Samba

ieur

oaned once or twice as the Baenga pressed his wounded arm, and almost fainted when he was laid on

. "Poor boy! He looks half starved.

get some o

returned with a couple of scorched ba

l us all about it?" said Mr.

for the others to get at the meaning of Nando's strange jargon as he interpreted, but they listened patiently, and missed little of the narrative. Mr. Martindale sat on an

nding

ble-bodied man. The messenger reminded the chief that Banonga had several times been in default. Only a few men had hitherto been punished, only a few women carried away as hostages for the diligence of their husbands. But the p

not been taught how to tap them; they destroyed as they went, and now the whole district around Banonga would not yield half of what was demanded of them. The poor old chief trembled when he thought of the woe that was coming to Banonga, for he now knew from the fate of other villages on the river what the messenger of Bula Matadi foreshadowed. Unless his men could achieve the impossible, find rubber where there was none, the blow would fall. And when it fell Banonga would be no more. The village a little while ago so happy an

suffered taunts, abuse, the terrible whip. One, less enduring than the rest, resisted. This was the signal. A dozen rifles were raised-a dozen shots rang out, strong forms lay writhing in the agony of death. A brief, sharp struggle; another fusillade; and the terrified survivors, men, women and children, fle

nels fired at him as he ran: his left arm was struck. He struggled on, but his friends were now out of reach: he could not find them. For several days he wandered about, supporting his life on roots and herbs in the vain search for his people. Then, gro

said Mr. Martindale. "

, sah," replied Nando a

his is a pretty kettle of fi

im with us, unc

't hunt for his father and mother: he'd be of no use to us

e hospital, sorr," said Barney. "S

d better bring him along to the canoe-g

e boy, and the party set

ck," said Mr. Martindale as they went along. "I'v

Quixote and San

am I to do with the boy, supposing he gets better? I am not a philanthropist; I can't start a boys' home; and t

ther ways, uncle. Besides, w

s of him. And mind you, I'm not going to start a crusade. There's been terrible work in this village: n

hey shouldn't employ native

ritishers employed Red Indians in o

thundered against it, a

Leopold will put a stop to it if representations are made to him. It's none of

a, un

Samba. But what's the good of talking! He can't understand w

his arm about Pat's neck; but by and by, when the paddlers paused in the song with which they accompanied their strokes, the boy

ofundo! Bompasu la Liwanga bao lin

nd again until he was ti

he boy'd make a fortune in New York, J

o, sah, plenty bad lot. Bompasu and Liwanga been and gone after 'long 'lon

sn't seem to have any more sense than

uired them to furnish him by a certain day with twenty young parrots which he wished to take with him to Europe. Being unable to obtain so large a number by the given dat

'd write a nation's history from its ballads? Rubber and parrots; wha

nd. Sure and ivery man in the counthry would be glad to supply the collectors wid scores uv sparro

ngo some hundred and fifty miles above the point where it joined the main river. The canoe had scarcely entered

-boat,

ha

ebber dis way

eamer

blue with a golden star," said Jack, standing

of the river. Evidently the vessel now approaching must have been carried, as a whole or in sections, overland past these rapids-a work of great di

put about, and the men began to paddle hard up stream towards the mo

at are you about?"

o avoid the State officials. He would l

ever, after what we've just seen, I've no wish to meet them. I

s soon clear that Nando's plan was impossible. The launch was a swift one: it came on with increased

tindale, leisurely turning round on

" shouted Jac

at taken aback. He had thought to do the question

f de Société Cosmopolit

ick red moustache that stuck out rigidly a couple of inches on each side of his nose. He wore a white topee and white tr

noe round, so that he might face the Belgian. Then,

if the work in Banonga yonder is due to

a fiery red several shades deeper than his hair, and the veins upon his forehead swelled. The canoe sped past him while he wa

up his exclamation with a rapid excited sentence. Monsieur Elbel at on

if you have not care. Dat boy I see in your canoe I know

erican, a citizen of the United States, travelling in the Free State, which I believe, is open

: he is subject of Congo State, in concessio

nothing but an order from the Free State courts will compel me to give him up. And even then I

the side of the launch. Monsieur Elbel bit his moustache and savagely tu

eek for gold; dat is your business: it is not your bu

e continued its journey at a moderate pace,

Mr. Martindale se

cle?" asked Jac

than I quite like. Of course they all know we're after minerals, but Barnard's find is

he was

ay. Anyhow, 'twill do Mr. Elbel no harm to know that we don't care a red cent for him or any other Co

dle, turned his head and spoke over h

dah, sah: uncle Bol

ed uncl

to be chief: berrah well: Banonga men all say 'Lako! lako!'[3] plenty loud. Boloko berrah much angry: go to white

wanted to get in first. Well, it doesn't raise my opinion

ompany by

mmedi

mation of

mation of