Let him be hanged there privately.' 'And how many of these blacks would believe that he had been hanged ?' Drake turned away from the group and walked towards a hut which stood some fifty yards from the camp fire.

Three sentries were guarding the door.

Drake pushed the door open, entered, and closed it behind him.

The hut was pitch dark since a board had been nailed across the only opening.
'Gorley!' he said.
There was a rustling of boughs against the opposite wall, and a voice answered from close to the ground.
'Damn you, what do you want ?' 'Have you anything you wish to say ?' 'That depends,' replied Gorley after a short pause, and his voice changed to an accent of cunning.
'There's no bargain to be made.' The words were spoken with a sharp precision, and again there was a rustling of leaves as though Gorley had fallen back upon his bed of branches.
'But you can undo some of the harm,' continued Drake, and at that Gorley laughed.

Drake stopped on the instant, and for a while there was silence between the pair.