eserted, but to add insult to injury he felt he was
not understood. Neither Yabolo nor Sakamata, as Bakahenzie, could
comprehend a chief and a warrior making such a fuss over a girl. That the
confiscation of MYalu's property was an insult they both agreed, but
biassed by both fear of Eyes-in-the-hands and their own interests, they
were disposed to pretend that after all such a small matter as the
abduction of a girl could be overlooked when committed by the follower of
such a powerful god and magician, as expedience is so often the father of
a dispensation. Yet nevertheless in Yabolo, if not in Sakamata, whose
hatred of the tribal craft was deep in ratio to the degeneracy of his
native code, the outrage upon Bakuma as the Bride of the Banana, while an
act of dangerous sacrilege when performed by a Wongolo, violated the half
suppressed traditions and kindled a spark of bitter resentment ready to
flare up against Eyes-in-the-hands or Sakamata; but being a diplomatist,
he concealed that anger, even from himself to a certain degree.

Upon MYalu's arrival in the guest-house to find that Bakuma had been
taken, his passion had nearly led to his instant destruction, for he had
desired to run amok among the grinning askaris. Afterwards, when the
efforts of his friends and the hungry points of bayonets had cooled his
ardour, he had wanted to rush straight to Eyes-in-the-hands who, according
to Sakamata employed as master of ceremony at the daily audiences, would
instantly restore Bakuma to him and visit a terrible punishment upon the
evil-doer. But the august presence could not be approached so casually:
petition must be made in orthodox form and the royal pleasure awaited
meekly.

According to the words of the Son-of-the-Earthquake, as zu Pfeiffer was
officially designated by his men, who placed the actual name under the
tabu in token of the acceptance of the magic purple, came a guard to take
away MYalu's first-born as hostage to the village of the sons of chiefs.
Seething with red rage MYalu mutely followed Yabolo to the place appointed
for their housing. Then on the following afternoon at the time of audience
MYalu waited in the broiling heat for three hand's-spans of the sun
without being summoned to the green temple. And thus it was for three
days.

But upon the fourth, when MYalu squatted in the general hut in company
with Yabolo, Sakamata, and other renegade chiefs, smouldering with bitter
resentment, came the pulse of