Part 16 (1/2)
Sanders grinned internally, knowing such a king, but answered that in all his life he had never , ”have you ever seen an arory of his possessions he ran; and Sanders, finding that the lie was to save hi Li in all the world, codoi owed its integrity to its faults, for, satisfied with the perfection of all his possessions, the great king confined his injustices, his cruelties, and his little ithin the boundaries of his state Also he sought relaxation therein
One day, just after the rains, when the world was cool and the air filled with the faint scent of African spring, Sanders h the little provinces These are those lands which lie away fro rivers Countries curled up in odd corners, bisected sharply on the map by this or that international boundary line, or scattered on the fringe of the wild country vaguely inscribed by the chartographer as ”Under British Influence”
It was always an interesting journey-Sanders e rivers and through unfaes where other white men than Sanders were never seen After a month's travel the Coreat king's domain, and with immense civility he was received by the elders and the chiefs
”Lord, you have coht Daihili dances”
”And who is Daihili?” asked Sanders
They told hiirl, a trifle pert, he thought, for a native
A sliure perfectly modelled, a face not unpleasant even froe, her every ar, took her in at one glance
”My girl, they tell me that you dance,” he said
”That is so, reatest dancer in all the world”
”So far I cannot go,” said the cautious Co is very wonderful”
”Lord,” she said, with a gesture, ”when I dance h I will show you the dance of the Three Lovers”
”To-night,” said Sanders briefly, ”I shall be in bed-and, I trust, asleep”
The girl frowned a little, was possibly piqued, being a woman of fifteen, and in no wise different to women elsewhere in the world This Sanders did not know, and I doubt whether the knowledge would have helped hiht as he lay in bed, and the rhyth ould be the end of a girl who danced so that hter, and at parting Sanders had a feords to say concerning her
”This daughter of yours is fifteen, and it would be better if she were married,” he said
”Lord, she has h to buy her,” said the proud father, ”because she is so great a dancer Chiefs and heades far distant come to see her” He looked round and lowered his voice ”It is said,” he whispered, ”that the Great One himself has spoken of her Perhaps he will send for her, offering this and that In such a case,” said the chief hopefully, ”I will barter and bargain, keeping him in suspense, and every day the price will rise--”
”If the Great One need her, let her go,” said Sanders, ”lest instead of money presents he sends an army I will have no war, or women palaver, which is worse than war, in my country-mark that, chief”
”Lord, your word is my desire,” said the chief conventionally
Sanders went back to his own people by easy stages At Isisi he was detained for over a week over a question of witch-craft; at Belembi (in the Isisi country) he stopped three days to settle a case ofand testing his stoutest cane for the whipping which was to follohen the chief of the Icheli ca down the river with three canoes, and Sanders, who, from where he sat, commanded an uninterrupted view of the river, knew there was trouble-and guessed what that trouble was
”Justice!” dee and fear he had nursed, ”justice against the Old One, the stealer of girls, the destroyer of cities-o to hier of the great king had coirl True to his pre-arranged sche over terirl orth a hundred thousand rods-nay, a thousand bags of salt
”You were s of salt”