The Keepers of the King's Peace

back to headquarters a very weary man, for he had spent a horrid week in an endeavour--successful, but none the less nerve-racking--to impres

t you should keep the upper channel free from trees and branc

Ranabini, scratching hi

you if the channel was clear, and did you not say it was l

that rains would come? Therefore, lord, I did not think of the upper channel, and many trees floated down and made a little dam. Lord

s a tired man, and needed rest, and there was a dose of malaria looming in the offing, as his aching head told him. It was as though his brains were arra

steadily, and instantly began a long and disjointed account of his adventures on a

after forcing an astonishing amount of quinine and arsenic down his chief's throat, Hamilton came fro

ord Sandi," said he to Sergeant Abiboo, of the H

aid Abiboo, and

bbetti?" ask

ned back and see

ke a palaver with Jimbujini, the witch-doctor of the Akasava. They si

his second-in-command, prop, stay, and aide-de-camp, to superintend

come to me," he said, "but f

face all red with his exertions, yet digni

ntly, blinking at his superior with a curious sole

ton, "where the dic

ng breath. He h

e," he sa

d at his subor

en't off your he

his head w

-officer," he said. "One is never too old

, I'm pretty certain that you'll never

u, sir,"

hen the summons arrived, and had, in consequen

other, "Sanders is

ittle breathlessly. "

g indulgently

dear Miss Patricia

recoiled. "Do you think I'm afraid of catching anything?

ippantly. "My dear child, we all have fever. You'll have it

lection for ankles and wrists, where the big veins and arteries are nearer to the surface--but the girl wa

d. "My dear girl, he'll be as r

l self, save that he was a little weary-eyed, and that his hand shook when he rai

whether natural or supernatural. "This is simply nothin' to what happened to me. Ham, dear old feller, d

icing the top off his egg, "tha

haking one skinny forefinger at the girl, "yo

so vulgar, Bones," she ret

as too much of a gentleman to hint tha

and cast a look of witherin

the gun that lays a fellow low, an' plunges his relations an' creditors into mo

inger hits, an

tum tumty

s won't make the sli

hakespeare?" asked

. What was the

ton brutally, "and Ge

hen the hut's finished, I'll return good for evil. There's goin' to be a revolution, Mis

on. "Pull yourself together,

as superior

orrowed from a departed professor of bacteriology, a rough working knowledge of the classics. This man's name

unt of midnight oil, a pair of compasses, a box of paints, and a T-square, evolved a somewhat complicated plan whereon certain blu

ellishing its margin, he had summoned Mojeri of the Lower Isisi, famous throughout the la

all be famous all through the world. This room shall be twice as large as that, and you shall cunningly contrive a passage so that I may move from

at it. He turned it upside down and looked a

e plan with a reverent hand, "al

amilton, when Bones d

nked and

st a plain square hut. Mojeri is an ass, si

amilton, and his subordinate

reful scrutiny. "Very pretty. Bu

ar old officer," said

milton, "or possibly you made one of your famous

aks in those se

on king--the

ng

p amidst red f

dawned o

orgot to put a door into my room?" he asked incr

Bones. And where doe

leepin' room to the room mark

ing Hamilton. "But fortunately for you, Bones, the descent

ly. "An' where's the wall? God bless my jolly old soul, so

plan, "I think Mojeri has acted wisely. You will have to be content

nation of the human mind,"

u were going to make firewo

takin' up my medical studies where I left off. Recently I've been wastin' my time, sir: precious hours an' minut

amilton; "you giv

k of interest i

wed to prescribe,

ave the headache," re

ask attached to huge mica goggles, through which he glared on the world, met the party at the door and bade them a muffled welcome. They found the interior of the hut a somewhat uncomfortable

behind the mask. "Wel----Don't put your foot in the crucible, dear

s mask and showe

ones," begged Hamilto

e microscope, which stoo

e said approvingly. "In what bra

, and lifted the shade. "I'm hopin' you'll al

ders. "You had better

ar me!" threat

the tea-things had been re

e said, and ext

nd sterilized it in the

nd brought the point near the white,

old miss," he croaked, an

nd wiped his

eart to do it,"

Bones!" she scoffed, and took t

een his slides, blobbed a drop of oil

time, then turned a s

!" he gasped. "You're simply full of tryps! Goo

n he turned his head, the girl saw his face was white an

oner, "they aren't trypnosomes! You h

osomes?" s

pointed, Bones,

gloomily; "as a scientist, it's a set-bac

. In order that the rare and wonderful result at which he aimed should be achieved, Bones had the hut artificially darkened, and they sat in a hot and sticky blac

first," said Hamilton,

l of Bones at a r

k to the Residency with the girl. For a little while they spoke

re were any of those funny t

oked strai

ody who had lived in this part of the world for a time can pick him out. B

reached the verandah, and

nice, was i

shook

she fetched a quick, long sigh and patted hi

is hut, met Sanders hur

ere's an outbreak of some weird disease, probably due to the damming

bright

ratefully, "comin' from you, th

They'll simply sit and die unless you start them on drainage work. Cut a few ditches with

respectable amount of scientific apparatus, and came i

is departure, Sanders was sitting a

een piqued and a little angry, but, as the meal progressed, she realized that matters of more than ordinary seriousness were occupying his

me rough idea of medical practice. He was a cub student at Bart.'s for tw

e need of a doctor here?" sh

ry. We have few epidemics amongst the natives, and those the medical missions deal with--sleep-sickness, beri-beri and the li

making for his room, with

s's word

Sanders, and, with an apology to the gi

it?" aske

his own move towards his room was in th

tly. "Do you realize that we have h

ton s

ing could have happened to him, o

d up and down the gravelled path befor

ce Bones arrived," he said. "It is situated, as you know, on a tongue of land at the confluence of two

peated the sta

rs no

ed with arrows, and returned hurriedly. The headman of M'gomo village met with the same reception. This came to the ears of

got Bones?" ga

nearly got Ahmet, for

paced the pa

gone mad," said

---

laughed h

ers will be down to-morrow, to look at some si

llowing morning, and Patricia Hamilton, who came to see them

or this excursion represented a bre

eral fellows who have gone a little nutty from that

ly devil!" snapped Hamilton

iver that hid Ranabini's village from vie

in

and send a spiral column of water shooting into the air. He

d grimly. "Take

rsman spun

in

e shot fell

e men looked a

rs quietly. "We're going to that beach

from Hamilton

Houssa Captain, and Sander

ing at ungainly angles as

notebook and jotte

he unnecessary exertion of this fine preliminary flourish, "b

back the handle of the engi

s horrors. Whole districts had been devastated in a night. One tribe had been wiped out, and the rotting f

he message a little unsteadily,

t under. Come and get me in three weeks. Had to sta

Hamilton, and Mc

wift vacation," he said,

, and steadying himself again

nding you

eply in agitate

blowed! W

asked Hamilton after he h

ero,'" said Sa