Part 49 (1/2)

Mr Hu by the ear

”It is no joking matter,” he went on ”When will the moon be at the full?”

”In three weeks fro

”Then before that we must be well away, or we may find ourselves life prisoners Have you made any discovery to-day?”

”None! We were 'shadowed,' as before, by boys”

”So Well, I will takeThey have had their fun out of me as chief, but I will have my turn”

Next day the vice-chief had his turn He declared the next three days to be a period of work Some of the men were to build a boom across the river in the defile, others were to construct a stone wall across the gorge leading from the Deadman's Pool; while he started the wo condee as unfit for habitation Further, he passed a law that anythe three days, would have to pass a night on the banks of the ”tabooed” pool tied to a tree; and, finally, he appointed hi Lion and the Spider, as overseers, with right to appoint substitutes in their place

”Those be the nes,” he said, in a roar, when the astounded council had listened to the end ”If any one disputes them, I will tie them head to heels and throw them into the river to learn wisdom”

No one so much as murmured, for they did not like the look of those yellow eyes

”Then see that ye begin your appointed work at sunrise,” he said, ”for I will make medicine to see these laws are obeyed”

Then he returned to the ledge, and spent the afternoon with the two boysstout reeds as cases In the dark these were fired off with great and awe-inspiring' effect on the villagers, who scuttled into their huts, and reht, convinced that the ”strong medicine” would indeed find thee ne

”I think I have fixed therimly, as he described his new feat as a lawmaker ”For three days we should have liberty to fully inspect the side of the valley above the pool”

In the , at sunrise, the entire clan started out proang The women and children went to the far end of the valley, where the reeds grew, and the oreat one?” she asked quietly, having been much subdued by the fiery rockets

”You made the law, mother, that all should work, and I have honoured it See that you honour it also”

”Yebo, great one We women do not complain It is a joy to us to see the reat one will do his turn also”

”Each in his turn,was on duty, re, which should have been done before for defence, then appointed one of the head to the river outlet, where Coe An overseer was appointed there, and Co, while the other two ation of the cliff for an entrance to the caves The two following days they each in turn acted as general inspector of the works, while the two disengaged made a close inspection of the cliff; but at the end of the third day they had no success to report

”The only thing to do now,” said Mr Hume, ”is to visit the pool, and make a close examination of the walls”

”We could not exa, ”and before I do that I a time”

”I cannot say I relish the idea myself, but I see no other way out of the mess We must have the Okapi before the full moon I will take a look at the pool alone to-morrow”

CHAPTER XX

THE SECRET WAY

But when day dawned the vice-chief was sue from Muata, who had reported that Hassan had discovered the dark river leading up to the tabooed pool, and was sending up a strong fleet of canoes, while stillon the other river by which he had made his first attack His orders were that a body of picked men were to join him to take part in an attack on the first body of the ene out these instructions, but on the chiefsthat the chosen band should be acco Lion, he emphatically declined to allow this