ba, but I don't
see quite how. We can't very well fix a trap out in the forest, because
Pongo ain't liable to be hungry right away. It's queer that he didn't
bring the old chief here like he brought Cap'n Mac. Mebbe he uses this
more as sleeping quarters, and prefers to take his meals out in the open
air."

CHAPTER XVI

BURT LEFT ALONE

"Critch," said Burt suddenly, "that was a blamed good idea while it
lasted. But it hasn't lasted. We can't do it."

"Sure we can!" returned Critch hopefully. "Why not?"

"It'd take us a year to build a deadfall like that."

"We don't need to! Ain't Pongo blind? All we have to do is rig up a
figure-four trap out o' logs."

"That'd be a nice easy job, wouldn't it!" retorted Burt. "He may be
blind but he ain't foolish. No, sir, it won't work. We just got to kill
that lion though. If we don't, Mbopo'll know we've been runnin' a bluff
on him."

"What you goin' to do?" said Critch irritably. "Sit here and let him
come?"

"Not much. Seems to me that if the lion's blind there ought to be some
way of fixing him without any danger. We're safe enough from the
pigmies while we're here with Ta-En-User, but not from the lion. Dust
your brain off! Think!"

"All right," responded Critch briskly. "Here goes for the first thing."
Without ceremony he got up and pulled over the mummy-case. "We got to
fix Mbopo sure, ain't we? Well, take hold o' this--don't bust it!"

"What you doing?" exclaimed Burt as his chum began to pry open the
mummy-case with the edge of the little axe obtained from Mbopo. Critch
paused to reply.

"It's a pipe, Burt! We'll just upwrap Ta-En-User here, see? I guess he
ain't in extra good condition but he'll do for a while. Then we'll fill
up the case with leaves and the wrappings. These pigmies have never seen
inside the case, remember. They don't know a mummy from a goat. Soon's
we get him unwrapped an' laid out in his nightie, out go the lights and
you get back in the corner.

"When Mbopo comes I'll tell 'em you did this to the ankh." Critch raised
his axe and cut a deep gash on the cross arm in the soft gold. "Then
I'll say that Pongo dried you up for insulting him. Get the point?
That'll scare 'em stiff. We'll take the ankh, the stuffed case and the
mummy back to the village."

"Yes you will!" cried Burt hastily. "S'pose I'm going to stay here?"

"Sure you are!" grinned Critch. "I'd do it only I reckon the mummy won't
have red hair an' it wouldn't work.