Sanders of the River

s a trickling stream that meanders down from N'Gombi country. N

the station, with a gentle laugh in his blue eyes, listened one day to the report

, go to Sandi, for this ivory belongs to the Government. But do you, Elebi, fix your heart more upon God's trea

e sub-minister of the service; he had, in his ecstatic moments, made many converts. But the

done with the thing for a week. You must needs go on, on, never tiring, never departing from the

ebi, after his interview, and shr

Devils, he had worked himself up to such a pitch of enthusiastic fervour that he had smitten a scoffer, breaking his arm, and an outraged Sanders had him arrested, whipped, and fined a thousand r

es, the country was reputably full of devils, and Elebi shuddered at the thought; but, being a missionary and a lay evangelist, and, moreover, the proud possessor of a copy of the Epistle to the Romans (laboriously render

white man, but the girl who came into the hut with a steaming bowl of fis

, "I am going a j

i, who had come under the influence o

" quoted Elebi; "and it is easier to keep the lid

girl laughed, for she was his favourite wife, and knew

know that I have kept you when the B

is evenings searching the blood of h

ather and my protector, saying: 'There shall be but on

ded, eyeing

he Secret River, three days' march, leaving th

ou seek?"

have hidden, fearing one who is a Breaker of Stones.[4] I shall come back rich, and buy many wives who shall wait upon yo

id, nodding

rburt-of how the ivory came, of the people who guarde

ggar-for Arburt was human. Sanders, who was also human, sent swift messengers to arrest Elebi, for it is not a good thing that treasure-hunting natives should go

follow the winding stream till the elephants' playing ground be reached. Here the forest has been destroyed for the sport of the Great Ones; the shore is strewn with tree trunks, carelessly

of living fire, and emptied its contents, heaping thereon fresh twigs a

rose and replenished the fire. In the morning he sought for the creek

moreover, outnumbering the men of the village three to one. One, O'Sako, did the chief hold in greatest dread, for he said little, but stalked tragically through the untidy street of Tambango, a bright, curved execution knife in the crook of his left

ndescended to a

t the Lord Elebi's arrival, and they shal

f, "no man may go to the Secret

oung men swift of foot, with eyes like th

chief weakly, but O'Sako stare

ran through the clearings, Elebi came to the village. He came unattended from the south, and he brought with him no evidence of his tempo

ttle wattle hut perched on a tiny hill, and the Lord Elebi gathere

Secret River buried their 'points' in a Place of Devils. Their women they could not bury, so they lost them. Now all the people of the Secret River are dead. The Arabi killed some, Bula Matadi killed others, but t

t was pure blasphemy, because Elebi had had the tr

ad faces and were as tall as the gum-trees-taller, for they used whole trees for clubs; some were small, so small that they travelled on the wings of bees, but all were very potent, very terrible, and most effective guardians

istened

uch to do with the casting out of devils-in my holy capacity as a servant of the Word. Of the lesser devils I k

prayed conventionally but with great earnestness that the Powers of Dark

fowls before a squat bete that stood before the chief's d

thing of a strategist. "These Ochori folk will give us

h O'Sako and his warriors behind him. So two days passed. An hou

eet. Since it is fitting that one, such as I, who know the ways of white men and their magic, should be received with hon

'Sako, his lieutenant, and

s caravan fol

, chief of the Ochori, when he was in the despondent mood p

-to reflect aloud in English in all moments of crisis, or on any occasi

short wooden pipe, whilst the messenger described the quality of the comi

conclusion of the re

s puzzled by the

master is a great one, know

ing Sandi, who married my brother's wife's sister, and is related to me. Also," said Bosambo daringly, "I hav

to the slowly advancing caravan, and Ele

chief who was aught but a dog and the son of a dog-let us s

, and was so haughty because of Sandi, who married his brothe

here Elebi found the chief waiting and was flattered. There was a long and earnest conference in the little palaver

of me and my people?"

fortified with the blessed spirit of which you know no

ly, "and if you speak of spirits, I will speak of certain sain

lessed Paul--" began E

nd Thomas," recited Bosambo rapidly. He had not been a schol

o to seek some wonderful treasures. All that I told you before was a lie. Let us speak as brothers. I go to the woo

my word to Sandi, who is, as you know, the husband of my brother

nce he had seen them last, and there was a defiance in the timid eyes of thes

arted on their journey. He observed that part of the equipment of the little c

ously, when he was questioned, "it is

n his face with

vance guard of the Big Forest. A cloud of gum-trees formed the approach to th

y stopped, and Elebi tied one of

e independent of gods, and fearless of devils, for if we ca

ries in traversing the country between Bonguidga and th

or Isisi palms grew luxuriously, and pushing aside the grass they came upon a rotting ro

broken cooking pots, Eleb

e, they came upon an old man, so old that you

e land of small devils? Who shall guide them back to their women? None, for th

elled m

ed flannel from his hand, "this is white m

sing, and threw at them a thousand deaths, and

Elebi gently, and passed his s

g. It was buried under a mound, which was overgrown with rank veg

," said Elebi, "taking with us as

following the path where at intervals of every half-

looked as though they had been made by the hand of man,

y, finding its direction with no difficu

a man who was screaming, and he lea

he has the sickness mongo," said an awe-s

ers and by sticking needles into arms, but to give medicine for the sickness when madness comes is useles

voice. "There are many devils in the f

tied on the ground, and spoke with him. They found some difficulty in gainin

of devils," at

! I saw six devils with fire in the

things which w

n him; since there is only the forest and the earth, ca

rest, and they came back, leaving Elebi alone with his patient. The cries

," said Elebi

ame up the party

e from their camping ground

der reported, and Elebi called hi

not a sign of it. They went on

ts steps to the camp they had abandoned. That day was spent in exploring the countr

keeping the sun at our back; the forest has no terrors for the N'G

ered his lieut

d him tho

d with significance, "the wise goat does not

of flannel was found on the outskirts of the camp. It lay

le farther along another little red patch c

which puzzled the lay brother sorely. Sometimes the little rags would be missing altogether,

. Before him ran his long shadow; the sun was

tion," he said, and the men drop

i after a pause, "this is the

wenty minutes, and darkness had

y had come. There was plenty of provision, but water was hard to come by, and therein lay the danger. Less th

rayer, but for sacrifice," concluded

to the place where Elebi was sleeping, and settled the dispute which

Monrovia, "all that you or

e chief's hut in his

ifty of my young men and followed on his tracks. At first the way was easy, because he had tied strips of cloth to

nders raised

ad come down from their trees and torn away the cloths and taken them to their houses after the fashion of the mon

d you find?"

id Bosambo, looking h

ably a lie!"

uried beneath the floor of his