tribe care nothing about all that gold, it no
good to them. Dead people who live long, long ago, no one know when, dig
it up and store it there and make the great fetish which they call Bonsa
to keep away enemy who want to steal. Also old custom when any one in
country round find big nugget, or pretty stone, like ladies wear on
bosom, to bring it as offering to Bonsa, so that there now great plenty
of all this stuff. But no one use it for anything except to set on walls
of house of Asiki, or to make basin, stool, table and pot to cook with.
Once Arab come there and I see the priests give him weight in gold for
iron hoe, though afterwards they murder him, not for the gold, but lest
he go away and tell their secret."

"One might trade with them then, Jeekie?"

He shook his white head doubtfully.

"Yes, perhaps, if you can find anything they want buy and can carry it
there. But I think there only one thing they want, and you got that,
Major."

"I, Jeekie! What have I got?"

The negro leant forward and tapped his master on the knee, saying in a
portentous whisper:

"You got Little Bonsa, which much more holy than anything, even than
Big Bonsa her husband, I mean greater, more powerful devil. That Little
Bonsa sit in front room Asika's house, and when she want see things, she
put it in big basin of gold, but I no tell you what it float in. Also
once or twice every year they take out Little Bonsa; Asika wear it on
head as mask, and whoever they meet they kill as offering to Little
Bonsa, so that spirit come back to world to be priest of Bonsa. I tell
you, Major, that Yellow God see many thousand of people die."

"Indeed," said Alan. "A pleasing fetish truly. I should think that the
Asiki must be glad it is gone."

"No, not glad, very sorry. No luck for them when Little Bonsa go away,
but plenty luck for those who got her. That why firm Aylward & Haswell
make so much money when you join them and bring her to office. She drop
green in eye of public so they no smell rat. That why you so lucky, not
die of blackwater fever when you should; get safe out of den of thieves
in City with good name; win love of sweet maiden, Miss Barbara. Little
Bonsa do all those things for you, and by and by do plenty more, as
Little Bonsa bring my old master, your holy uncle, safe out of that
country because all the Asiki run away when they see him wear her on
head, for they think she come sacrifice them after she eat up my life."

"I don