But think of it--here we are--four sensible men--hitherto sensible--off after ivory that nobody can really prove exists, said to be buried somewhere in a tract of half-explored country more than a thousand miles each way--and the German government, and half the criminals in Africa already on our idiotic heels!" "Yet the German government and the crooks seem convinced, too, that there's something worth looking for!" laughed Monty.

And none of us could answer that.
For that matter, none of us would have been willing to withdraw from the search, however dim the prospect of success might seem in the intervals when cold reason shed its comfortless rays on us.

Intuition, or whatever it is that has proved superior so often to worldly wisdom (temptation, Fred calls it!) outweighed reason, and Fred himself would have been last to agree to forego the search.
The voyage is short between Zanzibar and Mombasa, but there was incident.

We were spied on after very thorough fashion, Lady Saffren Waldon's title and gracious bearing (when that suited her) being practical weapons.

The purser was Goanese--beside himself with the fumes of flattery.