Edgar Wallace

“ Imgani saw all this, leaning on his spears in the shadow of the forest, but was content to be a spectator.
For, he reasoned, if he went out against them they would attempt to kill him or beat him with rods, and that his high spirit could not endure.
He saw the flames lick away the house he had built with such labour.
"They are foolish people," he mused, "for they burn their own, and perhaps the spirits of the dead will be displeased and give them boils." ”

“ He was half an hour's journey within the forest, when he came upon a girl. She was carrying a bundle of manioc root on her head, and walked gracefully.
When she saw Imgani she stopped dead, and the fear of death and worse came in her eyes, for she knew him to be an outcast man, with no tribe and no people. Such men are more dreadful than the ingali, who rears up from the grass and plunges his poison-fangs in your leg.
They stood watching one another, the man leaning with both hands on the spears, his cheek against them; the girl trembled.
"Woman, where do you go?" said Imgani. ”

“ I am Imgani, which means the Lonely One; and I have no desire for wives or women, being too high a man for such folly. You are safe, root-eater, for if I wished I would fill this forest with the daughters of chiefs, all very beautiful, all moaning for me. ”

“ I am a Lonely One, hating the company of men, who are as changeable as the snow upon the mountains. Therefore, I have left my house with my wives, who were faithful as women go, and I have taken with me no legion, since they are my father's. ”

“ Imgani nodded his head wisely.
"That is true," he said, "people who kill white men must be greatly honoured, because all the other nations will say 'Behold, these are the people who kill white men!'"
"And when he is dead," the messenger went on, "many young men will go to the boat that smokes and slay all who are with him."
"That is wise also," said Imgani; "when I kill white men I also kill their friends." ”

“ Imgani tossed the buck to one side and sat down, staring threateningly and laying the haft of his spears across his bare knee.
Then the other man craned his neck forward and spoke eagerly.
The sun came up and flushed the world rosy; but still he sat talking with great force, Imgani listening.
"So, master," he concluded, "we will kill Sandi when he comes to palaver. Ifiba, M'bwka, and a cousin of my mother's, will put spears into him very quickly, and we shall be a great people." ”

“ No man takes shelter under the accursed roof whereunder the Spirit sits brooding; the arms of the dead man are broken and scattered on his shallow grave, and the cooking-pots of his wives are there likewise. ”

“ The Isisi country is within reach of the Foreign River, down which strangely-shaped boats come by night empty, and return by night full of people who are chained neck to neck, and the officials of French West Africa—which adjoins the Isisi country—receive stories of raids and of burnings which they have not the facilities for investigating, for the Isisi border is nearly six hundred miles from the French headquarters, and lies through a wilderness. ”

“ The chief was puzzled.
"Why you are lonely, I cannot tell," he said, "but certainly you did right to leave your father's legions. This is a great matter, which needs a palaver of older men."
And he ordered the lo-koli to be sounded and the elders of the village to be assembled. ”

“ Also say that from my house, which I have built by the river, to as far as a man can see in every way, is my kingdom, and let none stray therein, except to bring gifts in their hands, for I am very terrible and very jealous. ”

“ The Houssa captain was making palatable medicine with the aid of a book of cigarette papers and a six-ounce bottle of quinine sulphide.
Sanders observed his shaking hand, and talked irritably.
"There's trouble in the Isisi," he said, "I can smell it. I don't know what it is—but there's devilry of sorts."
"Secret societies?" suggested the Houssa.
"Secret grandmothers," snarled Sanders. "How many men have you got?" ”

“ Sanders tapped the toe of his boot with this thin ebony stick, and was thoughtful.
"I may want 'em" he said. "I'm going to find out what's wrong with these Isisi people."
*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*
By the little river that turns abruptly from the River of Spirits, Imgani, the Lonely One, built a house. He built it in proper fashion, stealing the wood from a village five miles away. In this village there had been many deaths, owing to The Sickness; and it is the custom on the Upper River that whenever a person dies, the house wherein he died shall die also. ”

“ Six young men, with spears and short swords, danced before the chief and the chief's daughter (how important she felt, any woman of any race will tell you) , and one of them, E'kebi, a man gifted with language, described from sunset to moonrise, which is roughly four hours, exactly what would happen to Imgani when the men of the Isisi fell upon him ”