Page:Harris Dickson--Old Reliable in Africa.djvu/301

, Zack remained discreet, and went shuffling off beneath the acacias. After him dodged Said from tree to tree, yet puzzled because the Black Effendi must have changed his mind, and was now headed for his own tukul immediately behind the brick quarters. This tukul was a small, round affair, flimsily built of straw, and thatched with elephant grass, like a cone. The opening stood only shoulder high, so Zack ducked in. Said halted and listened from without; he might as well have been at his master's elbow, the walls being so thin that he heard all—the rasping of a key, the slamming of a trunk lid, and the click of a lock—after which Zack hurried out, empty-handed, made a wide detour of the quarters and sauntered up to the front porch. He had scarcely gone before Said was already squatting in the tukul, beating his fist against the trunk which held the Black Effendi's treasure. He clawed at the lid, then sat back upon his haunches and meditated—being a circumspect person. Then Said suddenly thought of something, and darted out of the hut in an instant, winging his flight to the same bench whereat the Black Effendi had spilled a portion of the treasure. Naked to the waist, he fell upon the ground and searched. Then he cried aloud, a sharp point—like a needle—had pierced his breast. Said leaped to his feet; something fell upon the bench with a tingle. Greedily the