His plan had failed. He had thought to induce Denham to give himself
away before the others, and that completely. But he had reckoned
without the cool nerves of Denham. Well, the next card to play was
bluff.

An opportunity was not easy to find. Most of the morning they sat in
the shade, and smoked and chatted. But later, when Verna was busy
indoors, and something had taken Ben Halse away, Stride said--

"I've got something to tell you. How about taking a bit of a stroll,
where no one'll hear us?"

"All right. Let's."

They strolled off together a little way. Suddenly Stride said--

"Rum thing this murder down in the Makanya, isn't it?"

"I don't know enough about it to say. But I suppose there's no doubt
about it being a murder?"

"Not a particle. Dickinson has worked the thing up in first-rate style.
There's hardly a link missing from the chain."

"Not, eh? There's a saying, though, that a chain is no stronger than
its weakest link; but if the link is not merely weak but missing
altogether, what's the use of that chain?"

"The link can be supplied," said Stride meaningly. "Dickinson could put
his hand on the right man at any minute."

"Then why the devil doesn't he?"

The straightness of this query rather nonplussed Stride. But he
remembered that men in desperate straits had many a time been known to
save the situation by consummate bluff.

"Perhaps he isn't quite sure where he is at this moment," he answered.
"I could help him."

"Then why the devil don't you?"

"Look here. Let's quit beating around the bush," said the other,
speaking quickly. "Will you take a piece of advice?"

"Can't say until I hear it. But I'll promise to consider its burden
when I do."

Denham was getting rather sick of all this mysterious hinting. He was
also getting a bit "short."

"I'll give it you in one word, then," was the answer. "Skip."

"Don't see the joke. Explain."

"Don't see it, eh?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Well, bluff's a good dog sometimes," sneered the other, who thought he
would enjoy a different situation directly. "Still, you take my tip and
skip, with the smallest loss of time you can manage. I don't suppose
they'll bother to follow up the thing very keenly once you're clean out
of the country. And if you're wise you mighty soon will be. Get out
through Swaziland and into German territory if you can, or at any rate
keep dark. Halse will be able to help you."

All t