The Keepers of the King's Peace

unting men of the Ochori had seen, standing in a safe place on the edge of the Great King's country. Also N'gombi people, who are notoriously disrespectf

periods of the year, when a hundred streams came leaping with feathery feet from crag to crag to strengthen the forces of the upper

in her own chaste way, you might see from the knoll of the hayrick these si

ountry of the Great King, who looked with a jealous eye upon comings and goings in hi

asant O'Mongo lands, and he had certain advantages and privile

.M.G., and the land itself might have passed to the protection of the C

onventional régime; but the L'Mandi snarled, clicked their heels, and made jingling noises with their great swords, and there was at that moment a Government in office in England which was rather impressed by heel-clicking and sword-jingling, and so the territory of t

missionaries who were in the happy position of not being obliged to say as much as "By your leave," since they had secured from a Government which was, as I say, impressed by heel-clicking and s

ir brethren, and Ferguson, of the River Mission, made a journey to h

nders; they are just political agents utilizing s

tion Ferguson received. Nevertheless, Sanders was watchful, for there were ti

flogged the headman, and made themselves free of the commodities which t

Sanders, who had been in the Akasava on a shooting trip, was the

d Sanders severely, "that you shall

tself, "if I disobeyed you, it wa

rs no

ngs with a hot heart, they first sleep, and in their sleep their spirits go free and talk with the wise and the dead, and wh

of the river you carry in your arms. Now I say to you that when I go to do

i wife-beater who, adjured by his chief, retired to slumber on his grievance, and came to his master the following morning with the info

orning. Sanders, appealed to for confirmation, admitted cautiously tha

e country," he said, "is the

t to know something?

a twinkle in his eyes, "you

o-day?" asked Hamilton

o, to Sanders's intense annoyance, invariably m

Bones, closing his notebook briskly, "th

made a

ything yesterday, B

nfidently. "I've found a new worm nest in the p

-day, Bones?" repeate

ckered h

after dinner a little game of tiddly-winks-Bones v. jolly old Hamilt

hed deeply, bu

y," he said, "pay you seve

a light dawning,

used Hamilton, "that we

the directio

ariness in the beat of its wings, in the irregularity of its flight. Bones leapt over the rail of the vera

d neither tune nor rhyme. It was a succession of trills, rising and falling, and presently, after two hesitating

gentle fingers removed the slip of thin

anded the weary little servant

, and he lifted the pigeon to his ch

st, the wisest, and the strongest of all his messengers, an

and read the letter,

sambo, in the Ochori City,

le of the River, but there shall come a new king greater than any. And every man shall have goats and salt and free hunting. They say the Akasava shall be given all the Ochori country, also

in the name of Allah Com

be no fishing this afternoon. Bones, take the Wiggle and get up to

or

ilton, scribble a line to Bosambo, and say t

ehensible semaphore signals of farewell as t

whom lived in her own hut. Also each wife wore about her neck a great ring of b

d that he lived in a state of perplexity as to what should become of all his riches when he died,

here was revealed to Sokala,

his head had ached for weeks together, and not even the bra

d talked in human language. Sometimes they were leopards, sometimes they were little white-whiskered monkeys that scratched and told one another stor

ellow with a solemn face, and a very little one, and they sat staring in

y rich and has

other; "also he will di

with fear, but he listened whe

forest near to The Tree and slew her, his daug

ther monk

way. All night long he lay thinking-thinking-long after the fires had died down to a full red glow amidst white ashes, and the monkeys had

teen, tall, straight, and wholly reluctant. "We go a journey," said Sokala, and

nd they knew that the end was very near, for he had been a grea

to the Isisi city, Sokala bade

the Ochori, the Wiggle being tied up at a wooding, when he hea

which comes to men in the last stages of slee

heap at Bones's feet, and her pursuer

kala,"[2] said

ssas, "you shall see a wonderful magic when I slay this woma

spear from his

will give you a little white stone which will me

watched Bones as he opened his medicine chest and shook out two little w

Bones, "don't chew 'em, you

erly, "they have a beau

l back to the village, and ma

od palaver. For it is better than the letting of blood, a

ed at him

Bosambo," he gasped, "you do

ne time-he not fit for lib-you give um plenty no-go

s sceptical. Even when Sokala fell into a profound slumber, Bosambo waited expectantly for

f vowels, "this is a great magic. Now I see very surely that you hold wonde

said the gra

asava maidens to propitiate M'shimba M'shamba, the god of storms. It was on the topmost point of the hill that Sanders erected a fine gallows and hung M'lama for his country's good. It had always been associated with the spiritual history of the Akasava, for g

of fishing villages of the Akasava, squatted in a semicircle and listened to the oration of a bea

, clean-shaven man with spectacles, and a s

ccustomed to taking its religion in allegories and symbols, it would have been harmless. As it was, the illustrations and

lds thunder and lightning in his hand, and is greater than M'shimba M'shamba. He is the friend of the black man and the white, and will deliver you from all oppression. He will

u, the warrior peop

s destined to

kirts of the gathering stole quietly away-the lesser chiefs were amongst these-and others, sitting stol

neck from the slanting rays of the sun, and behind Sanders were two white officers and a company of Houssas with fixe

n of the gathering to melt away, "for this is a gr

ed to his companions. The stout man with the moustache said

ckly to those who make war. Also you may worship in what manner you desire, though it be my God or th

the truth," said

eat king they tell. Also of wonders which will come to you if you obey him. But this king is the same king of whom the God-cros

owed something and mu

continued, "and it is your duty to be obedient to him, and his name is D'jorja." Sa

o the three

ardonable, for he saw the undoing of three months' good work, and his thoughts a

dominion is always debatable," he bega

, "and let all men hear. Tell me, shall my peo

King," growled the ma

said Sander

the hill and a few lingering folk at the foot, watching the

to dine with us," sa

ted, but the thin man with the spectacle

said. "After eating with these swine for a m

tion of his people, and the three evangelists went back to thei

worthy sent for a c

omes up, and the L'Mandi lords will come and speak freely. And you shall tell them that the word he spoke before Sandi was no tru

or did, and came ba

hief of the Ochori, being in a curious mind and being, moreover, suspiciou

tch-doctor's head had been twice held under water-for

hostess. They clicked their heels and kissed her hand and drank her health many times in good hock. The dinner was a feast wo

ime, and then the bearded

y. "We leave you, Herr Commission

as a poor liar, and knew that his spies were waiting o

ppear into the darkness of the for

Bosambo and his bodyguard were engaged in lifting three unconscious men and laying them in a large canoe. He himself paddled the long boat to

ht, "for if your king is so great, he will bring you to your own lands; and if he is not great, then you are liars. O Abiboo"-he sp

you told me, and if my lord Tibbe

men plan evils they must first sleep. And I think these men will sleep f