--but made you fellows right, I
think."

"We're not interested in the slumming. Go on and tell us what you
did!" urged Fred.

"That is what I did--and undid. I made friends. Soon I had all the
other junior officials in a state of mind to help me if they could.
Then I began to inquire for Hassan. They drew the dragnet tight, and
discovered him at Nairobi! A young assistant district superintendent
of police, who will rise in the service, I hope, before long,
dis