we will simply cut around those
hills ahead and march by compass. No lack o' water here, fortunately."

So, much to the relief of the boys, they left the dangerous vicinity of
the river and struck across country. Except on the very banks of the
stream there was no jungle, but open and well-wooded country that seemed
well able to support a population of natives, had there been any to
support. An hour after inspanning they came to another and larger
village, which had fallen to decay as had the first. Monkeys were
everywhere, grinning and chattering among the ruined huts, and in the
center of the old village, fastened to a still sturdy post, they came
upon a pair of heavy iron hand-cuffs, which were simply a mass of rust.

"There's an indication of the slave-trade," and Schoverling pointed.
"Probably a refractory slave was tied up there and whipped. I suppose
those Arabs found this a thickly populated, happy country and simply
made a clean sweep, men, women and children. Those that weren't killed
or carried off north no doubt perished miserably in the wilderness. Poor
devils! It's a tremendously good thing for Africa that the British put
down the slave-trade."

"If they'd only conserved their resources," declared von Hofe, "they
might be running out slaves yet. But it was more than slavers, my
friend." He had advanced to the door of a hut and now drew back. "It is
not a good place to stay. There are skeletons--perhaps of the plague."

"That's more like it," exclaimed Charlie, as they rode on. "Mowbray said
that he had found the Arab place plague-swept, and had burned the whole
thing, prob'ly for fear of infection. That would account for the absence
of human life a whole lot better than by laying it all on the slavers."

There was another thought running through Charlie's head,
however--something of which no one had yet spoken openly. He wondered if
Schoverling had paid any attention to Mowbray's narrative of the big
cache of ivory "underneath the left gate-post." He had been long enough
in Africa to know the tremendous value of tusks, and resolved to talk
things over with Jack at the first opportunity. Von Hofe, meanwhile, had
been thinking along more practical lines.

"If we had a large party, Schoverling, and plenty of time, we could make
money," he announced suddenly, and pointed to the hills on their left.
"Those hills must be of old volcanoes. Why should the Arabs have come so
far to settle here in a terrible la