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

ing the interior, that Sir Robert, that amiable man, had also expressed a warning, and that the august Government itself had sent a long an

Sanders and his immediate superior for the kidnapping of so important a person a

nscientious man always will, if he has had

ttering east, south and north, a missionary steamer was hastily req

raphed to every likely

this would not have happened," said Sanders irritabl

particularly satisfactory. Bosambo was evidently un-get-at-able, and the most alarming rumour of all was that which came from Sierra Leone and

the result of scientific torturing at the hands of Akasava braves, less than a couple of lines in th

hs by the unusual accident which had occurred to the Right Honourable gentleman, partly because it is unusual for Cabinet Ministers to find themselves in a cannibal's hands, and partly because Mr. Blowter himself occupied a very large place in the eye of the public at home. For the first time in its

that a small fleet of motor-boats containing pressmen awaited the incomin

about it, and had gloomy visions of long reports to be written. He would have felt happier in his mind if he could have identified

Some there were who said that Mimbimi was a tall man, very thin, knobbly at the knees, and was wounded in the foot, so that he lim

s of his beaters touched the border line of the Ochori on the right and the Isisi on the left, and though he passed through places which hitherto had been regarded as impenetrable on account of divers devils, yet he found

headquarters by swift canoe or rewritten on paper as fine as cig

ds and relatives; for it seemed that this man had accumulated, in addition to a great deal of unnecessary information, quite

allowed him," said Sanders bitterly. "O! Mimbimi, if I

milton soothingly. "He must be somewhere, my dear

shook

has done or what has h

k of the Upper Isisi on the edge of the forest of Bim-bi, and the Houssas we

is long stick as a bandmaster will flourish his staff. And when the sentry on the plank that led to the boat had

e you and where do you come fro

n glibly, "I am Mim

ped up from

y; "tell me what message

n, "he is no thief,

eering at him

he said, "that you

Mimbimi,-his headman, following him through all manners of danger.

rs no

ger of Mimbimi, and let y

ives in his two hands, and fears not anything that lives or moves, neither devil

ly; "for I have a whip which bites sharper than the dra

an no

imi the chief loves him, and because of his love Mimbimi will do a great thing. Also he said," the man we

take a note of this, Hamilton," he said aside, "though why the deuce he wants a note of this made I cannot for

white lord whom he has taken, asking for no rods or salt in repayment, but doing this because of his love

rs ga

e truth?" he ask

nodded h

was no time for ceremony or for polite euphem

than the length of the village fr

, followed. They found Joseph Blowter tied scientifically to a gum-tree, a wedge of wood in his mouth to prevent him speaking, and he was a

erhaps to exaggerate his peril, pardonably exasperated against the man who had led him thro

got into his trouble through

sorry I am all this has

king a little more healthy from his enforced exercise, and certainly cons

ct in which you are held in this country. I never spoke of you to this infernal rasca

d by this experience no less sur

s to me," he

nign smile. "I, at any rate, appreciate the fact that but for your pop

next morning, the Zaire

the forest," said Sanders; "I shall not res

y; "the sobering influence of your name s

ers as these. Nevertheless, he was happy at the end of the adventure, though somewhat embarrassed by the

ng to deserve it I wo

get them, if you do not deserve them they come in cartloads, you have to take the

e surf-boat waiting to carry him to a mail steamer

it is one which for some reason I have forgotten to ask before-can you d

frowned th

ke to me," he said slowly. "He is rather tall, we

" said Sand

ently has some sort of religious training, because he spoke of Mark, and Luke,

ight dawning upon him. "Thank you very much. I think

smiled the Cab

sir." Sander

, turning back from the boat, "I suppose y

d red and stam

nt Mr. Blowter profoundly; "but the Government feel that it is the least they can do for you after your unus

anding as though f

he first to co

a man deserved the C.M.

ich it came, but he should have known, being acquainted with the ways of Governments, that this was the

igeon-post from the river-Bosambo is back in the Och

a grim little smile, "and I think I s

destined to put into execution. Tha

oner in your temporary absence. I am sending Lieutenan

Augustus Tibbetts?" said Sande

PTE

N OF TH

He saw one corner of the white Residency, showing through the sparse isisi pa

even for six m

ue eyes, and his fumed-oak face-lean and wholeso

nders, answering the question in the tune.

i live, or the Akasava sow his barbarous potatoes, or the sun shi

noring the insult, "if they'd put a good man i

you!" bowe

tle or no e

ly removed from an unqualif

zed Sanders, tilting back his helmet

o catch the accusing eye of the chief officer, which m

her's in a grip that left bo

back, as they walked to the gangway. "Watch the Isisi and sit o

as he skipped down the companion to the big boat that

u," said Sanders

en as they bent their naked backs, gripping their clumsy oars. And to think that they and Hamilton wer

at, as she went lumbering over the clear

id Sanders, a-choke, and t

reposed a commission sealed redly and largely on parchment and addressed to: "Our well-beloved Patrick George Hamilton

ant, who waited his landing,

" said

rarily appointed Commissioner must take up his habit

s, which stood on a side table. "Let us pray that the barbarian of his kindness will sit quietly ti

nd, but as cheerful as the devil-a straight stick of a youth, with hair brushed back from his

stiffly. "I've only just arrived on the Coast an' I'm simply bubbli

bordinate through his monoc

ion myself," he confessed.

gustus Tibb

Bones," said Ham

They called me Conk at San

id Hamilton

w all this beastly formality is over we'll have a

and-by request-in his shaky falsetto baritone, "My heart is in the Highlands"; and Lieut. Tibbetts gave a lifelike imitation of Frank Tinney, which convulsed, not a

man's upbringing had been in England, he had the inestimable advantage of a very thorough grounding in the na

line to headquarters?" asked Bon

d Hamilton. "We had it laid down

zen tickets in the Cambridgeshire Sweepstake, an' a dear pal of mine-chap named Goldfinder, a r

could draw a cow," said

Ham--" began

rdinate devil!" sai

re was trouble in t