CHAPTER VIII
CAPTAIN MAC SUSPECTED
Montenay and the boys gave an exclamation of surprise and Captain Macleaped to his feet with excited questions. Mr. Wallace, however, repliednothing. Burt had never seen his uncle really angry before and now herealized why this man was respected all over the world. The strong facewas more hawk-like than ever. Between the down-drawn brows were too deepfurrows, the thin mouth was set grimly, and the piercing eyes wereaflame with anger. Even Montenay quieted down suddenly when he saw Mr.Wallace's face.
John very respectfully brought up a group of a dozen blacks who stood infear and trembling as the loss of the compass was made known to them.Falling on their faces one and all denied any share in the theft.
"John, call the headman." When the latter appeared, fully as frightenedas his men, Mr. Wallace turned to him. "You see these men?" The explorerspoke so rapidly that Burt could not gather more than a few scatteredwords of French, but what he heard made him spring up with a cry ofprotest.
"Sit down!" His uncle whirled on him savagely and Montenay noddedapproval. The headman turned an ashy gray and bobbed his head againstMr. Wallace's boots while a howl of fear went up from the black boys,who returned to their companions, accompanied by John with a rifle.
"What'd he say?" whispered Critch anxiously. Mr. Wallace heard thewords.
"I gave 'em ten minutes to produce that compass," he said quietly. "Ifthey didn't do it by then I told 'em I'd bury those boys up to theirnecks in the swamp down yonder and leave 'em."
"What!" Critch was on his feet instantly. "Why--why--you--"
"Sit down, lad!" Captain Mac laughed and pulled him back. "It's only abluff. Don't fash yerself over it."
"Was that all?" demanded Burt eagerly and his uncle nodded without asmile, to his intense relief.
"I'll be walkin' over yonder," declared Montenay rising. "I'll chatwith 'em in their own tongue a bit, Wallace. It may do good."
For five minutes not a word was spoken. Mr. Wallace stared into the firewhile the boys looked alternately at him and at the fires of the blacks,fifty yards away. Then Captain Mac strode up and with a word tossed thegleaming silver-mounted instrument into Mr. Wallace's lap.
"She's broke," he said shortly. The American calmly examined thecompass, as did the boys. The glass was shattered as if a stone hadsmashed it, while the needle no longer swung on its pivot.
"Who had it?" asked Burt's uncle.
"Mgoro, the hunter." Captain Mac spoke quite as a matter of course andMr. Wallace's anger seemed to have vanished suddenly. "He said he foundit just outside the camp and that it was already broke. I discharged himand told him to go back in the mornin' without his wages. He's lyin', o'course."
"Of course," agreed Mr. Wallace musingly. With this the subject wasclosed. In the morning Mgoro was sent on the back trail in disgrace,although he still asserted his innocence. For two days more the campremained in the same place. Then the buffalo skin was pared down andpacked and a dozen porters were sent back to Makupa with the specimens.Mr. Wallace had already arranged with the Belgian there to send them ondown to Boma.
The only compass now in the party was that belonging to Montenay, whoguided them. Usually Captain Mac and Burt went ahead to the right whileMr. Wallace and Critch went to the left, each party taking a number ofhunters and gun bearers. Owing to their lack of compasses it was notpossible to wander very far from the caravan. Every morning Captain Macand the headman Moboro mapped out the day's march and at noon and atdark the two parties returned to the caravan.
For several days they did little shooting of any importance. Each partybrought in two or three food-animals for the porters, and jackals wereof course shot on sight. On the third day after leaving their "SpecimenCamp," as Burt named their halting place, came their first adventure.
They are getting well into the lion country by this time and each campwas made as small as possible with plenty of fires around it. As Burtand Captain Mac returned to camp at noon of the third day they found theBantus in high excitement and were greeted with the news that two lionshad been sighted in a dense thicket just ahead. Mr. Wallace and Critchsoon came in and all four went toward the thicket while a number ofBantus armed with spears and shields went around to drive out theanimals.
This was done by the simple means of setting fire to the dense clump ofbushes. The party took up their position near an ant hill. With themwere the gun-bearers and a dozen Bantu hunters. When the thicket wasfired a dense cloud of smoke hid the nearer edge. Almost at once atremendous roar was heard. The Bantus replied with a yell of defiance.
As they did so a great tawny shape flew out of the cloud of smoke andstruck down a hunter. Mr. Wallace fired instantly and the lion whirledabout and came for the party. The Bantus flung their spears, but thebeast dashed them aside and not even the heavy, jacketed bullets stoppedhim. When he was ten yards away and crouching for his last bound thegun-bearers broke.
"I've got him," announced Captain Mac quietly. As the lion sprang hefired and the beast rolled over, clawing at the grass. At the sameinstant the lioness bounded out of the smoke.
Critch broke her foreleg with his first bullet and his second broughther to the earth. She rolled over, then gave another spring. Burtfollowed Montenay's example and fired just as the beast left the ground.This time she stumbled heavily and lay still, for the bullet had foundher brain.
The combat had been short but hot. The Bantus brought up their woundedcomrade for attention. He had been badly clawed in the arms andshoulders but his shield had saved him from fatal wounds, and Mr.Wallace soon had him fixed up. The Bantus were hugely delighted over thesuccess of the hunt. They danced about the bodies with waving spears andshields while Burt took some good pictures. Then the skinning began.
When the skins had been safely packed the caravan again moved forward,and two days later they came to a native village. When he heard the nameof the place Mr. Wallace looked somewhat surprised, then consulted a mapwhich he had procured at Boma. He folded it up without a word, however,and they entered the town.
"We're in the elephant country at last," announced Montenay that night."These fellows say that there is a small herd off to the east two miles.Suppose we go over to-morrow."
"To the east?" repeated Mr. Wallace. "Aren't we rather working away fromour bearings? However, no matter. I'm after ivory and not particularwhere I find it. We'll go to-morrow."
Burt was just a little puzzled at his uncle's attitude. He said nothingdefinite, but the boy in some way got the idea that he was watchingCaptain Mac. At first Burt put aside the thought. Then he resented it,for he had a strong liking for the eccentric Scotchman. Finally heresolved to wait and see what turned up.
That night his suspicions were confirmed. He and Critch slept togetherin one of the small tents and as they arranged the mosquito nets for thenight Howard paused.
"Say, did you notice anything funny about Cap'n Mac lately?"
"No," replied Burt. "Uncle George is acting kind of funny, though."
"You bet he is," nodded Critch. "He's just about got the goods on Cap'nMac, too!"
"What!" Burt stared at his chum eagerly. "I knew it! Spit it out, oldsport."
"It's that compass business. Anyway, that got your uncle going. When wewas ridin' after that hartebeest to-day he comes out with it. This hereplace ain't on our line o' march at all. We're 'way east of where weought to be!"
"East!" repeated Burt. "What's that got to do with Cap'n Mac?" He wasstill ready to stand up for his friend, though Howard's confident airsorely shook his faith.
"Like this. Your uncle says Montenay's been leadin' us wrong. He don'tknow what for and he's waiting to find out. B'lieve me, I'd hate to beCap'n Mac when he does find out! Golly, he was mad to-day!"
"Does he think Cap'n Mac swiped our compasses?"
"You bet! Thinks that business with Mgoro was a put-up job, too. When wewere out to-day we found a young eland lying dead. It had two o' theblamedest arrows in it you ever seen. Here's the hea
d o' one."
Critch produced a little bundle of skin from his pocket and verycarefully unwrapped it. He laid a long many-barbed iron point in Burt'shand.
"Watch out for it. That black stuff's poison, your uncle says. It's apigmy arrow."
"What's a pigmy arrow?" asked Burt. "Oh, you mean--" he stared atCritch, who nodded.
"That's what. We're over east near the pigmy country, 'stead of being upin the higher country where we ought to be. We'll be in the jungle inanother day, your uncle says."
"What's he going to do about it?" asked Burt. "Here, take this blamedthing back." And he very gingerly deposited the arrow-point in the bitof skin.
"Nothing," replied Critch. "He says to lay low and keep your eye peeled.He ain't going very far into the jungle either."
Whether Montenay noticed anything in their attitude the next morning ornot, he was as gay as ever when they started out after their firstelephant. In fact, he had never appeared more open, frank and merry thanhe did this morning and Burt found himself involuntarily siding againsthis uncle.
They were accompanied by a large force of trackers from the town. Aftera stiff two-mile walk into the deep forest toward the denser jungle oneof these trackers returned with word that a herd was not far ahead. Soonafterwards the party came upon the spoor. In low places the tracks werebig holes three feet in depth. They were always marked by shattered andbroken smaller trees and torn branches.
Suddenly an elephant trumpeted close by and the boys jumped. Now theystole along quietly in single file, while they could hear the greatbeasts feeding and crashing among the trees not a hundred yards away.The party moved noiselessly in the tracks of the elephants, for theirgreat weight had left no sticks or leaves to crack. Birds flew up inflocks and monkeys chattered all around. Then as the trail twisted aboutthe boys saw their first wild elephant--a good deal closer than theycould have wished.
Without the least warning the bushes and mass of tangled creepers attheir left parted with a tremendous crashing and a big bull surged outtwenty feet away. He was as much surprised as they and stood lookingwhile the blacks fled. Mr. Wallace and Captain Mac fired almosttogether, one bullet taking him in the shoulder and the other just abovethe eye. Neither wound was fatal but for an instant the great beast wasstunned by the shock and stood reeling. Then as he lifted his trunk,flapped his ears forward with his great in-curving tusks half raised andtook a step toward the party, both men fired again and the immense bulkquivered and crashed down dead.
The blacks raised a shout of joy but only for an instant. At the suddenfiring shrill trumpeting and crashing had gone up from the herd infront, and another bull appeared in the path in full charge. Trees,matted creepers and bushes went down before him and for an instant thelittle group stood paralyzed with the sudden danger. Then Burt raisedhis rifle and fired. His bullet was wildly aimed but proved lucky, forit struck the elephant in the eye and penetrated the brain. He staggeredforward another step and then rolled over just as the others fired.
"Good for you!" cried Mr. Wallace. He gripped Burt's hand and shook itheartily, as did Captain Mac. Critch pounded his chum on the back in anecstasy of delight. The herd had crashed away and was gone, and as oneof the bearers was carrying the camera, Burt and Critch got some viewsof the dead elephants, after which the hunters took out their knives.
The hides were disregarded as not worth the effort of preparing. Thetusks were cut out and the feet were taken off to be served up by Johnas the most delicate of jungle dishes. Then the local blacks fell towork and cut up the rest of the carcasses for home consumption. It wasabout noon, so Mr. Wallace decided that they would return to their campand follow the herd another day.
"This is good country," he said as they walked along. "Between huntingand trading we ought to get a nice lot of ivory together pretty soon. Ithink I'll make a permanent camp just outside the town and not go in anyfarther, Montenay."
Captain Mac merely nodded. He remained very silent, however, on thereturn trip. When they got home the tusks were weighed and it was foundthat the smaller bull, the first to appear, carried one hundred and tenpounds of ivory. The larger, which Burt had killed, was a good dealolder and his tusks weighed twenty pounds more.
"That's big ivory, lad," said Montenay as they sat down to theirpostponed lunch in the afternoon. "It ain't often ye'll get beastscarryin' more'n a hundred thirty. 'Cept, o' course, some old chap who'swandered off by himself an' kept the blacks too scared to be huntin'him. I mind once I dropped just such an old bull down south an' got ahundred seventy--nigh to bein' a record."
"It was a mighty lucky shot," laughed Burt. "I just threw her up an' letgo 'cause I was too scared to aim. Goin' out to-morrow?"
"Since ye're goin' to camp here permanent," returned Captain Mac,addressing Mr. Wallace, "I'm thinkin' I'll be takin' a little hike intothe woods. I'll take a score o' the boys an' be back in a week."
"No, you won't." Without the least trace of excitement in his voice Mr.Wallace whipped out his revolver and covered the other. "Keep your handson the table, Montenay! Burt, remove the captain's gun."
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