on. "You see----"

"One moment, Bones," interrupted Sanders quietly. "Did you open this box
by any chance?"

"No, sir," said Bones.

"And did you see any of its contents?"

"No, sir," said Bones confidentially, "that's the most interestin' thing
about the box. It contains magic--which, of course, honoured sir and
Excellency, is all rubbish."

Sanders took a bunch of keys from his pocket, and after a few trials
opened the case and scrutinized the contents, noting the comforting fact
that all the tubes were sealed. He heaved a deep sigh of thankfulness.

"You didn't by chance discover anything about the missing cultures,
Bones?" he asked mildly.

Bones shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and looked disconsolately
at his chief.

"You think I've been feeble, but I haven't lost hope, sir," he said,
with fine resolution. "I've got a feelin' that if I were allowed to go
into the forest, disguised, sir, as a sort of half-witted native chap,
sir----"

"Disguised!" said Hamilton. "Good Lord, what do you want a disguise
for?"

CHAPTER IV

BONES AND THE WIRELESS

Ko-boru, the headman of Bingini, called his relations together for a
solemn family conference.

The lower river folk play an inconsiderable role in the politics of the
Territories, partly because they are so near to headquarters that there
is no opportunity for any of those secret preparations which precede all
native intrigues, great or small, and partly because the lower river
people are so far removed from the turbulent elements of the upper river
that they are not swayed by the cyclonic emotions of the Isisi, the cold
and deliberate desire for slaughter which is characteristically
Akasavian, or the electrical decisions of the Outer N'gombi.

But they had their crises.

To Bingini came all the notables of the district who claimed kinship
with Ko-boru, and they sat in a great circle about the headman's hut,
alternately eyeing the old headman and their stout relative, his
daughter.

"All my relations shall know this," began Ko-boru, after Okmimi, the
witch-doctor, had formally burnt away the devils and ghosts that fringe
all large assemblies, "that a great shame has come to us, every one,
because of Yoka-m'furi. For this Yoka is to Sandi as a brother, and
guides his little ship up and down the river, and because of this
splendid position I gave him my own daughter by the first of my wives."

"S'm-m!" murmured the council in agreement.