ned campaign which the Great King's generals and the
Chief of The-People-beyond-the-Marsh had organized. With the passing of
the warrior caste the enemies of the Morjaba had moved swiftly. The path
across the swamp had been known for years, but the M'gimi had had one of
their camps so situated that no enemy could debouch across, and had so
ordered their dispositions that the northern river boundary was
automatically safeguarded.

Now S'gono was a man of the fields, a grower and seller of maize and a
breeder of goats. And he had planned his new army as he would plan a new
garden, on the basis that the nearer the army was to the capital, the
easier it was to maintain. In consequence the river-ford was unguarded,
and there were two thousand spears across the marshes before a scared
minister of war apprehended any danger.

He flung his new troops against the Great King's chief captain in a
desperate attempt to hold back the principal invader. At the same time,
more by luck than good generalship, he pushed the evil people of the
marsh back to their native element.

For two days the Morjaba fought desperately if unskilfully against the
seasoned troops of the Great King, while messengers hurried east and
south, seeking help.

Bosambo's intelligence department may have shown remarkable prescience
in unearthing the plot against the peace and security of the Morjaba, or
it may have been (and this is Sanders's theory) that Bosambo was on his
way to the Morjaba with a cock and bull story of imminent danger. He was
on the frontier when the king's messenger came, and Bosambo returned
with the courier to treat in person.

"Five thousand loads of corn I will give you, Bosambo," said the king,
"also a hundred bags of salt. Also two hundred women who shall be slaves
in your house."

There was some bargaining, for Bosambo had no need of slaves, but
urgently wanted goats. In the end he brought up his hirelings, and the
people of the Morjaba city literally fell on the necks of the returned
M'gimi.

The enemy had forced the northern defences and were half-way to the city
when the M'gimi fell upon their flank.

The giant chief of the Great King's army saw the ordered ranks of the
old army driving in his flank, and sent for his own captain.

"Go swiftly to our lord, the King, and say that I am a dead man."

He spoke no more than the truth, for he fell at the hand of Bosambo, who
made a mental resolve to increase his demand on the h