e evil eye."

"Hath not one who was not cleansed entered and cast evil upon the tribe?"
demanded Bakahenzie.

"If the fence is not strong the leopard will enter."

"If the leopard be not strong and swift indeed may he not be killed in the
hut?" inquired Bakahenzie.

"If a leopard and a wild-cat break in, then wilt thou not kill the leopard
first?"

"Even so," retorted Bakahenzie; "then is water stronger than beer, even as
the beer does reveal?"

Birnier nearly smiled in recognition of the hit.

"Nay, does not beer make the fool to talk foolishness? Dost thou then cast
away the banana? Does not one talk foolishness also who is sick and yet
discardeth good medicine, because he feareth to poison his belly?"

"Even so," said Bakahenzie obstinately, "does the sick man exorcise the
good medicine lest an enemy hath made magic thereupon?"

"Then," said Birnier, whose only objection to the ceremony was the delay
and the messiness, "let the good medicine be purified."

Bakahenzie grunted and covertly took stock of the tent and equipment
visible. Upon the pile of cases stacked just inside the tent his eyes
rested some time, but he would not make any inquiry. Marufa, too, was
occupied in the same manner. Bakahenzie was recalling the previous meeting
with Birnier in the village of MFunya MPopo--of that day when Birnier had
not made any attempt to impress the native mind with "magic" other than
the ordinary "miracles" in the routine of a white man's life.

"When the Son-of-the-Snake," inquired Birnier, who had learned as much of
the hagiocracy as Mungongo knew, "hath taken up the Burden, wilt thou then
drive Eyes-in-the-hands from the country?"

Bakahenzie slowly withdrew his eyes from the fascinating case as far as
Birnier's booted foot.

"Hast thou, white man, the magic twig that makes fire?" he demanded.

"Even so."

Birnier took a box of matches from his pocket and struck one. Bakahenzie
and Marufa watched him solemnly. Then a lean bronze hand was outstretched.
Birnier gave him the box. Slowly and gravely Bakahenzie, the chief
witch-doctor, extracted a match, turned it over and over, smelt it, tasted
it, regarded it, and struck it on the top of the box. It was a safety
match, so nothing happened. Birnier, without a vestige of a smile,
instructed him to strike it only upon the black piece at the side. That
impressed Bakahenzie and Marufa. The former tried again as directed and
succeeded. Holding the match too nea