When Will came in he was grinning, and his ears seemed to stick out more than usual, as they do when he is pleased with himself.

“Didn’t I say fat Johnson was ours if we’d play our cards right?” he demanded.

“You mean Hassan?”

“He’d had no breakfast.  He’d had no supper.  He had no money.  The Greeks took away what little money he did have on the pretext that he might buy a return ticket and desert them.  They seem to think that a day or two’s starvation might make him good and amenable.  I found him trying to beg a bite from a full-blooded Arab, and say! they’re a loving lot.  The Arab spat in his eye!  I offered to buy him eats but he didn’t dare come in here for fear the Greeks ’ud thrash him, so I slipped him ten rupees for himself and he’s the gratefulest fat black man you ever set eyes on.  You bet it takes food and lots of it to keep that belly of his in shape.  There’s a back door to this joint.  He slipped round behind and bribed the babu to feed him on the rear step, me standing guard at the corner to keep Greeks at bay.  He’s back in the car now, playing possum.”

“Let’s trade him for Brown of Lumbwa,” suggested Fred genially.  “Call him into our car and kick Brown out!”

“Trade nothing!  I tell you the man is ours!  Call him, and he’ll bargain.  Let him be, and the next time the Greeks ill-treat him he’ll come straight to us in hope we’ll show him kindness.”

“Swallow your tea quickly, Solomon!” Fred advised him.  “There goes the whistle!”

It was fresh tea, just that minute made for him.  Will gulped down the scalding stuff and had to be thumped on the back according to Fred. With eyes filled with water he did not see what I did, and Fred was too busy guarding against counter-blows.  The most public place and the very last minute always suited those two best for playing horse.

“Thought you said Johnson was asleep,” said I.

“Possuming,” coughed Will.  “Shamming sleep to fool the Greeks.”

“Possuming, no doubt,” I answered, “but the Greeks are on.  He has just come scurrying out of Lady Saffren Waldon’s compartment.  The Greeks watched him and made no comment!’

We piled into our own appointed place and sat for a while in silence.

“All right said Will at last, lighting his pipe.  “I own I felt like quitting once.  I’ll see it through now if there’s no ivory and nothing but trouble!  That dame can’t thimblerig me!”

“We’re supposed to know where the ivory is,” grinned Fred.  “Keep it up!  They’ll hunt us so carefully that they’ll save us the trouble of watching them!”

“I’m beginning to think we do know where the ivory is,” said I.  “I believe it’s on Mount Elgon and they mean to prevent our getting it.”

“If that turns out true, we’ll have to give them the slip, that’s all,” said Fred, and got out his concertina just as Monty always played chess when his brain was busy, Fred likes to think to the strains of his infernal instrument.  One could not guess what he was thinking about, but the wide world knew he was perplexed, and Lady Saffren Waldon in the next compartment must have suffered.