Part 33 (1/2)

All night long the stea from bank to bank to avoid the shoals

Dawn found her at a wooding, where her s on her deck until she had the appearance of a ti only to secure news of the co sacrifice from the spies ere scattered up and down the river

Sanders reached the edge of the Dreaht and tied up He had ten Houssa policemen with him, and at the head of these he stepped ashore into the blackness of the forest One of the soldiers went ahead to find the path and keep it, and in single file the little force began its two-hour ; once they stu in their path Twice they disturbed strange beasts that slunk into the shadows as they passed, and ca after them, till Sanders flashed a white beam from his electric lamp in their direction Eventually they came stealthily to the place of sacrifice

There were at least six hundred people squatting in a see fires blazed and crackled on either side of the altar; but Sanders' eyes were for the Devil Man, who leant over the body of a young girl, apparently asleep, stretched upon the logs

Once the Devil Man had worn the garb of civilisation; noas clothed in rags He stood in his grimy shi+rt-sleeves, his white beard wild and uncoht in his eyes In his hand was a bright scalpel, and he was speaking-and, curiously enough, in English

”This, gentleainst the rude altar, and speaking with the assurance of one who had delivered many such lectures, ”is a bad case of trynosomiasis You will observe the discoloration of skin, the opalescent pupils, and now that I have placed the patient under anaesthetics you will relands, which is an invariable synly around

”I st native people I occupied the honourable position of witch-doctor in Central Africa--”

He stopped and passed his hand across his brow, striving to recall so; then he picked up the thread of his discourse

All the time he spoke the half-naked asse save that the witch-doctor with the white face, who had coic box proved to be a galvanic battery-was about to perfore rites

”Gentle the breast of his victim with the handle of his scalpel, ”I shall make an incision--”

Sanders came from his place of conceal-table

”Professor,” he said gently, and the madman looked at hi the clinic,” he said testily; ”I a--”

”I know, sir”

Sanders took his areon to St Mark's Hospital, London, and the author of many books on tropical diseases, ith him like a child

CHAPTER XII

THE LONELY ONE

Mr Co with native people that he had absorbed not a little of their simplicity More than this, he had acquired the uncanny power of knowing things which he would not and could not have known unless he were gifted with the prescience which is every aboriginal's birthright

He had sent three spies into the Isisi country-which lies a long way from headquarters and is difficult of access-and after two ood news

This irritated Sanders to an unjustifiable degree

”Master, I say to you that the Isisi are quiet,” protested one of the spies; ”and there is no talk of war”

”H'raciously ”And you?”

He addressed the second spy