"Listen, Miss," said Brown, turning appealingly to Jane, "I ain't never bumped anyone off yet; but if you don't want another killing around here, make that fool shut up and keep shut up."
"Then you refuse to come with us, Brown?" demanded Jane. "I think you are very foolish."
"I may be foolish, Miss; but I ain't taking no chances with no foreign court. An English court might be all right, but we are not in English territory. No, I came out here with these people in the hopes I could get hold of that formula for perpetual youth. That would be worth millions back home; and now that I am here, I am going ahead and try to find it. I don't know how, but I am going to try."
"There are so few of us," said Jane, "and we are so poorly armed that we really ought to stick together, at least until we contact some friendly natives."
"I didn't plan on leaving you cold, Miss," said the pilot. "I'll stick until you and Annette are safe."
"I was sure you would, Brown; and now that that's settled, we've something else to do—a very unpleasant duty. The princess must be buried. I guess you men will have to dig the grave."
The only implement they had with which to dig was the hatchet that had been used to kill the princess; and thus a task, sufficiently gruesome in itself, was rendered incalculably more so.
While one of the men loosened the earth with the hatchet, the other two scooped it out with their hands; and while the men were thus occupied, Jane and Annette prepared the body for burial as best they might by wrapping it in articles of the victim's clothing taken from her baggage.
Annette wept continually; but Jane, even though she felt the loss infinitely more than the little French maid could have, remained dry-eyed. She had work to do, a duty to perform; and she could not permit her personal sorrow to interfere.
When all was in readiness and the body lowered into the grave, Jane recited as much of the burial service as she could recall, while the others stood about with bowed heads, the men uncovered.
"I think," said Jane, when it was all over and the grave filled, "that we had better break camp immediately; no one will want to remain here."
"Have you any plan?" asked Alexis. "Do you know where we are going?"
"There are only two things we can do," said Jane. "One is to follow this trail toward the west, and the other is to follow it toward the east. The toss of a coin could decide that as intelligently as any of us. Not knowing where we are, it is impossible to know in which direction lies the nearest friendly village. Personally, I should prefer going toward the east because there lies the country with which I am familiar, the country where I have many friends among the natives."
"Then we go to the east," said Brown. "You're boss; what you say goes."
"I doubt the wisdom of your decision, Jane," said Alexis. "The Belgian Congo must lie to the west, if we are not already hi it, which I believe; and in that event, we shall strike civilization sooner by going in that direction."
"It's all guess-work at best, Alexis," said Jane. "It really doesn't make much difference which way we go. Let's leave it to a vote. How about you, Tibbs?"
"I—ahem—I beg pardon, Milady, I shall cast my lot with the majority."
"You're a lot of help," said Brown.
"And you, Annette?" asked Jane.
"Oh, if you and Mr. Brown wish to go to the east, I wish to go to the east also."
"That's settled," said Jane; "we go to the east then."
"I still object," demurred Alexis. "As the financial head of the expedition, the one who has paid and must pay all the bills, I believe that some consideration should be shown my wishes."
"Alexis," said Jane, "you make it very difficult. Like the rest, you will have to follow my orders, or when there is a question, accept the will of the majority. As for financing the expedition, each of us has the necessary wherewithal if we care to use it, and it's not money; it's cooperation and loyalty, courage and endurance."
Alexis had been watching her closely as she spoke, and suddenly his whole attitude changed. "I am sorry, Jane," he said, "I spoke thoughtlessly. You must understand that I am terribly upset by what has happened. I have lost my dear wife, and I am heart-broken."
Brown turned away disgustedly and held his nose with a thumb and forefinger.
"All right, Alexis," said Jane. "Now Jet's gather up what necessities we can carry and get going."
"How about breakfast?" demanded Brown.
"Oh, I had forgotten all about breakfast," said Jane. "Well, it will have to be bush-buck again."
"I don't believe I can eat a mouthful," said Annette to Brown.
"Oh, yes you can, girlie," replied the pilot; "you gotta eat whether you want it or not. We've probably got a lot of hard days ahead of us and we got to keep up our strength."
"I'll try," she said, "for you."
He squeezed her arm. "And say," he said, "you don't believe I done it, do you?"
"No, Mr. Brown, I do not believe it."
"Aw, can the mister, girlie."
"All right—Neal, but I do not see how he could have done it; I do not see how a man could kill his wife. She was such a nice lady."
"Yeah, she was sort of nuts, but she was all right at that. She was a whole lot better than him. As a matter of fact, the old dame killed herself."
"What do you mean? How could she kill herself so horribly with a hatchet?"
"Well, she done it all right; she done it when she told him she was going to change her will."
"Oh! What a terrible man."
"I've known of fellows that was bumped off for less than what this guy will get," said Brown. "Back in the land of the free and the home of the brave, you can get it done to almost any guy for a hundred smackers."
"One hundred smackers? What is a smacker? My English, she is not so good."
"I've noticed that, kiddo, but don't worry; I'll learn you."
"Now I must cook the meat for our breakfast," said Annette, "if you will cut off a few slices for me from the hind quarters."
"Sure." He felt in his pockets. "Where's my knife? Oh, yes, I remember," and he turned to Jane. "Say, Miss," he called, "let me have my knife if you are through with it."
"You haven't any knife," laughed Jane, "but I'll loan you mine." Brown rubbed his chin. "That's right; I did lose, didn't I?"
While Annette was cooking the antelope, the others busied themselves selecting such things as they thought they would need and could carry on the march. Tibbs was busy repacking suitcases under the direction of Alexis. Jane gathered her weapons together and then fastened a small hand-bag to the belt that supported her shorts. It was such a bag as a woman uses to carry her money, keys, lipstick, and such odds and ends. Other than this and her weapons, Jane selected nothing more than what she wore.
Brown, who was wearing aviator's boots, chose to take along an extra pair of shoes and several pairs of socks. He also crammed the contents of a carton of cigarettes into various pockets and inside his shirt. These things, with a supply of matches, and the fateful hand-axe, constituted his entire equipment. He knew the bitterness of heavy packs.
As Annette grilled the meat over the coals, her eyes were attracted by something at the edge of the fire, among the cooling ashes. It was a bit of burned fabric to which three buttons remained attached. With a piece of stick, she turned it over. As it had been lying flat on the ground near the edge of the fire, the underneath portion of the fabric was not burned; the color and pattern remained.
A look of recognition entered her eyes; then they half closed in brooding, speculative contemplation of her find.
Brown wandered over toward the fire. "I'll finish the meat," he said; "you go and gather together what you are going to take."
"I don't know what to take," said the girl. "I can't carry very much."
"Take whatever you need, girlie," he said; "I'll help you carry the stuff. Take extra shoes if you have them and plenty of stockings and a warm wrap. Unless I'm mistaken, we are going to need a lot of shoes and stockings, especially you. Them things you are wearing was never meant to walk in nohow."