. Now you come bow too, Little
Bonsa take that as compliment."

"I won't bow, but I will look, Jeekie, for although I have heard so much
about it I have never really examined this Yellow God."

"Very good, you come look, miss," and Jeekie propped up the case upon
the end of the dining-room table. As from its height and position she
could not see its contents very well whilst standing above it, Barbara
knelt down to get a better view of it.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed, "what a terrible face, beautiful too in
its way."

Hardly had the words left her lips when for some reason unexplained that
probably had to do with the shifting of the centre of gravity, Little
Bonsa appeared to glide or fall out of her box with a startling
suddenness, and project herself straight at Barbara, who, with a faint
scream, fearing lest the precious thing should be injured, caught it in
her arms and for a moment hugged it to her breast.

"Saved!" she exclaimed, recovering herself and placing it on the table,
whereon Jeekie, to their astonishment, began to execute a kind of war
dance.

"Oh! yes," he said, "saved, very much saved. All saved, most magnificent
omen. Lady kneel to Little Bonsa and Little Bonsa nip out of box, make
bow and jump in lady's arms. That splendid, first-class luck, for miss
and everybody. When Little Bonsa do that need fear nothing no more. All
come right as rain."

"Nonsense," said Barbara, laughing. Then from a cautious distance she
continued her examination of the fetish.

"See," said Jeekie, pointing to the misshapen little gold legs which
were yet so designed that it could be stood up upon them, "when anyone
wear Little Bonsa, tie her on head behind by these legs; look, here same
old leather string. Now I put her on, for she like to be worn
again," and with a quick movement he clapped the mask on to his face,
manipulated the greasy black leather thongs and made them fast. Thus
adorned the great negro looked no less than terrific.

"I see you, miss," he said, turning the fixed eyes of opal-like stone,
bloodshot with little rubites, upon Barbara, "I see you, though you no
see me, for these eyes made very cunning. But listen, you hear me,"
and suddenly from the mask, produced by some contrivance set within it,
there proceeded an awful, howling sound that made her shiver.

"Take that thing off, Jeekie," said Alan, "we don't want any banshees
here."

"Banshees? Not know him, he poor English fetish p'raps," s