st friend. But remembering the dignity of
his godhood he remained in the tent doorway, bidding the chief
witch-doctor to advance.

Birnier retired backwards and sat beneath the net, for the mosquitoes were
as thick as they are on the bayou Barataria. Mungongo, possibly to prove
his erudition, sat upon one of the cases containing much magic, at which
Bakahenzie from the floor in the doorway looked askance. Birnier was
keenly anxious to know what was happening regarding the fortunes of the
tribe, hoping that with the restoration of the Unmentionable One that they
would return to their allegiance. According to etiquette he remained
silent, waiting for Bakahenzie to open the conversation, until, realizing
that he was a god and that the chief witch-doctor was doing the same
thing, reflected swiftly and desiring to make an impression, repeated
Bakahenzie's mystic phrase which he had overheard whilst hiding in the
jungle previous to the denouement:

"That which is and must be, shall be!" Bakahenzie grunted his
acknowledgment of the profundity of the statement. "He who would trap the
leopard must needs dig the pit!" Another uncompromising silence urged
Birnier to force the pace a little: "O son of Maliko, what say the omens
and the signs of the evil one, Eyes-in-the-hands?"

"When shall the Unmentionable One return unto the Place of Kings?"
demanded Bakahenzie.

"The Holy One returneth not unto the place appointed until that which
defileth is removed," retorted Birnier.

Bakahenzie took snuff and appeared to consider. Then he glanced around the
tent as if in search of something.

"When will the voice of Tarum speak through the pod of the soul?"

Mungongo looked expectant and stood up. But Birnier ignored him.

"The fruit doth not fall until it be ripe. He would know what hath been
done by his slaves for the baiting of the pit for the unclean one."

"Would the magician that cometh from the sea make pretence that an
elephant is a mouse?" inquired Bakahenzie.

For a moment Birnier was perplexed; then he realized that the chief
witch-doctor inferred that he, as King-God, mocked his priest by
pretending that he did not know all things.

"Doth the chief witch-doctor make magic for the curing of the scratch of a
girl of the hut thatch?" he retorted. "Lest thy heart wither like unto a
fallen leaf, know then that the soul of Tarum hath made words for the
return of the Unmentionable One to the Place of Kings, but that his
ch