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.
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