he loop of the golden ankh and signed to the two brothers to
raise it.

They obeyed after some hesitation, with frightened looks at the grinning
mummy. Then Critch picked up the mummy and laid him in the trembling
arms of Mbopo and made shift to get the case on his own shoulder. He led
the way out and a moment later Burt was alone.

He could hear the four stop outside while Critch lit a small fire in
front of the entrance. Then the latter re-entered with an armful of
large sticks and flung them down.

"So long," he muttered. "I'll put some logs up against the door inside
the fire. If the lion gets through the smoke he'll stop at the logs
mebbe. See you later."

"So long," murmured Burt and the other vanished. He heard a few sharp
orders transmitted through Mbopo and then after five minutes three or
four small logs were piled against the door. This was a decided
improvement on his own plan of the fire, for now the opening was nearly
blocked.

Burt waited for a few moments and then rolled over and sat up. The
single wick was still burning dimly and he picked up the box of matches
and stowed them away beside his own. As he listened he could hear the
deep throb-throb of the larger drums from the village mingled with the
sharper and more staccato notes of the tom-toms. Over all rose the
shrill monotonous chant.

Suddenly there came a change. The tom-toms ceased abruptly with one or
two scattered notes. The chanting died away an instant later. Then arose
a low, mournful wail of absolute fear that made the listening boy
shudder. This was followed by silence for a brief space and then came
two bark-like notes such as had answered the young chief earlier in the
evening. Critch had triumphed! Otherwise, Burt well knew that he would
have heard only one shrill yell.

Burt still had his watch in its safety-pocket and had kept it wound
pretty regularly. He now drew it out and held it close to the blue
flame. Two o'clock; the boy stared at the hands incredulously. Had all
these events only occupied five or six hours? He had been sure it was
nearly morning. As it was, there were still three hours until daylight.
Three hours before Critch would come!

For one moment Burt felt an insane impulse to rush from the hut and seek
the village. The horror of the place rushed over him. The combined odors
of the mummy, the burning oil, and the filth on the floor sickened him
and he made a step forward. Then he paused abruptly. Critch was