Bones / Being Further Adventures in Mr. Commissioner Sanders' Country

e or brown or black-has explored the depth of the Forbidden Forest, for here the wild beasts have their lairs and rear their young; and here are mosquito in dense clouds. Moreover, and

her, and then no moon at all. And on the very dark nights, when the gods are hastily making him a new meal, the ravenous Bim-bi calls to his need the stars; and you may watch, as

te of corn and salt to the edge of the forest for his propitiation, and it is a legend that when the Isisi fought the Akasava in the great war, the envoy of the Isisi was admitted without molestation to the enemy's lines in order to lay

to which the learned men of all tribes are invited, and the palav

d, there came messengers chance-found and walking in terror to all the principal cities a

as opened his house to his friends on the

own quantity, though some gossips professed to know him as the chief of one of the Nomadic tribes which ranged the heart of the forest, preying on Akasava and Isisi with equal discrimination. But the

ad called for his secret palaver and the most noble and arrogant of chiefs must obey, even

e seriousness of his eldermen, who, versed in the conventions of Bim-bi and those who invoked his name, s

o to a palaver? for am I not the great buffalo of th

councillor, "yet this is a ghost palaver and all

ame of Bim-bi, and was a little troubled. There was nothi

were more becoming than teeth left as Nature placed them. Tombini, the chief of N'gombi, held the view

half a battery of artillery and Sanders to se

country," said Sanders, irritably. "I should feel s

p from his task-he was making cigarettes with a

, if I remember rightly, I had to burn crops on the right bank of the ri

his time," said Hamilton, cheerfully, his nimble f

id Sanders, a little bitterly, "and at

lar moment?" asked t

et of his uniform jacket a folded p

lton

hirtieth inst. I trust you will give the Right Honourable gentleman every facility for studying on the spot the problems upon which he is such an authority. I have to requ

e honour t

ead the le

which he is such an authority," he repeat

e I am one of the officers commanding troops who must school

in the territory; do what you can. You wouldn't believe it," he smiled a

for somehow he never assoc

ouble. A word to his orderly conveyed across the parade ground, roused the sleepy bugler of the guard, and the

er-in-law, not knowing his new surroundings. Now it is to you we look for his safety-I and the government. Also Sandi, our lord. You shall not let this stranger out of your sight, nor shall you allow approach him any such evil men as t

le people who required vivid word-pictures to convince them. And certainly they foun

shed him. Also an effervescent geniality which found expression in shaking hands with anybody who happened to be handy, in mechanically agreeing with all views that were put before him and immedi

hen they were worn out, and what would be the effect of an increased ration of lime juice upon the morals and discipline of the troops under Hamilton's command. Had he been less of a trial Sanders would not have allowed him to go into the interior without a stronger protest. As it was, Sand

"I spent the whole of this afternoon discussing the comparative values of mosquito nets, and he is such a perfect ass

ton l

somebody who knows the ways and habits of the animal. I had

at of M

spy, has seen one of the chiefs who attended the palaver, which apparently was very impressive. Up to now

Bosambo?" a

shook

e on Cape Coast Castle for a real aboriginal jag. Th

n, "if we could turn old man Blowter into his ten