"STAR" TALES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10299, 2 November 1911, Page 4

"STAR" TALES.

THE LONELY ONE.

(By EDGAR. "WALLACE.)

<- "Alt' Commissioner Sanders ro long with native people that he had [■absorbed not a little of their simplicity. Mors? than thin, he lmd acquired lithe uncanny power of kttotvjng things fyrhicii he should not have Known unless he were gifted with the prescience iwllieU is every aboriginal's birthright. jl-Ic had. sent three spit?* into the Isisi country—which lies a k'lig way from [■liendcuaa'ters, and is difficult to access l«~-anu after two mouths of waiting ■'they eamo back to him in a body bearing good news. !" This irritated Sanders to an unjustifiable degree. I <c Mn?ter, I Siiy to you that the Isisi ::EiTO quiet," protoeted 011 c of the spies, ftnd 'there is no talk of war."

Ii " M'm," said .Sanders, ungraciously; 'f and you ?" 'Ho addressod the se■cond spy. t if "Lord," said til© man, "T went inpo the forest to the border of the land, Kind there is no talk of war. . Chiefs jfaijd headmen told me this,"

" Truly you are a great spy," scoff|¥d Sunders; "and how came you to |tho chiefs and headmen ? And how Mid they greet yon P / Hail! secret spy |of Sandi P'—huh!" I He dismissed the men with a wave [of his hand and, patting on his helmet, Wftot down to the Haussn lines, where talß bine-coated Soldiers gambled in the [Bha-de of their neat white hnrrnclcs.

ji Tho Haussa captain was making n rentable medicine with the aid of a [book of cigarette papers and a sixSqunne bottle of quinine sulphide. I: Sanders observed his slinking hand rand chuckled irritably. | "Tllfirs's trouble ill the Isisi," he [Said. " J can smell it. . I don't know what- it is—but there's devilry of sorts, plow many men have you got ?" f "Sixty, including the lame 'una," tetyid the Haussa officer, and swallowed 'a 'paperful of quinine with a grimace. tapped tho to.o of his boot avifcli his thin, ©bony stick, and was ftjioughtful.

"I may wwit 'em," he said. "I'm :6ijlg to find out what's wrong with hese Isisi oeonle."

| By the little river that turns jjabruptly from the River of Spirits, Xmfeini, tho Lonely One, built a house. |®e built it in proper fashion, stealing ftho wood from a. village five miles [away. In this village there had. been anany deaths owing to tho sickness, and rat is the custom on the Upper River pfchat whenever a person dies tho house nvherein he died shall die also.

| No man takes shelter under the aorchrsed- roof whereundev his spirit sits (scattered on his shallow grave, and the Rooking pots of his wives are there likewise.

p And by-ancl-by, under the combined influences of wind and rain, the reed froof sags and sinks, the door-posts rot, elephant grass, coarse and strong, ,• shoots up between crevices in wall and u-oof, then come a heavier rain and a heavier wind and the forest has wiped the. foul spot clean. ? Imgani. who said he was of the jN gombi paople and was afraid of 110 , devils;—at #ny rate, of no Isisi devils— Stole door-posts and native rope fear-fes4-r. ■ Ho stole them by night when the •Slioon was behind the trees, and mocked the dead spirits, calling them by evil Tjancl tantalising: names. 'Yet he went fcantiously towork, for while ho did not Ijhola spirits in account, he was whole- - feomely respectful of the- live Isisi, who J:>vould have put him to death had his saorilage been detected, though strange fv enough death was the thing he fearj©d least. So ho stole accursed supports tond accursed roof-props, and would Shave stolen the roofs as well but for the ftfacfc that they .were very old. and. full ;tof spiders. f AU_ these things he came and took Marrying them five miles to the turn of (the river, and there at his leisure ho Miuilt a little house. In the clay-time /he slept, in the night he tranped beasts land caught fish, but he mads no attempt to catch the big bats that come j.over from the midcl'e Island of the [river, although these are very edible ,j,and gathered as a, dolicacv. i One day. just before the sun sank, pie went into tho forest on tha track of iKebra. •Ho carried two big hunting jßpeara such as tho N'gombi make best! f ;a, wickorwork shield, and on bis back, slung by ft atriT> of bide, s bunch of tided fishJio had caught in the river." ( A man of little height was Tm«»ani .snore of build but broad of shoulder! ''His skiti shono henJtliily and. lifs step |jwas light. Ae he walked you saw the minsoles of his back ripplo and. we;<vs Jtke the muscles of a well trained thoroughbred. » B ' as: an journey within th© forest when he came upon a girl. She was carrying a bundle bf manioc (root 011 lier head, cmd walked gracefully. i eil s * ,e Sfnv " li'igani she stopped ALfad, an{l the tear of death and worse came in her eyes, for she knew him to jbift an outcast xn&n ivitli 110 tribe find no (people. Such men are more dreadful ;lthan the Ingali who rears up from the .grassland, plunges his poison fangs in your lost. j They stood watohinrr each other, tho janau leaning with both hands on the Bpear, his cheek against them, the girl .trembling. imgSi 1 ™' 1 "' Where d ° yo " g0? " Kaid

?_ "Master, I go to the village which by the river, this being the path," Bile stammered. , j " What, have yon there?" thioWy ni °° fOT brcad >" s]l e whispered, | " You are a root-eater," said Imgani, vnodding his head. f " Master, let me go," she said, staring at ibiin. f Inigani jerked hie head, j 1 see you are afraid of me, vet I Swant nothing from you," lie said " I »n* Imgani which means The Lonely jJJne, and- I have do desire for wives or jWomen, being too high a man for such fjft tolly, xou arc saf'o,-for'if .1 wislmcl H would fill this forest with the diiuwhXei'a or chiefs, all very beautiful "all mioaning for me." I The girl's fear had disappeared, and fhti looked at him curiously. Moreover sh© recognised that there was [ilruth in his claim of austerity. Possibly she was a little piqued, for she Ifiaid tartly enough, employing an Msi /.proverb: "Only the goat bleats at the Jnouth of the leopard's cave—tho Isisi ■grow fat on strangers." k He looked tit her, his head cocked on one side. i They say 111 the lower country that jthe Isisi sell men to tlie Arabi," he laid, musingly; "that is bad talk; you .Wgo." L ; Wlth another jerk of his head he [dismissed her.

| She had gone some little distance &R"iifln ha called after her. h 41 Iloot-eater," he said, "if men ask Wou who I bo, you shall say that I am imgani, The Lonely One,' who is a' nrmce among princes ; ftlSO that I have killed many men in my day, so many pat I cannot count them.' Also say .that from my house, which I have built (by tho J'iver to as far as a man can see every way, is my kingdom, and let HOTiG strav thereon except to bring gifts In their hands, for J. am very terrible fcild very jealous." jj., ''Lord," said the girl, "I Iv ill say *ll this," and, she went half runnin? in {the direction of the village, lea-, rug ifcngani to continue his way. | Now, this village had many young infill: eager to please the girl who car! lied manioc, for she was a chief's [daughter, and she was moreover fourteen, a marriageable ago. So when site feame flying, along the village street, Ihaiif hysterical in her fear, crying, babbling, incoherent, there was not granting sympathy or knights valiant Jo TVipe out the insult. > Six young men with spears and short awords danced before the chief and thf (-chiefs important daughter (how im-

porta nt she felt any woman of anv rp.ce will tell yon), and one of them, E'Kcbi. a man gifted with language, described from sunset to mo on rise, which is roughly four hours, exactly what would happen to Imgani when the men of Isisi fell upon him. How his eyes would shrivel as before a great and terrible fire, and. his limbs wither up, with divers other physiological changes which need not be particularised. " That is good talk," said; the chief. " Yet since Sandi is cur master and has spies everywhere, do not shed blood, for the smell of blood is carried farther than a man can see. And Sandi is very devilish ou this question of killing. Moreover, this Lonely One is ,1 stranger, and if we catch him we may sell him to the Arabi, who will give us cloth and gin for him." Having heard all this they sacrificed » young goat and marched. They came upon -the house of Imgani, but the Lonely One was not there, for ho was trapping beasts in the forest, so they burned his house, uprooted his poor garden, and, being joined by many other Isisi people who had followed at a respectful distance, lest Imgani's estimate of his own prowess were justified, by results, they held high revel until of o sudden the sun came up over the middle island and all the little stars in the sky went out.

Imgani saw all this, leaning on his spoars in the shadow of the forest, but was content to bo a spectator. For, he reasoned, if he went out against them they would attempt to kill him, or beat him with rods, and that his high spirit could not endure. He saw the llames lick away the house he had built with Euch labour.

" They are foolish people," he mused, " for they burn their own, and perhaps tho spirits of the dead will be displeased and give them boils." When all that was left of his habitation was a white heap of ash, a dark red glow, and a hazy wisp of smoke, Imgani turned his face to the forest.

All day long he walked, halting only to eat tho fish he carried, and at nighttime he came upon another Isisi viltago which was called O-fari. He came through tho village street, with his shoulders squared, his head erect, swinging his spears famously. He looked neither to the left nor to tile right, an'd the villagers crowding to the doors of their huts put thou clenched knuckles to their mouths and said, ''o ko I'' which meant that they were impressed.

So he stalked through the entire length of the village, and. making lor the forest path beyond when a messenger came pattering after him. "Lord," said the messenger, "the capita ot this village, who is responsible to the Government for all peoplo who pass, and especially for thieves who may have escaped from the village cf Irons, desires your presence, being sure that you are no thief, but a great one, and wishing to do honour to you." Thus He recited, and, being a peaceable man who had been chosen for the part because he was related by marriage to the principal wife of the chief, 110 kept a cautious eye on the broadfieaded spears and determined: the line of his flight.

"Go back to your master, slave," said Imgani, " and say to liim tliat I go to find a spot of sufficient loneliness where I may sleep this night and occupy myself with high thoughts. When I have found such a place I will return. Say also that I am a prince of my own people, and that my father lias legions of ' such quantity that if every fighting-man of that legion were to take ft handful of sand from the bottom of the river, the river would be bottomless; also say that I am named Imgani, and that X love myself better than anything has loved itself sinco the moon went white that it might not look like the sun."

He went on, leaving the messenger filled with thought. True to his promise Imgani returned. He came back to find that there was a palaver in progress, the subject of tho palaver b<?iiig the unfortunate relative by marriage to the chief's principal wife. "Who," the chief was saying, "has put shame upon me, being as great a fool as his cousin my Avife." " Master," f-iirl the poor relation humbly, " I entreated him to return, but he was a man of great pride, and moreover impatient to go." ''Your mother was a "fool," said the chief, " her mother also was a fool, and your father, whoenor he was—and no man knows—was as great a fool." This interesting beginning to a crude address on hereditary folly was interrupted by tho return of Imgani, and, as he came slowly up the little hillock, the assembly took stock of him from the steel sciuare razor stuck in his hair to the thin bangles of brass about his ankles.

The chief, a portly ma a of no great courage, observed the spears, noting that tho hafts were polished smooth by much handling. "Lord," said he, mildly, " I am chief of this village, appointed by tho government, who save me a medal to wear about my neck, bearing on ono side the picture of a great man with a beard, and on tho other certain devil marks and writings of vast power. This was given to roe that nil people might know I was chief, but I have lost tho medal. None the less I am chief in this village as this will show." He f'lmnblfid in tho bosom of cloth and brought out a bag of snctko skin, and from this ha extracted a very soiled pap-2i\ With tendoi- care he unfolded it and discloced a sheet of official note-Da;-,or with a few scrawled words in the handwriting of Mr Commissioner Sanders. They ran: " To all sub-commissioners, police officers, commanders of Haussa posts. Arrest and detain the bearer If found in any other territory than the Tsisi." , There was a history attached to this sitigln-r document. It had to do with an unauthorised raid upon certain Ochoti villages and a subsequent trial at headquarters, where a chief, all aquiver with apprehension, listened to a terse but intelligible prophecy as to what fate awaited him if he put foot out of his restr i ete d do minion.

Imgani took the in his hand and was interested. Ha turned it

about, rubbed the writing lightly with his finc;«rd to see whether it was permanent. and returned it to the chief. " That is very wonderful, ■ though I tlo not fear 3iiagio except an especial kind as is practised by a certain witcm doctor of my father's," he said, " nor do I know any government wnioli can govern mo." Al : ter which he proceeded to tell them of his father, and his legions and wives snd various other matters of equal interest. " I d» not doubt that you will understand iris," he said. "lam a Lonely One, hating the company of men, who are as unchangeable as tho enow upon tho mountains. Thereto re I liavo left my house with my wives, who wore faithful as women go, and I have taken with me 110 legions, since they are my father's." The cki.'f was puzzled. " Why you are lonely I cannot tell," ho said, " but certainly you did right to leave your father's legions. This is a groat matter which needs a palaver of elder men." And ho ordered tho loka-li to bo .sounded and. the elders of the village to be assembled. They came bringing their own carved stools and sat about the . thatched shelter where the chief sat in his presidency. Again Imgani told his story: it was about fifteen wives, and legions of warriors as countless /as the sand on tho river's beach, and tho trustful Isisi listened and believed.

"And I noed this," said Inigani in his peroration: "a little house built 011 tho very edge of the river m such a place that no path passes me, for J. am very lonely by nature, and a great hater of men."

Xmgani wont to live in the clearing Nature had made for him and in a hut erected by his new-found friends. Other hospitalities he refused " I have no wish for wives,", he stated, " being full of mighty plans to recover my Kingdom from evil men who aro my father's councillors." Lonely he was in very truth, for none saw him except on very special occasions. It was his practioe to go hunting by night and to sleep away the hot days. Sometimes, when the red ball of the sun dropped down behind tho trees on the western bank of the river the villagers saw the straight blue film of his smoke as he cooked his evening meal: sometimes a homewardbound huntsman saw him slipping silently through the thin edge of the forest on his way to a kill. They called him the Silent One and he enjoyed a little fame. More than this, he enjoyed the. confidence of his hosts.

The Isisi country is within reacli of the great river down which strangely shaped boats come by night empty and return by night full of people who are chained, neck to neck, and the officials, of French West Africa—which joins the Isisi country—receive stories of raids and of burnings which they have not the facilities for investigating, for the Isisi border is nearly 600 miles from French headquarters, and lies beyond a wilderness. Imgani in his hunting trips saw things which might have filled him with amazement but for the fact that he was a man who was not given to emotion.

He saw little caravans that came stealing from the direction of tho territory of Franco with whimpering women and groaning men in.bondage. He saw curious midnight shippings of human souls, and grew to know the white-robed Arabs who handled the whip so deftly. Once, as ho stood watching all these things, El Mahmud, the famous trader, espied him 111 the moonlight, and saw that he was of a strange people. " What man are youP" he asked.

" Lord," said Imgani, " I am of a strange people—the N'gombi." " That is a lie," said the slaver, " for you have not tho face marks of the N'gombi: yon are half-breed Arab." Ho addressed him in Arabic, but Imgani shook his head.

" He does not understand," said the slaver to his lieutenant. " Find out where this man's house is; one night we will take him, for he is worth money."

He spoke in Arabic, and his subordinate nodded.

When the slaver cam© again, three men visited Imgani's house. But he was hunting, and he was hunting every time tho long boats came by night to O-fari.

Sanders did not go to O-fari for six months, during which time, it should be emphasised, nothing happened which by any stretch of imagination could be held to justify any loss of prestige. He w-as due to'make bis hall'-yearly visit to the Tsisi. The crops had been good, the fish plentiful, the rains gentle, and there had been no sickness—all these Mots you may bear in mind.

One morning, when swirls of gray mist looped from tree .to tree and the oast was growing gray, Imgani came back from tho forest bearing on his shoulders all that was material of a small buck which he had snared, in the night.

When he-saw r littlo fire before his hut and a man squatting chin on knee he twirkd those spears of his cheerfully, but went on, "for he was afraid of no man.

"Is the world so full of people that you come to disturb my loneliness?" he asked. "I have a thought that I shall kill you and fry your heart, for I do not like to see you sitting by a fire before my hut."

He said all this with a ferocious mien, and the man before the fire shifted uneasily.

Master, I expected this," he said, ' for I see you are a proud man, but I come because of your pride, knowing your wisdom." Imgani tossed the buck to one side, and sat down, staring threateningly, and laying tho haft of his spears across his bare knee.

Then th"£ other man craned his neck forward and spoke eagerly. The sun came up and flushed the" world rosy, but still he sat talking with great force, Imgani listening. "80, master," he concluded, "we will kill Saudi when he comes to palaver. ifiba, M'bwka and a cousin of my mother's will put spears into him vcy quickly, and we shall bo a great people " Imtrani nodded his head wisely. " Thrit is true," he said. " People who kill white men must be greatly honoured, because nil the other nations will say, ' ."Behold, these are the people who kill white men.' "

" And when he is dead," the messenger went on, " many young mem will go to the boat that, smokes and slay all who aro with him."

"That is wise also," said Imgani. " When I kill white men 1 also kill their friends."

He, discussed his deeds to some length and with great detail.

After the man had gone Imgani made a meal of fish and. manioc, polished the steel blades of his spears with wet sand, dried them carefully with grass, and laid himself in the sha<l© of the hut to sleep. He was awake in the early part of the afternoon, and went plunging into the wrer, swimming far toward the middle stream with great, strong strokes. Then ho swam back to shore, let, the sun dry him, and dressed himself in his leopard skin. He cams to tile village slowly and found it agitated. More especially so was the chief, for news had arrived that Sandi was coming that, night, and even now his steamer was rounding the bend of the river. A plan had miscarried. Sanders was two days ahead, of time, and Ifiba and M'bwka were away on an expedition, and there was no timo to substituto unseasoned assassins. The steamer diifted broadside to the shore, one stem wheel revolving lazily, and then they saw, Imgani among the rest, that the decks wero crowded with soldiers. ini£>assive brown men in blue uniforms and fezes.

A plank bumped down, and, holding their riiles hivrh, tho soldiers cam* patic sbcg& P/itii rhc-m 73s «»

white officer—but not Saudi. It was a brusque wliito man. " "Who is chief here?" lio said, crossly, " Lord, I am that man," said the stnut chief, all a (hitter. "Take thai man." A sergeant of Kaussas grssped the chief and deftly swung him round; a corporal of Haussns snapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrist. " Lord," he whined, " why this shame?" Bwaipe von ore a great thief," said the E.aussn officer, " a provoker of <var and a dealer in slaves." " If any man says that, it is a lie," said the chief. " for no Government man lias witnessed such abominations." Imgani stepped forward. "Chief," lit said, "1 have seen it." " You are a great liar," fumed the portly capita, trembling with rage, " and Saudi, who is my friend, will not believe you." "I am Saudi," said Imgani. smiling.