captives, but as the man had had to
continue his military duties, night had fallen before he returned, by
which time she had bribed some of the women, whose captivity was not as
loathsome to them as the pride of their race should have made it, with a
powerful charm which Birnier had given her, a nickel-plated razor-strop.
She had escaped. But more fearful of her doom as the Bride of the Banana
than she was of MYalu or the askaris, she had hidden in the forest, living
upon wild fruit and roots. Then had she heard the drums announcing the
return of the Unmentionable One, and aware that Moonspirit had gone into
the forest to seek Him, had guessed that he was triumphant. Away in the
jungle she had heard the sound of the rejoicing at the homecoming of the
King-God; had hesitated, and at last she had come to Moonspirit, in spite
of his divinity, in the fluttering hope of aid, driven by a demon to break
another tabu, the same demon which urges so many to break magic
circles--the subconscious love motive.

Poor kid! commented Birnier to himself as he regarded the pitiful cowering
form. We haven't gotten the nuptial torches for you yet, but we will, by
God!{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Give me thine ear, O little one.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} But as he talked to her, soothing
the terror by promises of mightier magic, came Mungongo crying in a
terrified whisper that Bakahenzie was claiming audience. At the back of
the next room of the bungalow, built upon a plan of the one in Ingonya,
was a bathroom, and into that was Bakuma hurried and bidden to lie as
quiet as a crocodile.

CHAPTER 29

Bakahenzie had come to announce that the certain magic "things," which a
messenger had brought from the white man's country, had arrived. Although
he could not expect an answer to his letter to Lucille in Europe, there
might be others; and such an event as the receipt of a mail once in six
months is apt to be exciting. Birnier forgot his role for the moment,
leaped to his feet preparatory to rushing out to meet the runner, but a
grunt from Bakahenzie and an alarmed cry from Mungongo were just in time
to prevent him from jeopardizing the stability of the world and all that
he had won by violating the tabu by stepping beyond the sacred ground.
Other gods and emperors have indeed wrecked empires through a lesser
aberration. Even realization of the penalty was scarcely enough to hobble
his impatient legs, for the ve