Part 12 (1/2)
CHAPTER V
THE SPECIAL COMMISSIONER
The Hon George Tackle had the good fortune to be the son of his father; otherwise I am free to confess he had no clai the proprietor of the Courier and Echo (hich are incorporated I don't kno e had a ”pull” which no amount of competitive merit could hope to contend with, and when the stories of atrocities in the district of Lukati began to leak out and questions were asked in Parliae opened his expensively-bound Gazetteer, discovered that the district of Lukati was in British territory, and instantly deate these crimes, which were a blot upon our boasted civilisation
His father agreed, having altogether a false appreciation of his son's genius, and suggested that George should go to the office and ”get all the facts” regarding the atrocities George, with a good-natured sht of anybody instructing hihly conversant, promised; but the Courier and Echo office did not see him, and the librarian of the newspaper, who had prepared a really valuable dossier of newspaper cuttings, pauidance, was dismayed to learn that the confident youth had sailed without any further instruction in the question than a ht secure from the hurried perusal of the scraps which fro press
As a special correspondent, I adduce, with ill-suppressed triu to all newspaper proprietors who allow their parental affections to overcoe kneas that at Lukati there had been four well-authenticated cases of barbarous acts of cruelty against natives, and that the Cos and the torture He thought, did the Hon George, that this was all that it was necessary to know But this is where he s happened, as Commissioner Sanders knows, to his cost Once he visited the district and left it tranquil, and for Carter, his deputy, whom he left behind, the natives built a ardens about, all off their own bat
One day, when Carter had just finished writing an enthusiastic report on the industry of his people, and the whole-hearted way they were taking up and supporting the new regie, whom Carter had facetiously named O'Leary (his born name was indeed Olari), cah the well-swept street of the village with his hands in his coat pockets and his big white hel at his back
”Father,” said the Chief Olari, ”I have brought these people to see you”
He indicated with a wave of his hand six strange warriors carrying their shi+elds and spears, who looked at him dispassionately
Carter nodded
”They desire,” said Olari, ”to see the wonderful little black fetish that my father carries in his pocket that they may tell their people of its powers”
”Tell your people,” said Carter good-huot the fetish with me-if they will come to my hut I will show them its wonders”
Whereupon Olari lifted his spear and struck at Carter, and the six warriors sprang forward together Carter fought gamely, but he was unarmed
When Sanders heard the news of his subordinate's death he did not faint or fall into a fit of insane cursing He was sitting on his broad verandah at headquarters when the dustyeyes, fingering the letter-this came from Tollemache, inspector of police at Bokari-and paced the verandah
”Poor chap, poor chap!” was all that he said
He sent no e to Olari; hedocuh Carter had never lived or died All these things the spies of Olari reported, and the chief was thankful
Lukati being two hundred e and , and the British Government, rich as it is, cannot afford to spend a hundred thousand pounds to avenge the death of a subordinate official Of this fact Sanders ell aware, so he e the names of Carter's assassins When he had completed thereat witch-doctor Kelebi, whose nahout the coast country frooland
”Here are the names of men who have put shame upon me,” he said; ”but principally Olari, chief of the Lukati people”
”I will put a spell upon Olari,” said the witch-doctor; ”a very bad spell, and upon these lish pounds”
Sanders paid the money, and ”dashed” two bottles of square-face and a piece of proper cloth Then he went back to headquarters
One night through the village of Lukati ran a whisper, and the lances