"No, we all stay. All or none!"

Schubert made a contemptuous gesture with his thumb toward Brown, who
had fallen dead drunk on the floor.

"Will that one stay, too?"

"He is not of our party really," Fred answered. "He knows nothing of
our affairs."

"You men are in trouble--worse trouble than you guess!"

Schubert looked with his cruel blue eyes into each of ours in turn,
then stared straight in front of him and waited.

"I don't believe it," Fred answered. "We have done nothing to merit
trouble."

"Merit in this world is another name for chance!" said Schubert.

"What are we supposed to have done?" demanded Fred.

Schubert at once assumed what was intended to be a sly look, of
uncommunicable knowledge.

"None of my business to tell what my officers know," he answered. "As
for that, time will no doubt disclose much. The point is--trouble can
be forestalled."

"Aw--show your hand!" cut in Will, leaning in front of Fred. "I've
seen you Heinies fishing for graft too often in the States not to
recognize symptoms! Spill the bait can! There's no other way to tell
if we'll bite! Tell us what you're driving at!"

"Ivory!" said Schubert savagely and simply, shutting his jaws after the
word like a snap with a steel spring. It would have broken the teeth
of an ordinary human.

"What ivory?"

We all did our best to look blank.

"You know! Tippoo Tib's ivory! It belongs to the German government!
Emin Pasha, whom that adventurer Stanley rescued against his will,
agreed to sell the secret to us, but we never agreed on a price and he
died without telling. Gott! He would have told had I had the
interviewing of him! It was known in Zanzibar that you and a certain
English lord shared the secret. You have been watched. You are known
to be in search of the stuff."

"The deuce you say!" Fred murmured, with a glance to left and right at
us.

"If you were to go to the office to-morrow, and tell our commandant
what you know," said Schubert, "you might be suitably compensated. You
would certainly be given facilities for leaving the country in comfort
at your leisure."

"Who told you to promise us that?" Fred demanded, turning on him.

The feldwebel did not answer, but sat with his legs straight out in
front of him, his heels together, and the palms of his hands touching
between his knees. The sergeants were all singing, smoking and
drinking. The Jew was back at his old post, watching every one w