dust the roof flew up in the air; and after a while M'Rua and his men
saw the black trunk raised high and at the end of the trunk the
fetish-man, Kamba.

And Stas, observing on the floor a big drum made of the hollowed trunk
of a tree with monkey skin stretched over it, ordered Kali to hand it
to him and, returning, stopped directly among the amazed warriors.

"Men!" he said in a loud voice, "it is not your Mzimu who roars; it is
this rogue who makes the noise on the drum to wheedle gifts out of you,
and whom you fear like children!"

Saying this, he seized the rope drawn through the dried-up skin of the
drum and began to twirl it around with all his strength. The same
sounds which had previously so startled the negroes resounded now, and
even more shrilly, as they were not muffled by the walls of the hut.

"Oh, how stupid are M'Rua and his children!" shouted Kali.

Stas gave the drum back to Kali while the latter began to make a noise
with it with such zeal that for a while a word could not be heard. When
finally he had enough, he flung the drum at M'Rua's feet.

"This is your Mzimu," he exclaimed, with great laughter.

After which he began with the usual negro exuberance of words to
address the warriors; at which he was not at all sparing of jeers at
them and at M'Rua. He declared to them, pointing at Kamba, that "that
thief in the cap made of rat's skin" cheated them through many rainy
and dry seasons and they fed him on beans, flesh of kids, and honey. Is
there another king and nation as stupid in the world? They believed in
the power of the old deceiver and in his charms, and look now, how that
great fetish-man hangs from the elephant's trunk and is crying "Aka!"
to arouse the pity of the white master. Where is his power? Where are
his charms? Why does not any wicked Mzimu roar in his defense? Ah! What
is this, their Mzimu? A clout of monkey skin and piece of wood hollowed
through decay which the elephant will tread to pieces. Among the
Wahimas, neither the women nor the children would be afraid of such a
Mzimu, and M'Rua and his men fear him. There is only one genuine Mzimu
and one really great and powerful master. Let them pay honors to them;
let them bring as many gifts as they possibly can, as otherwise
calamities, of which they hitherto have not heard, will befall them.

For the negroes even these words were unnecessary as the fetish-man,
together with his wicked Mzimu, appeared so vastly weaker than th