said, "and play god. You whistle, I do
palaver."

Then hand in hand they walked from behind the rock. By this time the
particular company of the cannibals that was opposite to them, which
happened to include their chief, had climbed the steep slope of the hill
and arrived within a distance of twenty yards. Having seen the two men
and guessed that they had taken refuge behind the rock, their spears
were lifted to kill them, since when he beholds anything strange, the
first impulse of a savage is to bring it to its death. They looked; they
saw. Of a sudden down went the raised spears.

Some of those who held them fell upon their faces, while others turned
to fly, appalled by the vision of this strangely clad man with the head
of gold. Only their chief, a great yellow-toothed fellow who wore a
necklace of baboon claws, remained erect, staring at them with open
mouth.

Alan blew the whistle that was set between the lips of the mask, and
they shivered. Then Jeekie spoke to them in some tongue which they
understood, saying:

"Do you, O Ogula, dare to offer violence to Little Bonsa and her
priests? Say now, why should we not strike you dead with the magic of
the god which she has borrowed from the white man?" and he tapped the
gun he held.

"This is witchcraft," answered the chief. "We saw two men running,
hunted by the dwarfs, not three minutes ago, and now we see--what we
see," and he put his hand before his eyes, then after a pause went
on--"As for Little Bonsa, she left this country in my father's day. He
gave her passage upon the head of a white man and the Asiki wizards have
mourned her ever since, or so I hear."

"Fool," answered Jeekie, "as she went, so she returns, on the head of
a white man. Yonder I see an elder with grey hair who doubtless knew of
Little Bonsa in his youth. Let him come up and look and say whether or
no this is the god."

"Yes, yes," exclaimed the chief, "go up, old man, go up," and he jabbed
at him with his spear until, unwillingly enough, he went.

The elder arrived, making obeisance, and when he was near, Alan blew the
whistle in his face, whereon he fell to his knees.

"It is Little Bonsa," he said in a trembling voice, "Little Bonsa
without a doubt. I should know, as my father and my elder brother were
sacrificed to her, and I only escaped because she rejected me. Down on
your face, Chief, and do honour to the Yellow God before she slay you."

Instantly every man within hearing pr