he descendants of
the chief or head medicine-man of the tribe.

"Where did we meet, and when, O Motombo?" I asked.

"Not in this land, not in this land, Father of Monkeys," he replied in
his low rumbling voice, "but far, far away towards the west where the
sun sinks in the water; and not in this day, but long, long ago. Twenty
Kalubis have ruled the Pongo since that day; some have ruled for many
years and some have ruled for a few years--that depends upon the will
of my brother, the god yonder," and he chuckled horribly and jerked his
thumb backwards over his shoulder towards the forest on the mountain.
"Yes, twenty have ruled, some for thirty years and none for less than
four."

"Well, you _are_ a large old liar," I thought to myself, for, taking the
average rule of the Kalubis at ten years, this would mean that we met
him two centuries ago at least.

"You were clothed otherwise then," he went on, "and two of you wore
hats of iron on the head, but that of White Beard was shaven. I caused a
picture of you to be beaten by the master-smith upon a plate of copper.
I have it yet."

Again he blew upon his horn; again a woman darted out, to whom he
whispered; again she went to one of the chambers and returned bearing an
object which he cast to us.

We looked at it. It was a copper or bronze plaque, black, apparently
with age, which once had been nailed on something for there were the
holes. It represented a tall man with a long beard and a tonsured head
who held a cross in his hand; and two other men, both short, who wore
round metal caps and were dressed in queer-looking garments and boots
with square toes. These man carried big and heavy matchlocks, and in the
hand of one of them was a smoking fuse. That was all we could make out
of the thing.

"Why did you leave the far country and come to this land, O Motombo?" I
asked.

"Because we were afraid that other white men would follow on your steps
and avenge you. The Kalubi of that day ordered it, though I said No,
who knew that none can escape by flight from what must come when it must
come. So we travelled and travelled till we found this place, and here
we have dwelt from generation to generation. The gods came with us also;
my brother that dwells in the forest came, though we never saw him on
the journey, yet he was here before us. The Holy Flower came too, and
the white Mother of the Flower--she was the wife of one of you, I know
not which."

"Your brother the