with your wishes. The Yellow God that all
these gentlemen worship, quite another god to that of which you desire
that I should tell you. You know all about him. My god is of female
sex."

At this statement his audience burst into laughter while Jeekie rolled
his eyes again and waited till they had finished. "My god," he went on
presently, "I mean, gentlemen, the god I used to pray to, for I am a
good Christian now, has so much gold that she does not care for any
more," and he paused.

"Then what does she care for?" asked someone.

"Blood," answered Jeekie. "She is god of Death. Her name is Little
Bonsa or Small Swimming Head; she is wife of Big Bonsa or Great Swimming
Head."

Again there was laughter, though less general--for instance, neither Sir
Robert nor Mr. Champers-Haswell laughed. This merriment seemed to excite
Jeekie. At any rate it caused him to cease his stilted talk and relapse
into the strange vernacular that is common to all negroes, tinctured
with a racy slang that was all his own.

"You want to hear Yellow God palaver?" he said rapidly. "Very well, I
tell you, you cocksure white men who think you know everything, but
know nothing at all. My people, people of the Asiki, that mean people of
Spirits, what you call ghosts and say you no believe in, but always look
for behind door, they worship Yellow God, Bonsa Big and Bonsa Little,
worship both and call them one; only Little Bonsa on trip to this
country just now and sit and think in City office. Yellow God live long
way up a great river, then turn to the left and walk six days through
big forest where dwarf people shoot you with poisoned arrow. Then turn
to the right, walk up stream where many wild beasts. Then turn to the
left again and go in canoe through swamp where you die of fever, and
across lake. Then walk over grassland and mountains. Then in kloof of
the mountains where big black trees make a roof and river fall like
thunder, find Asiki and gold house of the Yellow God. All that mountain
gold, full of gold and beneath gold house Yellow God afloat in water.
She what you call Queen, priestess, live there also, always there, very
beautiful woman called Asika with face like Yellow God, cruel, cruel.
She take a husband every year, and every year he die because she always
hunt for right man but never find him."

"Does she kill him then?" asked Barbara.

"Oh! no, she no kill him, Miss, he kill himself at end of year, glad to
get away from Asika