United States or French Southern Territories ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Ogibo also says that the father of his father was a great chief and was lord of all the Akasava " "That's sleeping sickness all right," said Hamilton bitterly. "Why the devil doesn't he wait till Sanders is back before he goes mad?"
He had not gone half an hour before one of his headmen came racing up to where he led his force in majesty. "Lord," said he, "do you hear no sound?" "I hear the thunder," said Ogibo. "Listen!" said the headman. They halted, head bent. "It is thunder," said Ogibo, as the rumble and moan of the distant storm came to him.
He chose his ambush well though he had need to send scampering with squeals of terror half a hundred humble aliens who were at the moment of interruption digging a foolish well on the top of the hill where Ogibo was concealing his shaking force. Bones with his Houssas saw how the path led up a tolerably steep hill one of the few in the country and groaned aloud, for he hated hills.
The chief Ogibo who held the law and kept the peace for his master, the King of the Akasava, was bitten many times by the tsetse on a hunting trip into the bad lands near the Utur forest. Two years afterwards, of a sudden, he was seized with a sense of his own importance, and proclaimed himself paramount chief of the Akasava, and all the lands adjoining.
He was half-way up at the head of his men, when Ogibo on the summit gave the order, "Boma!" said he, which means kill, and three abreast, shields locked and spears gripped stomach high, the rebels charged down the path. Bones saw them coming and slipped out his revolver. There was no room to manoeuvre his men, the path was fairly narrow, dense undergrowth masked each side.
"How long do they stay?" interrupted Hamilton. "Lord, who knows?" said the man. "Ogibo of the Akasava has spoken evilly of his king and mightily of himself " "Make a note of that, Bones." "Make a note of which, sir?" "Ogibo he looked like a case of sleep-sickness the last time I was in his village go on."
"Go swiftly to Ogibo, and summon him to me for a high lakimbo, " said Hamilton; "my soldiers shall carry you in my new little ship that burns water fly pigeons to me that I may know all that happens." "On my life," said the spy, raised his hand in salute and departed. "These well people you were talkin' about, sir," asked Bones, "who are they?"
A great square chasm yawned in the very centre of the pathway, the bushes on either side were buried under the earth which the diggers of wells had flung up, and piled one on the other, a writhing, struggling confusion of shining bodies, were Ogibo's soldiers to the number of a hundred, with a silent Ogibo undermost, wholly indifferent to his embarrassing position, for his neck was broken.
"Oh, shut up!" said Hamilton. Two nights later the bugles were ringing through the Houssa lines, and Bones, sleepy-eyed, with an armful of personal belongings, was racing for the Zaire, for Ogibo of the Akasava had secured a following.
Bones with a small force was pursuing him, totally unaware of the strength that Ogibo mustered. A spy brought to the chief news of the smallness of the following force. "Now," said Ogibo, "I will show all the world how great a chief I am, for my bravery I will destroy all these soldiers that are sent against me."
Word Of The Day