e of his own creation.

It is the custom on the Akasava district to hold a ghost palaver to
which the learned men of all tribes are invited, and the palaver takes
place in the village of Ookos by the edge of the forest.

On a certain day in the year of the floods and when Bosambo was gone a
month from his land, there came messengers chance-found and walking in
terror to all the principal cities and villages of the Akasava, of the
Isisi, and of the N'gombi-Isisi carrying this message:

"Mimbimi, son of Simbo Sako, son of Ogi, has opened his house to
his friends on the night when Bim-bi has swallowed the moon."

A summons to such a palaver in the second name of Bim-bi was not one
likely to be ignored, but a summons from Mimbimi was at least to be
wondered at and to be speculated upon, for Mimbimi was an unknown
quantity, though some gossips professed to know him as the chief of one
of the Nomadic tribes which ranged the heart of the forest, preying on
Akasava and Isisi with equal discrimination. But these gossips were of a
mind not peculiar to any nationality or to any colour. They were those
jealous souls who either could not or would not confess that they were
ignorant on the topic of the moment.

Be he robber chief, or established by law and government, this much was
certain. Mimbimi had called for his secret palaver and the most noble
and arrogant of chiefs must obey, even though the obedience spelt
disaster for the daring man who had summoned them to conference.

Tuligini, a victorious captain, not lightly to be summoned, might have
ignored the invitation, but for the seriousness of his eldermen, who,
versed in the conventions of Bim-bi and those who invoked his name,
stood aghast at the mere suggestion that this palaver should be
ignored. Tuligini demanded, and with reason:

"Who was this who dare call the vanquisher of Bosambo to a palaver? for
am I not the great buffalo of the forest? and do not all men bow down to
me in fear?"

"Lord, you speak the truth," said his trembling councillor, "yet this is
a ghost palaver and all manner of evils come to those who do not obey."

Sanders, through his spies, heard of the summons in the name of Bim-bi,
and was a little troubled. There was nothing too small to be serious in
the land over which he ruled.

As for instance: Some doubt existed in the Lesser N'gombi country as to
whether teeth filed to a point were more becoming than teeth left as
Nature plac