The Keepers of the King's Peace

t was a very tidy desk, with two rows of books neatly grouped on the left and on the right, and held in place by brass r

ne intruded into this holy of holies. It is true that a change had been brought about by the arrival of Patricia Hamilton, f

on, her brother, nor Bones, her slave, had ever ventured to intrude thither in search of her, a

sk, a stern and sober figure, and Bones, perspiring

"X" and "Y" for promotion to the rank of Captain. The particular subject under dis

Hamilton gravely, "you wil

ling over his forehead, and blink

ficer?" he repeated. "A b

s," said Hamilton, "you won't

ly old soul! I thought I'd foozled it. A base line," he said loudly, "is

n; "you're describing

glared

ntly. "Have a look at the book, jolly old friend,

ilton in ponderous reproof, "yo

d Bones "can't you pretend you ask

find something to throw, b

," he said helplessly. "Now get

chickens, but I know ... they're a sort of line ... when you're drawing a hill ... wiggly-waggly lines ... you know the f

nt?" asked Hamilton,

ings ... direction of w

re the conventional method of representing hill features by shading in short vertical lines to indi

ience," said Bones. "An' now proceed to the next torture--which will you have, s

rowled Hamilton, "and tell me wh

east," said Bones p

ienting a Map'?" aske

once," said B

ned to you a thousand times, means setting your map

st line would be east, and I claim to have answ

ed Hamilton. "I shall mark

"Be a sport, dear old Ham--I

on hes

ind," he said dubiously. "Anyway, I'll reser

ed for tiffi

Bones?" asked P

ery question that your dear old brother asked. In fact, Ham a

information on certain subjects was so novel that

ame thing,"

ory," suggested Sanders dryly. "I've

ughed an

I was practisin' on Bosambo. You mightn't be aware

n amazement, "you're wr

dignity, "is that if I lecture somebody

understand what you're sa

passionate desire to emulate Napoleon, and Bosambo has been making tentative

myself----"

the only chance you'll have of hearing

miling Patricia. "I think you're real

Miss Patricia," said Bones; "an' after

he asked, turning to Sanders. "Why, you h

s, and Sanders experienced a strange thrill

of sorts in the Morjaba country--the most curio

he spoke

ated from territorial life, and Sanders saw them once every year and no more frequently, for they were difficult to come by, regular payers of taxes and law-abiding, having quarrels with none. The bush (repute

in this sanctuary-land. The marauders of the Great King's country to the north never fetched across the smooth moraine of the mountains, and

was a veritable treasure of Nature, and it is a fact that in th

mongst the majority of cannibal people ther

e Morjaba were not w

people, for at that court was to be concluded for ever the feud between the M'g

s the mark of the M'gimi--wounds made, upon the warrior's initiation to the order, with the razor-edged blade of a killing-spear. They lived apart in three camps to the number of six thousand men, and for five years from the hour of their initiation they neither married nor courted. The M'gimi turned their backs to women, and did not suffer their presence in their camps. And if an

amous walkers and jumpers. They threw heavy spears and fought great

nce of the complaint which

nner lands, and spoke with bitter prejudice, since his own s

ent, King! Every moon we must take the best of our fruit and the finest o

land against the warriors of the Akasava and the evil men of the swa

ot these take the spear again? And are not we M'joro folk men? By my life! I will raise as many spears from The Diggers and captain th

ttle sympathy with the warrior caste, for his beginnings were basely rooted

nd the roar of approval which swept up the l

a by a short cut, risking the chagrin of certain chiefs and friends who would be shocked and m

rwise he would not have travelled by N

ough the forest brought him to the great city of Morjaba. In all the Territories there was no such city as this, for it stre

dens he passed, and salt, grabbed at the first news of Sanders's arrival, in his bi

onour, or my young men would have met you, and my maiden

the tribute of salt and corn, and solemnl

iftly to make a secret palaver

obi, and signalled his councill

me difficulty to

children," he said, "for they are good folk who

said S

rs I do not love, for spears are war an

e shall be no spears, save those which sleep in the shadow of my hut. Now well I know why you have come to mak

rs no

y friend," he said,

fine war-knives, but for a certain happening. We folk of Morjaba have no enemies, and we do good to all. Moreover, lord, as you know, we have amongst us many folk of the Isisi, of the Akasava and

e jovial king with

et, S'kobi, do not the Akasava and the Isisi, the N'gombi and the Lower River folk take their spears against me? Now I tell you this which I

the way of life

heir spears ready to fight all who would injure their women. And so long as life lasts, S'kobi, the women will bear and the men will guard; it is t

sily puzzled, "what shall be the answ

either tooth nor claw. Does the leopard fight the lion or the lion the leopard? They live in peace, for each is terrible in his way, and each fears the othe

rge face wrink

marched away from my country to find a people who wil

air, and went back the way he ca

orders of the Isis closed against it, it turned to the north in an endeavour to find service under the Great King, beyond the mountains. Here it was repulsed and its pacific intentions doubted. The M'gimi fo

of hopeful but indefinite purpose which is the foundation of the successful poet an

the city. He also discovered evidence of discontent in Bosambo's harassed people, who had been call

are few. Now, lord, with these men I can hold the Upper River for your King, and Sandi an

hese men, Bosambo?" d

ith God," replied

le information upon the matter

cital, "if it were any other man but Bosambo ...

?" asked Patricia Hamilton

ority on military history, and Bones squirmed and made strange noises. "We

an' Excellency," said Bones in triu

n!" exclaimed the

you silly old ass,' I said, 'how are you going to grub 'em?' 'Lord Bone

d out his problem

breakfast one morning. "I don't know why this should be, fo

ews come from, si

a devil of a funk, and has beg

ness for a month, at the end of which time the people of the Isisi represented to their king that they would, on the whole, pr

ach man carrying a month's supply of maize and sa

ambo sent an envoy to

arming and will very soon send a forest of spears against the Akasava. Say this to Gubara, that because my stomach is filled with sorrow I will help him. Because I am very powerful, because of my friendship with Bo

follow tribal wars, eagerly assented. For two months Bosambo's army sat down l

ern mountains with a terrible army to seize the N'gombi forests. How long this novel method of provisioning his army might have continued may only be g

e had confounded Sanders. But when the Commissioner had gone and S'kobi remembered all that he had said, a great doubt settled like a pall upon his mind.

n my stomach because of certain thi

ebeian councillor much o

e Ochori, and he sells them to this peopl

rs more wonderful than the M'gimi? Give me leave, King, and you shall find an a

the young men to the king's hut, and on the third week there stood

make the Dance of Killing," said the

ways of warriors. Also they will not take the chiefs I gave them, but have chosen t

ened his

aptains spoke they leapt first with one leg and then with the othe

the space of a moon and they shall leap with

n the Morjaba slopes of the mountains with four thousand spears, awaiting a favourable m

rd the tidings

ns we have waited, and now comes our fine night. Go you, B'furo, to the Chief of The-Folk-beyond-the-Swamp and te

rior caste the enemies of the Morjaba had moved swiftly. The path across the swamp had been known for years, but the M'gimi had had one of their camps

d plan a new garden, on the basis that the nearer the army was to the capital, the easier it was to maintain. In consequence the ri

empt to hold back the principal invader. At the same time, more by luck than good

fully against the seasoned troops of the Great King,

Morjaba, or it may have been (and this is Sanders's theory) that Bosambo was on his way to the Morjaba with a cock and bull story

," said the king, "also a hundred bags of salt. Also

tly wanted goats. In the end he brought up his hirelings, and the peopl

ences and were half-way to the city w

w the ordered ranks of the old army driving

rd, the King, and say

hand of Bosambo, who made a mental resolve to increa

s a welcome visitor, and at the end of tha

his reward back to the Ochori country,

n Bosambo found himself alone on the plateau, save for the

not go with you, for I have seen how wis

ual in moments of intense emo

um, I keep um proper--you pinch um! Black t'ief! Pig! You

e Sandi for you speak his tongue. He also said 'Dam' very loud

g to the scene of the fig

nothing of the ways of N'poloyani when his army was stolen fr

hook his he

d, "for if I do you will tell others, and