The Keepers of the King's Peace

ch to "take the mail." This usually meant no more than receiving a mail-bag wildly flung from a dancing surf-boat. On this occas

white, and he greeted Bones with a friendly

ook the bag without evidence

ut?" asked t

idence, sir," said Bon

. "Show the way,"

to the soles of his pipe-clayed shoes. "Excuse me, dear old sir," he

her in surprise. "Wha

ng wrath, "he's the only fellow

hter. "Sorry," he said.

e, sir,"

in fact, inspecting some recent-and nat

tricia Hamilton was at the far end of the stoep, reading a book. She had glanced up just long enough

r pardon?"

euced pretty girl,

sir," said Bones, "but hitherto I

"What are you here," he a

ussas-rank, lieutenant. My task is to tame the uncivilized beast an' entertain th

rt of persiflage was to follow will never

acted a card and a letter. "Good morning, Commissioner!" he said

," said

tter for you,"

Office, and it commended Mr. P. T. Corklan to Mr. Commissioner Sanders, and requested him to let Mr. Corklan pass without let or hindrance through the T

e Administrator," said Sanders, "

nough, and the signature of the Secretary of State isn't suf

Territories until I have received telegraphic authority from my chief. Bones, take this man to y

his," said Mr. Corklan,

ar old pilgri

ng to carr

ou'll glance at your visitin' card, you will f

ces into a hundred-word telegram

as away on a shooting trip, and it w

te authority here. Let Corklan proc

him," said Sanders. "He can leave

d with cigar ash. Worst abomination of all, was a large bottle of whisky, which he had produ

id Mr. Corklan. "That's all right

oyed, and when he found some interest in the situation. "What

g half a bar before every "sir

e?" demanded the man. "Hasn't Sa

g," said Bones, si

going to get up?

wimmer?" demanded

klan, "you aren't a bad f

," said Bo

ated Mr. Corklan. "You mi

," said Bones. "But produce your

cked about all over the world, and I have done everything. I've now a chance of making a fortune. There is a tribe here called the N'gombi

y have traded ivory and rubber, and every village has its secret storehouse. The Government had tried for years to wheedle the N'gombi into depositing their wealth in s

nes admiringly. "But what has this to do with y

g map. Again Bones was surprised, because the map he produced was the off

bank of the Isisi, and this is all forest,

em," said Bones, "but

he junction of the Isisi River and the Great River, and wound tortuously over five hundred miles of c

s of the mighty swoozlum bird that barks with it

'wet' countries. The natives tell you about 'em, but you never find 'em. They are rivers that only exist about once in a blue moon, when the river is very high and th

," said Bones pleasantly. "They'd tell you your jolly

sked the man, ignoring t

you will find out for yourself

ng up?" asked the

d live on the land, unles

tight packet which looked like thin skins. There must have been two or three hundred of them. "That's my speciality," he said. He nipped the string t

t say I do,"

rd of Soemmer

hook hi

hat decimal 19

ssing, my lad," sa

ll me it will be the death of me one of these days. I like to puzzle people"-he smiled amiably and triumphantly in Bones's face-"

s, "but I don't like your face. You will

complacently, "and I am going out of t

s, shaking his head; "I hate t

d to the Commissioner, and S

ell in the face of the Administrator's wire. Anyway, he will get nothing out of the N'go

t any rate," said Hamilton, "and I c

rest of his b

s, sir," said Bones, "very thin copper, but copper. Then he

paddlers, realized that his acquaintance with Central Africa was an extensive one. He cursed in Swahili and Portuguese, and his language was forcible and impolite. "Well," he s

going to get out of the cou

aughed. "So l

r," said Bones. "A little formality

dawned on the man'

ty, my jolly old

e man, and had his two trunks landed. "I s

said Bones. "The fact is, sir an' fel

explored. He found three bottles

idea?" asked

y breaking the bottl

hat the

and of Hope an' Glory a prohibition State, an' I'm entitled to fine you five hundred of

; instead, his speech evok

unny," sa

e peculiar workin's of the native psychology, dear sir, you will understand the primitive cravin' of the untut

" said Mr

ive armed with letters of introduction or command, and to be dispatched into the interior. The visits, happily, were few and far between. On this occasion Sanders, being uneasy, sent one of his spies to follow t

war has been going on in the N'gombi for two

; "if they fight outsiders, there will be plenty of bleats. W

omething pleasant,"

months later when he

nders one morning, at breakfast, "and find out what A

the N'gombi?"

sugar merchant is making big experiments. He has set half t

angerous trip?"

?" smile

please, don't look so glum!

olly old brother

his head, and she app

eas

ng," said Hamilton, "if o

d Bones rep

don't see why you shouldn

ld skipper, pull yourself together. Open the jolly

ough to be Bones's mother! I'm nearly twenty-well, I'm older than

biboo to cook for her. And in two days they came to the bend of the river,

at there are strange things happening in the N'gombi country, for all the people hav

the importance of the news; and that same even

was neither foreign Arab nor native N'g

crookedness of the river, and I will go out and speak to ou

the cold hours of dawn, "may this be a good palaver! As for me, my stomach is fille

master's works," said Wafa, and added with confidence

the narrow fair-way, and presently she came round the bend of the river, a dazzling white craft, sho

to follow him, he struck out swiftly, man?uvring his ironwood boat to

Stabber-of-Waters, "for it is our lord San

e river bottom your body, son

rill retort. "O poor man with

rest. He struck the water strongly with his broa

t up his hand and jerke

-o-woo

aid Bones fretfully, "the das

's cabin, and looked round

graph handle and rung the engines astern

mp! Bump

e out to the bridge in alarm. The Zaire had stru

And they hauled to his presence Wafa, who was neit

, "what evil ju-ju sent you to stop my fine ship?" He spoke in th

erlord, "I come to make a great palaver concerning s

ses superior to all other emotions. "Then you shall try

r magic, for it concerns men, and brings to life the dea

corn cob, and had been newly cut, so that the wood was moist with sap. Bones smelt it. There was a faint

Bones pointed to six canoes, filled with men, approaching the Zaire. The man did not answer,

th this wood I can do many miracles, such as

st the side of the boat, but his

my magic, Tibbet

d, and the chip of wood in his left. The point

screamed

ht Wafa under the jaw, and the man stumbled and fell. At the same instant

behind him. His two revolvers hung at the head of his bunk, and he slipped

or after me,

emainder of the soldiers were fighting desperately with whatever weapons they found to their hands-for, with characteristic carefulness, they

!" roar

e with bright steel manacles on his wrist. His companions in the mad adventure sat on the iron deck below, roped le

him. "You shall tell my lord Sandi why you did this wickedne

if I speak?" Something about the man's demeanour stru

a tightened lip. "The

l, who had been a spectator, asked

vity in one whose heart was so young and gay struck a colder chill to the girl's heart than the yells of the warring N'gombi. For

Houssa guard-room and the little stockade prison at the river's e

ment, "I tell you this-that I will not speak of the great wonders whi

truth was coming, and truth of a disturbing character. "In this land I govern millions of men," said Sanders, speaking deliberately, "I

Wafa, the superior Arab of him

do your wickedness for secret reasons, must I not discover what is t

is also true

Sanders, "a suffering smaller or greater

eagerly. "Therefore, if you let me

hall speak." He rose up from his chair. "To-day you shall go to the Village of Irons," he said; "to-morrow I will come to you, and you shall answer my questions. And,

vil men of the Territories worked with chains about their a

man,"

hing, for he saw the soldiers driving pegs into the ground, pr

Commissioner came out, his face was drawn and grey. He beckoned to Hamilton, who came forward a

. Other sounders were at work elsewhere, delicate needles vacillated in cable offices, and an Under-Se

orklan forged. Arrest. Take extremest steps. Deal drastically, ruthlessly. Holding in residen

of the office,

oard, sir,"

o," said

erious," she said quietly; "you have all my thoughts." She put both

i. In that hut-the greatest the N'gombi had ever seen-were store

ing short, but he was chewing a toothpick, for these, at a pinch

for he is very cunnin

where the ground sloped down to a strip of vivid green ru

for a

scape for him, for its meandering course would bring him

. "Lord," he said at last, "the chief of the N'coro

e here, we'll get 'em. I

white came through the trees towards him, and behind w

self, and thought the moment w

r. Sanders!" he

yed him i

xpected pleasur

is your still?

t potatoes to distil fifty gallons of spirit-all proof, sir, decimal 1986 specific gravit

e man that ran the still in the Ashanti c

complacently. "P. T. Corkl

d out in drunken fights. I have seen a year's hard work ahead of me. You have corrupted a province in a very short space of time, a

tand any trial you like. There's no law about prohibition-it's one you've made yourself. I brought up t

said Sanders, in a low voice. "He was lying on the bank of

g on me, and I shot h

And then, after a little pau

y?" he said hoarsely. "You-you can't-do tha

Sanders. "But, if it is any consolation to you, I

our to make up his mind,

imini, which they call by a name which means, "The Waters