h to interview two sulky chiefs.

"What palaver is this?" he demanded of Iberi, "that you carry your
spears to a killing? For is not the river big enough for all, and are
there no burying-places for your old men that you should fight so
fiercely?"

"Lord," confessed Iberi, "upon that island is a treasure which has been
hidden from the beginning of time, and that is the truth--N'Yango!"

Now, no man swears by his mother unless he is speaking straightly, and
Hamilton understood.

"Never have I spoken of this to the Chief of the Isisi," Iberi went on,
"nor he to me, yet we know because of certain wise sayings that the
treasure stays and young men of our houses have searched very diligently
though secretly. Also Bosambo knows, for he is a cunning man, and when
we found he had put his warriors to the seeking we fought him, lord, for
though the treasure may be Isisi or Akasava, of this I am sure it is not
of the Ochori."

Hamilton came to the Ochori city to find a red-eyed Bones stalking
majestically up and down the beach.

"What is the matter with you?" demanded Hamilton. "Fever?"

"Not at all," replied Bones, huskily; but with a fine carelessness.

"You look as if you hadn't had a sleep for months," said Hamilton.

Bones shrugged his shoulders.

"Dear old fellow," said he, "it isn't for nothing that I'm called 'the
sleepless one'--don't make sceptical noises, dear old officer, but
pursue your inquiries among the indigenous natives, especially
Bosambo--an hour is all I want--just a bit of a snooze and a bath and
I'm bright an' vigilant."

"Take your hour," said Hamilton briefly. "You'll need it."

His interview with Bosambo was short and, for Bosambo, painful.
Nevertheless he unbent in the end to give the chief a job after his
heart.

Launch and steamer turned their noses down the stream, and at sunset
came to the island. In the morning, Hamilton conducted a search which
extended from shore to shore and he came upon the cairn unexpectedly
after a two hours' search. He uncovered two tons of ivory, wrapped in
rotten native cloth.

"There will be trouble over this," he said, thoughtfully, surveying the
yellow tusks. "I'll go downstream to the Isisi and collect information,
unless these beggars can establish their claim we will bag this lot for
government."

He left Bones and one orderly on the island.

"I shall be gone two days," he said. "I must send the launch to bring
Iberi to me; keep your eyes peeled."