She gave the statement time to do its own work, and smoked a while in silence.  The strength of her position, and our weakness, lay in there being three of us.  Any one of us might let drop an ill-considered word that would commit the others.  I think we all felt that, for we sat and said nothing.

“You answer her, Fred,” I said at last, and Will nodded agreement.

So Fred got up and sat on the other side of the table, where we could see his face and he ours.

“You haven’t answered Mr. Yerkee question,” he said.  “What do you want with us, Lady Saffren Waldon?”

“I want an understanding with you.  I will be plain to begin with.  We all know you know where the ivory is.  Lord Montdidier is not the man to connect himself with any wild goose chase.  We don’t pretend to know how you came by the secret or why he has gone to London, but we are sure you know it, perfectly sure, and for five or six reasons.  We are willing to buy the secret from you at your own price.”

“Who are ’we’?” asked Fred pointedly, helping himself to nuts.

“The German government, the Sultan of Zanzibar, and myself.”

Fred smiled.  “Between you you probably could pay,” he remarked.

“I will tell you a few hard facts,” she said, “now that the ice is broken.  You will never be allowed to make full use of your own secret.  You have arrived at an inopportune moment, for you and for us.  Our plans have been on foot a long time.  Our search has been systematic, and it is a mathematical certainty we shall find what we look for in time.  We do not propose to let new arrivals on the scene spoil all our plans and disappoint us just because they happen to have information.  If you go ahead you will be watched like mice whom cats are after.  If you find the ivory, you will be killed before you can make the discovery known!”

“We seem up against it, don’t we!” smiled Fred.

“You are!  But you can save us trouble, if you will.  Name your price.  Tell me your secret.  Go your way.  If your story proves true you shall be paid by draft on London.”

“Are you overlooking the idea,” asked Fred, “that we might tell the secret to the British government, and be contented with our ten per cent. commission?”

“I am not.  You are expressly warned against any such foolishness.  In the first place, you will be killed, at once if you dare.  In the second place, how do you know the British government would pay you ten per cent.?”

“I’ve had dealings with the English!” laughed Fred.

“Bah!  Do you think this is Whitehall?  Do you think the officials here are proof against temptation?  When I tell you that in Whitehall itself I can bribe two officials out of three, perhaps you’ll understand me when I say that all these people have their price!  And the price is low!  Tell them where the ivory is—­lead them to it—­and they’ll swear they found it themselves, so as to keep the commission themselves!  And as for you—­you three”—­she sneered with the most sardonic, thin-lipped smile I ever saw—­“there are lions out here, and buffalo, snakes, fevers, native uprisings—­more ways of being rid of you than by choking you to death with butter!”