For all Fred's playfulness, Yerkes and I came in of our free and
considered will, and Monty understood that.

"We've got to separate," he said, "and I've got to interview the King
of Belgium."

"If that were my job," grinned Yerkes, "I'd prob'ly tell him things!"

"I don't pretend to like him," said Monty. "But it seems to me I can
serve our best interests by going to Brussels. He can't very well
refuse me a private audience. I should get a contract with the Congo
government satisfactory to all concerned. He's rapacious--but I think
not ninety per cent. rapacious."

"Good," said I, "but why separate?"

"If we traveled toward the Congo from this place in a bunch," said
Monty, "we should give the game away completely and have all the
rag-tag and bob-tail on our heels. As it is, our only chance of
shaking all of them would be to go round by sea and enter the Congo
from the other side; but that would destroy our chance of picking up
the trail in German East Africa. So I'll go to Brussels, and get back
to British East as fast as possible. Fred must go to British East and
watch Schillingschen. You two fellows may as well go by way of British
East Africa to Muanza on Victoria Nyanza, and on from there to the
Congo border by way of Ujiji. Yerkes is an American, and they'll
suspect him less than any of us (they'd nail me, of course, in a
minute!) So let Yerkes make a great show of looking for land to settle
on. We'll all four meet on the Congo border, at some other place to be