Real Gold Part 30

"Course he will, sir," said John Manning, with a self-satisfied smile.

"'Get every seed you can,' he says, 'and they'll hardly notice you.'

"'Right, sir,' I says, and I set to work quietly, going a bit here, and a bit there, in among the trees, making believe I was making for them cocoa-nut leaves as the Indians chew; and whenever I caught one of the Injuns watching me, I picked a leaf, and began to chew it, and nodded at him, and said _bono, bono_. You should have seen how he grinned and showed his teeth at me, Master Cyril, and I could see he was thinking what a fool this Englishman was. But I wasn't quite so stupid as he thought, eh?"

"But that's not cocoa-nut leaf," said Cyril, "but the leaf of the coca."

"Well, sir, that's what I say. I know it isn't the nuts but the leaves they chew."

"But the coca leaf's a different thing."

"Course it is, sir; one's a leaf and t'other's a nut."

"But, don't you see, cocoa-nut leaf and coca leaf are different things?"

"No, sir; but it don't matter. They think I'm hunting for them leaves to chew, and they laugh at me, and all the time I'm getting a good heap of the seeds the colonel wants. 'Tain't the first time he's sent me to forage."

"But where are the seeds?" said Cyril.

"All right, sir," said John Manning, with a look full of cunning.

"Never you put all your eggs in one basket, sir."

"Of course not; but I hope you've put them in a dry place. Seeds are no use if they're not kept dry."

"They're all right, sir. I've got some in each of my pockets, and some along with my cartridges in my satchel, and some inside the lining of my coat, and a lot more round my waist."

"Round your waist?" cried Cyril. "You can't wear seeds round your waist."

John Manning chuckled once more.

"Can, if you put 'em in an old stocking first, sir," he said. "But look here, young gents, as I'm so much more lucky than you are, and know better where to go for 'em, you'd better take part o' mine, and leave me free to fill up again."

"Yes, that will be best," a.s.sented Perry. "I can take a lot in my pockets."

"Any one looking, sir?"

"Very likely; but I shall take no notice. They won't know what we're changing from one pocket to the other, so let them watch."

"All right, sir; then here goes," said the old soldier, thrusting a hand deep down into his trousers pocket, and drawing out a quant.i.ty of seed.

"Here you are, sir; and I'd make believe to eat a bit in case any one is watching."

But as they were seated out of the sun, in the shade of the rough hut that had originally been put up for drying the kina bark, they were pretty well hidden from watchers, and able to carry on the transfer in comparative secrecy.

"But this isn't seed of the cinchona tree," cried Cyril excitedly.

"What!" said the old soldier sharply, and as if startled. Then altering his tone to one of easy confidence, with a dash of the supercilious.

"Don't you talk about what you can't understand, sir. These here are what the colonel showed me, and told me to pick for him."

"They're not the same as my father told me to pick," cried Perry.

"Well, seeing as you're young gents, and I'm only a sarvant," grumbled the man, "it ain't for me to contradict, and I won't; but I will say them's the seeds the colonel told me to pick, and there they are, and you'd better put 'em away."

"I'm not going to put these in my pocket," said Cyril, "for I know they're wrong."

"And I certainly shan't put them in mine," said Perry.

"Look here, young gents, ain't this a bit mutinous?" said John Manning.

"Colonel's orders were that we should collect them seeds, and if you'd got the best lot, I should have helped you; but as you haven't got the best lot, and I have, ain't it your duty to help me?"

"Yes; and so we should, if you hadn't made a blunder."

"But I ain't, young gents; these here are right."

"No," said Perry. "These are right," and he took a few seeds from his pocket.

"And these," said Cyril, following his companion's example.

"Not they," cried John Manning warmly. "They ain't a bit like mine."

"No, not a bit," said Cyril triumphantly.

"No, nor his ain't like yours, Master Perry."

The boys stared, for this was a new phase of the question, and they eagerly inspected the treasures.

"I'm sure I'm right," said Perry confidently.

"And I'm sure I'm right," cried Cyril.

John Manning put his arms round his knees, as he sat on the ground, and rocked himself to and fro, chuckling softly.

At that point the colonel came up, and looked round wonderingly.

"You're just in time, father," cried Perry. "Look at this seed John Manning has collected.--Show him, John."

The old soldier triumphantly pulled out a handful, and held it under the colonel's nose.

"What's that?" said his master.

"The seed you told me to forage for, sir."

"Absurd! There: throw it away."

"Throw it away, sir?"

"Of course. It is not what I told you. There, take and throw it away, where the Indians see you do it, and they will pay less attention next time they see you collecting."

John Manning said nothing then, but went out of the slight hut frowning, came back, and the colonel turned to the boys.

"Well," he said, "what have you got?"