Achilles heel?"

In that second, I believe, Fred Oakes and I betrayed ourselves genuine
adventurers. Any fool could have talked glibly about setting the town
on fire; any coward could have yelped about the danger of it, and
improbability of success. It needed adventurers to size up instantly
all the odds against the idea, recognize the one infinitesimal chance,
and plump for it. And we were there!

"It's the only chance we've got!" agreed Fred. "I'm for it! Lead on
America!"

"I believe we can pull it off!" said I. "I'm game!"

After that it seemed like waste of time to talk, yet every single
detail of our plan had to be thought out beforehand and mentally
rehearsed, if we hoped to have even the one slim chance we built on.
Luckily Professor Schillingschen continued drunk, which meant that he
would sleep early and give Lady Waldon another chance to pay us a
nocturnal visit. One of our boys told us that according to market
gossips the commandant was drinking with him and the two of them were
watching a sort of prolonged native nautch they had staged in seclusion
on the hill.

The next day we learned there was to be a murder trial of no less than
nine men--an event likely to keep the whole garrison's attention drawn
away from us. And after the trial would come the hanging (it would
have been impossible to convince any one, German or native, that the
verdict and sentence were not foregone conclusions). The stars in
their courses appeared to be on our side. For several nights to come
the worst the moon could do would be to show a sliver of silver
crescent for an hour or two.

Lady Waldon came earlier that night. When we outlined our plan to her
roughly she argued against it at first--and it was impossible
far-fetched--ridiculous. She insisted again on our simply sneaking
away by night with her. But Fred wasted no time on argument, and took
the upper hand.

"Take us or leave us, Lady Waldon, as we are! We've an unwritten rule
that none of us has ever thought of breaking, that binds us to obey the
member of the party whose plan we have adopted. On this occasion we
have agreed to Mr. Yerkes' plan, and you've got to obey him implicitly
if you want to have part with us! We will not leave our men or Brown
of Lumbwa behind, and we will not change the plan by a hair's breadth!
Will you or won't you obey?"

She yielded then very quickly. It seemed a relief to her at last to
subject her views to those of