CHAPTER II
A fat, unwholesome--looking creature, half native, half Belgian, waddledacross the open space towards the hut in which the two strangers hadbeen housed. He was followed at a little distance by two sturdy nativesbearing a steaming pot which they carried on a pole between them. Trentset down his revolver and rose to his feet.
"What news, Oom Sam?" he asked. "Has the English officer been heard of?He must be close up now."
"No news," the little man grunted. "The King, he send some of his ownsupper to the white men. 'They got what they want,' he say. 'They startwork mine soon as like, but they go away from here.' He not like themabout the place! See!"
"Oh, that be blowed!" Trent muttered. "What's this in the pot? It don'tsmell bad."
"Rabbit," the interpreter answered tersely. "Very good. Part King's ownsupper. White men very favoured."
Trent bent over the pot which the two men had set upon the ground. Hetook a fork from his belt and dug it in.
"Very big bones for a rabbit, Sam," he remarked doubtfully.
Sam looked away. "Very big rabbits round here," he remarked. "Best keeppot. Send men away."
Trent nodded, and the men withdrew.
"Stew all right," Sam whispered confidentially. "You eat him. No fear.But you got to go. King beginning get angry. He say white men not tostay. They got what he promised, now they go. I know King--know thispeople well! You get away quick. He think you want be King here! You gotthe papers--all you want, eh?"
"Not quite, Sam," Trent answered. "There's an Englishman, CaptainFrancis, on his way here up the Coast, going on to Walgetta Fort. Hemust be here to-morrow. I want him to see the King's signature. If he'sa witness these niggers can never back out of the concession. They'reslippery devils. Another chap may come on with more rum and they'llforget us and give him the right to work the mines too. See!"
"I see," Sam answered; "but him not safe to wait. You believe me. Iknow these tam niggers. They take two days get drunk, then get devils,four--raving mad. They drunk now. Kill any one to-morrow--perhaps you.Kill you certain to-morrow night. You listen now!"
Trent stood up in the shadow of the overhanging roof. Every now and thencame a wild, shrill cry from the lower end of the village. Some one wasbeating a frightful, cracked drum which they had got from a trader. Thetumult was certainly increasing. Trent swore softly, and then lookedirresolutely over his shoulder to where Monty was sleeping.
"If the worst comes we shall never get away quickly," he muttered. "Thatold carcase can scarcely drag himself along."
Sam looked at him with cunning eyes.
"He not fit only die," he said softly. "He very old, very sick man, youleave him here! I see to him."
Trent turned away in sick disgust.
"We'll be off to-morrow, Sam," he said shortly. "I say! I'm beastlyhungry. What's in that pot?"
Sam spread out the palms of his hands.
"He all right, I see him cooked," he declared. "He two rabbits and onemonkey."
Trent took out a plate and helped himself.
"All right," he said. "Be off now. We'll go to-morrow before thesetowsly-headed beauties are awake."
Sam nodded and waddled off. Trent threw a biscuit and hit his companionon the cheek.
"Here, wake up, Monty!" he exclaimed. "Supper's come from the royalkitchen. Bring your plate and tuck in!"
Monty struggled to his feet and came meekly towards where the pot stoodsimmering upon the ground.
"I'm not hungry, Trent," he said, "but I am very thirsty, very thirstyindeed. My throat is all parched. I am most uncomfortable. ReallyI think your behaviour with regard to the brandy is most unkind andungenerous; I shall be ill, I know I shall. Won't you--"
"No, I won't," Trent interrupted. "Now shut up all that rot and eatsomething."
"I have no appetite, thank you," Monty answered, with sulky dignity.
"Eat something, and don't be a silly ass!" Trent insisted. "We've a hardjourney before us, and you'll need all the strength in your carcaseto land in Buckomari again. Here, you've dropped some of your preciousrubbish."
Trent stooped forward and picked up what seemed to him at first to bea piece of cardboard from the ground. He was about to fling it to itsowner, when he saw that it was a photograph. It was the likeness of agirl, a very young girl apparently, for her hair was still down herback and her dress was scarcely of the orthodox length. It was notparticularly well taken, but Trent had never seen anything like itbefore. The lips were slightly parted, the deep eyes were brimming withlaughter, the pose was full of grace, even though the girl's figure wasangular. Trent had seen as much as this, when he felt the smart of asudden blow upon the cheek, the picture was snatched from his hand, andMonty--his face convulsed with anger--glowered fiercely upon him.
"You infernal young blackguard! You impertinent meddling blockhead! Howdare you presume to look at that photograph! How dare you, sir! How dareyou!"
Trent was too thoroughly astonished to resent either the blow or thefierce words. He looked up into his aggressor's face in blank surprise.
"I only looked at it," he muttered. "It was lying on the floor."
"Looked at it! You looked at it! Like your confounded impertinence, sir!Who are you to look at her! If ever I catch you prying into my concernsagain, I'll shoot you--by Heaven I will!"
Trent laughed sullenly, and, having finished eating, lit his pipe.
"Your concerns are of no interest to me," he said shortly; "keep 'em toyourself--and look here, old 'un, keep your hands off me! I ain't a safeman to hit let me tell you. Now sit down and cool off! I don't want anymore of your tantrums."
Then there was a long silence between the two men. Monty sat where Trenthad been earlier in the night at the front of the open hut, his eyesfixed upon the ever-rising moon, his face devoid of intelligence, hiseyes dim. The fire of the last few minutes had speedily burnt out. Hishalf-soddened brain refused to answer to the sudden spasm of memorywhich had awakened a spark of the former man. If he had thoughts atall, they hung around that brandy bottle. The calm beauty of the Africannight could weave no spell upon him. A few feet behind, Trent, by thelight of the moon, was practising tricks with a pack of greasy cards.By and by a spark of intelligence found its way into Monty's brain. Heturned round furtively.
"Trent," he said, "this is slow! Let us have a friendly game--you andI."
Trent yawned.
"Come on, then," he said. "Single Poker or Euchre, eh?"
"I do not mind," Monty replied affably. "Just which you prefer."
"Single Poker, then," Trent said.
"And the stakes?"
"We've nothing left to play for," Trent answered gloomily, "exceptcartridges."
Monty made a wry face. "Poker for love, my dear Trent," he said,"between you and me, would lack all the charm of excitement. It wouldbe, in fact, monotonous! Let us exercise our ingenuity. There must besomething still of value in our possession."
He relapsed into an affectation of thoughtfulness. Trent watched himcuriously. He knew quite well that his partner was dissembling, but hescarcely saw to what end. Monty's eyes, moving round the grass-boundhut, stopped at Trent's knapsack which hung from the central pole. Heuttered a little exclamation.
"I have it," he declared. "The very thing."
"Well!"
"You are pleased to set an altogether fictitious value upon half bottleof brandy we have left," he said. "Now I tell you what I will do. In afew months we shall both be rich men. I will play you for my I O U, forfifty pounds, fifty sovereigns, Trent, against half the contents of thatbottle. Come, that is a fair offer, is it not? How we shall laugh atthis in a year or two! Fifty pounds against a tumblerful--positivelythere is no more--a tumblerful of brandy."
He was watching Trent's face all the time, but the younger man gaveno sign. When he had finished, Trent took up the cards, which he hadshuffled for Poker, and dealt them out for Patience. Monty's eyes weredim with disappointment.
"What!" he cried. "You don't agr
ee! Did you understand me? Fifty pounds,Trent! Why, you must be mad!"
"Oh, shut up!" Trent growled. "I don't want your money, and the brandy'spoison to you! Go to sleep!"
Monty crept a little nearer to his partner and laid his hand upon hisarm. His shirt fell open, showing the cords of his throat swollen andtwitching. His voice was half a sob.
"Trent, you are a young man--not old like me. You don't understand myconstitution. Brandy is a necessity to me! I've lived on it so long thatI shall die if you keep it from me. Remember, it's a whole day since Itasted a drop! Now I'll make it a hundred. What do you say to that? Onehundred!"
Trent paused in his game, and looked steadfastly into the eager facethrust close to his. Then he shrugged his shoulders and gathered up thecards.
"You're the silliest fool I ever knew," he said bluntly, "but I supposeyou'll worry me into a fever if you don't have your own way."
"You agree?" Monty shrieked. Trent nodded and dealt the cards.
"It must be a show after the draw," he said. "We can't bet, for we'venothing to raise the stakes with!"
Monty was breathing hard and his fingers trembled, as though the ague ofthe swamps was already upon him. He took up his cards one by one, and ashe snatched up the last he groaned. Not a pair!
"Four cards," he whispered hoarsely. Trent dealt them out, looked athis own hand, and, keeping a pair of queens, took three more cards. Hefailed to improve, and threw them upon the floor. With frantic eagernessMonty grovelled down to see them--then with a shriek of triumph he threwdown a pair of aces.
"Mine!" he said. "I kept an ace and drew another. Give me the brandy!"
Trent rose up, measured the contents of the bottle with his forefinger,and poured out half the contents into a horn mug. Monty stood tremblingby.
"Mind," Trent said, "you are a fool to drink it and I am a fool to letyou! You risk your life and mine. Sam has been up and swears we mustclear out to-morrow. What sort of form do you think you'll be in to walksixty miles through the swamps and bush, with perhaps a score of thesedevils at our heels? Come now, old 'un, be reasonable."
The veins on the old man's forehead stood out like whipcord.
"I won it," he cried. "Give it me! Give it me, I say."
Trent made no further protest. He walked back to where he had beenlying and recommenced his Patience. Monty drank off the contents of thetumbler in two long, delicious gulps! Then he flung the horn upon thefloor and laughed aloud.
"That's better," he cried, "that's better! What an ass you are, Trent!To imagine that a drain like that would have any effect at all, save toput life into a man! Bah! what do you know about it?"
Trent did not raise his head. He went on with his solitary game and, toall appearance, paid no heed to his companion's words. Monty was not inthe humour to be ignored. He flung himself on the ground opposite to hiscompanion.
"What a slow-blooded sort of creature you are, Trent!" he said. "Don'tyou ever drink, don't you ever take life a little more gaily?"
"Not when I am carrying my life in my hands," Trent answered grimly. "Iget drunk sometimes--when there's nothing on and the blues come--neverat a time like this though."
"It is pleasant to hear," the old man remarked, stretching out hislimbs, "that you do occasionally relax. In your present frame ofmind--you will not be offended I trust--you are just a little heavy asa companion. Never mind. In a year's time I will be teaching you how todine--to drink champagne, to--by the way, Trent, have you ever tastedchampagne?"
"Never," Trent answered gruffly "Don't know that I want to either."
Monty was compassionate. "My young friend," he said, "I would give mysoul to have our future before us, to have your youth and never to havetasted champagne. Phew! the memory of it is delicious!"
"Why don't you go to bed?" Trent said. "You'll need all your strengthto-morrow!"
Monty waved his hand with serene contempt.
"I am a man of humours, my dear friend," he said, "and to-night myhumour is to talk and to be merry. What is it the philosophers tellus?--that the sweetest joys of life are the joys of anticipation. Herewe are, then, on the eve of our triumph--let us talk, plan, be happy.Bah! how thirsty it makes one! Come, Trent, what stake will you have meset up against that other tumblerful of brandy."
"No stake that you can offer," Trent answered shortly. "That drop ofbrandy may stand between us and death. Pluck up your courage, man, andforget for a bit that there is such a thing as drink."
Monty frowned and looked stealthily across towards the bottle.
"That's all very well, my friend," he said, "but kindly remember thatyou are young, and well, and strong. I am old, and an invalid. I needsupport. Don't be hard on me, Trent. Say fifty again.
"No, nor fifty hundred," Trent answered shortly. "I don't want yourmoney. Don't be such a fool, or you'll never live to enjoy it."
Monty shuffled on to his feet, and walked aimlessly about the hut. Onceor twice as he passed the place where the bottle rested, he hesitated;at last he paused, his eyes lit up, he stretched out his handstealthily. But before he could possess himself of it Trent's hand wasupon his collar.
"You poor fool!" he said; "leave it alone can't you? You want to poisonyourself I know. Well, you can do as you jolly well like when you areout of this--not before."
Monty's eyes flashed evil fires, but his tone remained persuasive."Trent," he said, "be reasonable. Look at me! I ask you now whether Iam not better for that last drop. I tell you that it is food and wineto me. I need it to brace me up for to-morrow. Now listen! Name your ownstake! Set it up against that single glass! I am not a mean man, Trent.Shall we say one hundred and fifty?"
Trent looked at him half scornfully, half deprecatingly.
"You are only wasting your breath, Monty," he said. "I couldn't touchmoney won in such a way, and I want to get you out of this alive.There's fever in the air all around us, and if either of us got a touchof it that drop of brandy might stand between us and death. Don't worryme like a spoilt child. Roll yourself up and get to sleep! I'll keepwatch."
"I will be reasonable," Monty whined. "I will go to sleep, my friend,and worry you no more when I have had just one sip of that brandy! It isthe finest medicine in the world for me! It will keep the fever off. Youdo not want money you say! Come, is there anything in this world which Ipossess, or may possess, which you will set against that three inches ofbrown liquid?"
Trent was on the point of an angry negative. Suddenly hestopped--hesitated--and said nothing. Monty's face lit up with suddenhope.
"Come," he cried, "there is something I see! You're the right sort,Trent. Don't be afraid to speak out. It's yours, man, if you win it.Speak up!"
"I will stake that brandy," Trent answered, "against the picture you letfall from your pocket an hour ago."