ds, and he had certain advantages and privileges, the
significance of which he very imperfectly interpreted.

His uncle had died suddenly at the hands of Mr. Commissioner Sanders,
C.M.G., and the land itself might have passed to the protection of the
Crown, for there was gold in the country in large and payable
quantities.

That such a movement was arrested was due largely to the L'Mandi and the
influence they were able to exercise upon the European Powers by virtue
of their military qualities. Downing Street was all for a permanent
occupation of the chief city and the institution of a conventional
_regime_; but the L'Mandi snarled, clicked their heels, and made
jingling noises with their great swords, and there was at that moment a
Government in office in England which was rather impressed by
heel-clicking and sword-jingling, and so the territory of the Great King
was left intact, and was marked on all maps as Omongoland, and coloured
red, as being within the sphere of British influence. On the other hand,
the L'Mandi people had it tinted yellow, and described it as an integral
portion of the German Colonial Empire.

There was little communication between L'Mandi and Sanders's territory,
but that little was more than enough for the Commissioner, since it took
the shape of evangelical incursions carried out by missionaries who were
in the happy position of not being obliged to say as much as "By your
leave," since they had secured from a Government which was, as I say,
impressed by heel-clicking and sword-jingling, an impressive document,
charging "all commissioners, sub-commissioners, magistrates, and
officers commanding our native forces," to give facilities to these good
Christian gentlemen.

There were missionaries in the Territories who looked askance at their
brethren, and Ferguson, of the River Mission, made a journey to
headquarters to lay his views upon the subject before the Commissioner.

"These fellows aren't missionaries at all, Mr. Sanders; they are just
political agents utilizing sacred symbols to further a political
propaganda."

"That is a Government palaver," smiled Sanders, and that was all the
satisfaction Ferguson received. Nevertheless, Sanders was watchful, for
there were times when the L'Mandi missioners and their friends strayed
outside their sphere.

Once the L'Mandi folk had landed in a village in the middle Ochori, had
flogged the headman, and made themselves free of the commodities w