“He shall study deathnology,” said Fred, “if he gets in my way!”

“The Congo people,” said Monty, “would have dug up the stuff, of course, if they’d known where to look for it.  Our people believe that the Germans do know whereabouts to look for it, but dread putting the Congo crowd on the scent.  If we’re after it we’ve got to do two things besides agreeing between ourselves.”

“Deal me in, Monty!” said Yerkes.

“Nil desperandum, Didums duce, then!” said Fred.  “I propose Monty for leader.  Those against the motion take their shirts off, and see if they can lick me!  Nobody pugnacious?  The ayes have it!  Talk along, Didums!”

For all Fred’s playfulness, Yerkes and I came in of our free and considered will, and Monty understood that.

“We’ve got to separate,” he said, “and I’ve got to interview the King of Belgium.”

“If that were my job,” grinned Yerkes, “I’d prob’ly tell him things!”

“I don’t pretend to like him,” said Monty.  “But it seems to me I can serve our best interests by going to Brussels.  He can’t very well refuse me a private audience.  I should get a contract with the Congo government satisfactory to all concerned.  He’s rapacious—­but I think not ninety per cent. rapacious.”

“Good,” said I, “but why separate?”

“If we traveled toward the Congo from this place in a bunch,” said Monty, “we should give the game away completely and have all the rag-tag and bob-tail on our heels.  As it is, our only chance of shaking all of them would be to go round by sea and enter the Congo from the other side; but that would destroy our chance of picking up the trail in German East Africa.  So I’ll go to Brussels, and get back to British East as fast as possible.  Fred must go to British East and watch Schillingschen.  You two fellows may as well go by way of British East Africa to Muanza on Victoria Nyanza, and on from there to the Congo border by way of Ujiji.  Yerkes is an American, and they’ll suspect him less than any of us (they’d nail me, of course, in a minute!) So let Yerkes make a great show of looking for land to settle on.  We’ll all four meet on the Congo border, at some other place to be decided later.  We’ll have to agree on a code, and keep in touch by telegraph as often as possible.  Now, is all that clear?”

“We two’ll have all the Greeks of Zanzibar trailing us all the way!” objected Yerkes.

“That’ll be better than having them trail the lot of us,” said Monty.  “You’ll be able to shake them somewhere on the way.  We’ll count on your ingenuity, Will.”

“But what am I to do to Schillingschen?” asked Fred.

“Keep an eye on him.”

“Do you see me Sherlock-Holmesing him across the high veld?  Piffle!  Give America that job!  I’ll go through German East and keep ahead of the Greeks!”

But Monty was firm.  “Yerkes has a plausible excuse, Fred. They may wonder why an American should look for land in German East Africa, but they’ll let him do it, and perhaps not spy on him to any extent.  It’s me they’ve their eye on.  I’ll try to keep ’em dazzled.  You go to British East and dazzle Schillingschen!  Now, are we agreed?”