Part 11 (1/2)

Torrington, with philosophical calm, endeavoured to reassure hiht and camped in the forest Three days later he reached a mission station, where he complained of headaches and pains in the neck (he had not attended Torrington's clinics in vain) The eneral incoherence that he had an attack of malaria, advised him to rest for a few days; but Cuthbert was all a-fret to reach the coast Twenty miles from the mission, Cuthbert sent his carriers back, and said he would cover the last hundred miles of the journey alone

To this extraordinary proposition the natives agree-froht of h the forest to avoid the interminable twists and bends of the river, when he cae of death-four sad little huts, built hastily ale of underwood He called, but nobody answered him He was too wary to enter any of the crazy habitations

He knew these little villages in the forest It was the native custo-especially those who died sleepily-to far-away places, beyond the reach of man, and leave them there with a week's food and a fire, to die in decent solitude

He called again, but only the forest answered hi, noisy forest, all a-crackle with thewhich told of life

Sanders resu a quantity of food to be laid in a conspicuous place for the man who made the fire

He was on his way to take evidence concerning the disappearance of Cuthbert It was the fourth journey of its kind he had attempted There had been palavers innumerable

Bosaed the presents he had received, and admitted his fault

”Lord!” he confessed, ”when I ith the white -it is a cursed gift-else all this trouble would not have coreat a lish fashi+on, and sent it by er to the coast and thence to friends in Sierra Leone, telling them of my fortune Thus the people in London came to know of the treasure of this land”

Sanders, in a few illuenius

”You slave and son of a slave,” he said, ”whom I took from a prison to rule the Ochori, why did you deceive this whitehim lands that were not yours?”

”Lord!” said Bosa else I could sell”

But there was no clue here as to Cuthbert's whereabouts, nor at the st the carriers detained on suspicion One ton was at ho the post of assistant exaton ( in his spare tiration of the Bantu Races”

So that the end of Sanders' fourth quest was no more successful than the third, or the second, or the first, and he retraced his steps to headquarters, feeling somewhat depressed

He took the path he had previously traversed, and came upon the Death Camp late in the afternoon The fire still burnt, but the food he had placed had disappeared He hailed the hut in the native tongue, but no one answered hiave orders for round

”Poor devil!” said Sanders, and gave the order to march He himself had taken half a dozen steps, when he stopped At his feet soht He stooped and picked it up It was an exploded cartridge He examined it carefully, smelt it-it had been recently fired Then he found another They were Lee-Metford, and bore the mark ”'07,” which meant that they were less than a year old

He was still standing with the little brass cylinders in his hand, when Abiboo came to him

”Master,” said the Houssa, ”who ties monkeys to trees with ropes?”

”Is that a riddle?” asked Sanders testily, for his es

Abiboo for answer beckoned him

Fifty yards fro and chattering and in a condition of abject terror, were two srinned ferociously as Sanders approached thees to the an searching the grass He found twolancet, such as may be found in the pocket-case of any explorer