a distant drum, the furious tattoo and long
pause, tattoo and long pause, which accompanies the mighty shout at the
coronation of a new King-God, "The Fire is lighted!" news that had
throbbed from that point within the forest from village to village to the
slopes of the Gamballagalla and to the Wamungo country. The perceptible
effect upon that circle of bronze figures was a scarcely audible grunt,
yet nevertheless the message was like unto a live ember dropped in the dry
grass of the cattle country.

That morning one of the renegade chiefs had brought in two others to make
their allegiance and received as reward for his fidelity a remittance of
one-third of the tax levy upon his property, a policy adopted by zu
Pfeiffer calculated to encourage the recruiting of his followers by
establishing a reputation for lavish generosity to those who obeyed him,
in contrast to his merciless severity to the recalcitrant ones.

An hour later MYalu was summoned from the sweating throng squatted before
the line of demon keepers through the giant ebon guards to audience with
the Son-of-the-Earthquake. At the entrance as bidden he knelt, for he knew
that he would be compelled did he refuse. A white flame was in his heart,
but yet the magnificence of the son of the World Trembler and his
satellites, the terrible ghosts of the distant white god, with amulets and
charms upon his breast, had awed and subdued MYalu. Then came the voice of
Sakamata relating that the chief MYalu, son of MBusa, made complaint to
the Son-of-the-Earthquake that his slaves, the keepers of the coughing
demons, had taken a girl named Bakuma, daughter of Bakala, and that he
craved restitution of his property. While this was being translated by the
corporal interpreter, MYalu watched the magic flame in the mouth of
Eyes-in-the-hands, marvelling greatly at the smoke which emerged. Then
said the interpreter:

"The son of the Lord-of-the-World, the Earthquake, the World Trembler who
eats up whom he pleases, whose eyes see all things, whose sword slays all
things, whose breath is the rain, whose voice is the thunder, whose teeth
are the lightning, whose frown is the earthquake, whose smile is the sun,
whose ear is the moon, whose eyes are the stars, whose body is the world,
saith that when the son of MBusa (MYalu) bringeth three chiefs of the same
rank to sit at the Feet then shall the daughter of Bakala return unto him,
but in the meantime shall her girdle remain untied.