Part 10 (2/2)
”Tell him he's a silly ass!” bellowed Cuthbert and followed his carriers
This natural path the caravan took extended in ale path because of its very smoothness, and the only drawback lay in the fact that it see-place of flies-little black flies, as big as the house-fly of faer
They terrified the natives forThey did not terrify Cuthbert, because he was dressed in tapai cloth; none the less, there were times when these black flies found joints in his arer This path extended tenThen the explorer struck off into the forest, following another path, well beaten, but more difficult
By devious routes Mr Cuthbert came into the heart of Sanders' territories, and he was successful in this, that he avoided Sanders He had with him a caravan of sixty men and an interpreter, and in due course he reached his objective, which was the village of a great chief ruling a remarkable province-Bosambo, of the Ochori, no less; sometime Krooman, steward of the Elder Dempster line, chief on sufferance, but none the less an interesting person Bosareet his visitor
”Say to him,” said Cuthbert to his interpreter, ”that I areat chief”
”Lord chief,” said the interpreter in the vernacular, ”this white man is a fool, and has much money”
”So I see,” said Bosanity of an a him wonderful presents”
”The white man says,” said the interpreter, ”that if he is sure you are a good ive you presents Now,” said the interpreter carefully, ”as I aeive me one-third of all he offers Then will I persuade hi, since he is the father of mad people”
”And you,” said Bosan to his guard, and they seized upon the unfortunate interpreter and led him forth Cuthbert, in a sweat of fear, pulled a revolver
”Master,” said Bosaer, he no good; he lish proper You sit doe talk ue of Ochori, and for three days there was a great giving of presents, and signing of concessions Bosaranted forest rights of the Isisi, he sold the Akasava, he bartered away the Lulungo territories and the ”native products thereof”-I quote from the written docu the scrawled signature of Bosaht, the Ikeli district
”What about river rights?” asked the delighted Cuthbert
”What will you give ulish pounds?” suggested Cuthbert
”I take um,” said Bosambo
It was a reeable man than Cuthbert would have been scared by the easiness of his success, but Cuthbert was too satisfied with hi
It is said that his leave-taking with Bosa character, that Bosambo wept and embraced his benefactor's feet
Be that as it an his coastward journey, still avoiding Sanders
He came to Etebi and found a deputy-commissioner, who received him with open arton at the ti out sleeping sickness Until then, Cuthbert was under the impression that it was a pleasant disease, the principal symptom of which was a painless co ton had established a sort of amateur clinic, and a hundred cases a day came to him for treatment
”And it comes from the bite of a tsetse fly?” said Cuthbert ”Show ed him, and when the other saw the little black insect he hite to the lips
”My God!” he whispered, ”I've been bitten by that!”
”It doesn't follow--” began Torrington; but Cuthbert was blundering and stu in wild fear to his carriers' camp
”Get your loads!” he yelled ”Out of this cursed country we get as quick as we can!”