nnibals, winged men, and the ivory hoard-had returned to civilization several days before, carrying with it letters from all the adventurers which they felt might be the

in the blue outlines of the distant Moon Mountains in w

and her fittings, it would be tedious to repeat the description of the process. Suffice it to say that thanks to the clever simplicity of the "knock-down" arrangement, by which the ship could be taken apart and set up again, the operation of equippi

nd of being very friendly to the white traders who penetrated into the interior. Once or twice there had been ugly talk about his being in league with the Arab slave and ivory traders, but he h

putting his foot ashore from the canoe in which two natives had paddled him from the coast. He had with him some bales of cotton goods and a few gewgaws of various kinds and was bound, so he said, on a trading expedition into the back country. Further down the river he

k in an annoyed tone to Harry. "I don't want to be inhospitable, but we can't

out of his sight and drew from it the precious map of the Moon Mountains. Seated at the little camp-table-(the conversation just related had taken place in the Boy Aviators' tent)-the two pored over the document for hours. With dividers, compass and parallel r

on the spot and excl

from it now. In a few days we shall know wh

red your head that the ivory

others interested in this ivory beside

he had got

I only say that it is possi

have got wind

replied Frank. "I have no doubt that hundreds of natives f

ooked a

bad,"

ped: but we may have othe

do you

low. If he got wind of what we are doing he would b

'll have to ge

if he won't go for gentle

that?" exclaime

e quick, backward glance Harry made out the smiling figure of de Barros standing in the doorway. It might have been fanc

t not before de Barros's quick eyes had spied it. Fearing to replace the precious cha

itor. "I have come to say 'adios.' I am going up the ri

d Frank with a heartfelt wish that

ese, "but it is the lot of man to meet an

denly as he had co

ake of that?"

tening to every word of our conversation just now and that

looked

he object of our presence in Africa. And," he went on, "I don't know a man on the Dark C

iefly; "come on, let's go and put the f

o the Moon Mountains which it had been determined to make the next day. It was almost dus

amp after he had traversed a short distance. As he merged on the river bank, whistling softly to himself, the young leader suddenly felt himself pinioned by arms that seemed of enormous strength-though,

a quiet voice near at hand, and Frank saw bending abo

t, that is all," went on his captor, while the two huge negroes who

er Frank's clothes, to ascertain the hiding-place of the precious map of the ivory cache, "otherwise I

ling Portuguese deliberately drew out the priceless document and gazed at it in trium

" he sneered; "did you think for a minute that we

n. Had they been the dark-skinned traitor would have had a fight on

as the bushes parted and a huge form dashed

as S

, picking him up like a child, ran for his canoe with him. With a few rapid strokes they were in m

e spoke a sharp reminder of the efficiency of these same "fire-tubes

his young leader and with a couple of st

. Call the boys and Ben while I cast off the

d the document to aid Muley-Hassan to find the cache. The Arab was no doubt familiar with the location anyway, but to head off all danger of the boys ge

as, he leaned weakly against a tree for support as the true exte

oes wer

l, Diego, had dev

been cut, and by this time they we