Part 36 (2/2)

He felt, rather than saw, a man come from the forest; he knew that there was one on board the stea round the deck-house came two men He could just discern the bulk of them as they moved forward till they found the door of the cabin and crept in He heard a little noise, and grinned again, though he knew that their spear-heads weresad havoc of his bedclothes

Then there was a little pause, and he saw one come out by himself and look around

He turned to speak softly to the man inside

Sanders rose noiselessly

Thevoice and went down limply, because Sanders had kicked him scientifically in the stomach, which is a native's weak spot The second man ran out, but fell with a crash over the Co, received the full weight of a heavy pistol barrel in the neighbourhood of his right ear

”Yoka!” called Sanders sharply, and there was a patter of feet aft, for your native is a light sleeper, ”tie these o away from here; it is not a nice place”

Sanders, as I have tried to explain, was a ht like a native, and there were moments when he acted not unlike a barbarian

Clear of the danger, he tied up to a little island in reyly, and hustled his two prisoners ashore

”My men,” said he, ”you came to kill me in the dark hours”

”Lord, that is true,” said one, ”I came to kill, and this other ht have been another whom he called, for I am but one of many”

Sanders accepted the fact that a chain of cheerful assassins awaited his advent without any visible demonstration of annoyance

”Now you will tell , and why I ht youth of the Amatombo people, wiped the sweat froh you chop reat ju-ju, and there are certain fetishes which would be displeased”

Sanders tried the other reater success This other was a labourer he had taken on at a village four days' journey down strea,” he said

”Very good,” said Sanders, and nodded his head to Abiboo ”I shall stake you out,” he added, ”flat on the ground, your legs and arht a little fire on your chests, and by and by you will tell me all I want to know”

Staked out they were, with fluffy little balls of dried creeper on each breast, and Sanders took a lighted stick froround watched his every movement They saw him blow the red stick to a flame and advance toward them, then one said-

”Lord, I will speak”

”So I thought,” said Sanders; ”and speak truth, or I will make you uncomfortable”

If you ask hted stick, I answer truthfully that I think it possible; perhaps Sanders knew his men better than I know Sanders

The two men, released from their unhappy position, talked frankly, and Sanders was a busy lish of the conversation which was ation was coathered up his notes and had the men taken on board the stea at its fullest speed in the direction of a village of the Akasava, which is called in the native tongue Tukalala

There was aAmerican Methodist, who had elected to live in the fever belt a their hearts to the knowledge of God