Part 23 (2/2)

”Lord,” said the poor chief of the Akasava, ”perhaps s have happened--”

”That is true,” said Sanders gravely ”This is a country of lies; soone around that there is no law in the land, and h I die at this h the river turn to fire and consuer to devour rinned internally

”Spare your breath,” he said gently ”You who go hunting elephants, for it is a long journey to the Great Forest, and there are many swalad that I have come in time to bid you farewell”

There was aof elephants was a stray excuse of the chief's The Great Forest is a journey of two et there and one to return, and is h the most cursed country, and the Akasava are not a people that love long journeys save with the current of the river

The silence was broken by the chief

”Lord, we desire to put off our journey in your honour, for if we go, how shall we gather in palaver?”

Sanders shook his head

”Let no man stop the hunter,” quoth he ”Go in peace, chief, and you shall secure ht come to the chief's eyes, but continued, ”I will send with you a sergeant of Houssas, that he ht died away again-”for there will be many liars ill say that you never reached the Great Forest, and I shall have evidence to confound the ranks listened, eagerly shuffling forward, till they ceased to bear any semblance to an ordered army, and were as a o to-morrow--”

The smile was still on Sanders' lips, but his face was set, and his eyes held a steely glitter that the chief of the Akasava knew

”You go to-day,his voice till he spoke in little more than a whisper, ”else your warriorson a tree”

”Lord, we go,” said the h we are bad marchers and our feet are very tender”

Sanders, re the weariness of the Akasava, found his face twitching

”With sore feet you nificantly; ”with sore backs you can neitherthe N'Gombi people came in twenty-five war canoes to join their Akasava friends, and found the village tenanted by wo, in the shock of the discovery, surrendered quietly to the little party of Houssas on the beach

”What co

Sanders whistled thoughtfully

”I have some instructions about you somewhere,” he said

CHAPTER IX

THE WOOD OF DEVILS

Four days out of M'Sakidanga, if native report be true, there is a trickling stream that meanders down froable even in the dry season

The inda ridicule this report; and Arburt, the young chief of the station, with a gentle laugh in his blue eyes, listened one day to the report of Elebi about a fabulous land at the end of this river, and was kindly incredulous

”If it be that ivory is stored in this place,” he said in the vernacular, ”or great wealth lies for the lifting, go to Sandi, for this ivory belongs to the Government But do you, Elebi, fix your heart hts upon your unworthiness to o”