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They had long ago reckoned their percentages on trade, including in them that last deal of "this infamous Makola." They had also concluded not to say anything about it. Kayerts hesitated at first was afraid of the Director. "He has seen worse things done on the quiet," maintained Carlier, with a hoarse laugh. "Trust him! He won't thank you if you blab. He is no better than you or me.
They were mustered every morning and told off to different tasks grass-cutting, fence-building, tree-felling, &c., &c., which no power on earth could induce them to execute efficiently. The two whites had practically very little control over them. In the afternoon Makola came over to the big house and found Kayerts watching three heavy columns of smoke rising above the forests.
"Why you shout so much? Look at this tusk." "I dismiss you! I will report you I won't look at the tusk. I forbid you to touch them. I order you to throw them into the river. You you!" "You very red, Mr. Kayerts. If you are so irritable in the sun, you will get fever and die like the first chief!" pronounced Makola impressively.
"Yes," repeated Makola, thoughtfully, stepping over the corpse, "I think he died of fever. Bury him to-morrow." And he went away slowly to his expectant wife, leaving the two white men alone on the verandah. Night came, and Kayerts sat unmoving on his chair. He sat quiet as if he had taken a dose of opium. The violence of the emotions he had passed through produced a feeling of exhausted serenity.
Makola and Carlier tried once in a canoe to open communications, but were received with a shower of arrows, and had to fly back to the station for dear life. That attempt set the country up and down the river into an uproar that could be very distinctly heard for days. The steamer was late. At first they spoke of delay jauntily, then anxiously, then gloomily. The matter was becoming serious.
I saw about fifteen canoes cross the river during the two hours I was there fishing." Kayerts, worried, said, "Isn't this Makola very queer to-day?" Carlier advised, "Keep all our men together in case of some trouble." There were ten station men who had been left by the Director.
"Don't know," whispered Kayerts in a voice that had become suddenly very faint. "I will go and look for it," said the other, gently. He made the round along the verandah, while Kayerts sat still and looked at the corpse. Makola came back empty-handed, stood in deep thought, then stepped quietly into the dead man's room, and came out directly with a revolver, which he held up before Kayerts.
He stumbled out of the verandah, leaving the other man quite alone for the first time since they had been thrown there together. He groped his way through the fog, calling in his ignorance upon the invisible heaven to undo its work. Makola flitted by in the mist, shouting as he ran "Steamer! Steamer! They can't see. They whistle for the station. I go ring the bell. Go down to the landing, sir.
After a time he found himself sitting in a chair and looking at Carlier, who lay stretched on his back. Makola was kneeling over the body. "Is this your revolver?" asked Makola, getting up. "Yes," said Kayerts; then he added very quickly, "He ran after me to shoot me you saw!" "Yes, I saw," said Makola. "There is only one revolver; where's his?"
"Oh, yes," said Carlier, "I found one of Gobila's people lying dead before the huts shot through the body. We heard that shot last night." Kayerts came out quickly. He found his companion staring grimly over the yard at the tusks, away by the store. They both sat in silence for a while. Then Kayerts related his conversation with Makola. Carlier said nothing.
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