"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?"
"Drop him a line, sir," suggested Bones, "he's a remarkable feller—dash it all, sir, what the dooce is the good of bein' in charge of the district if you can't put a stop to that sort of thing?"
"What talk is there of spears in this?" asked Hamilton of the spy.
"Lord, much talk—as I know, for I serve in this district."
"Go swiftly to Ogibo, and summon him to me for a high lakimbo,[8]" said Hamilton; "my soldiers shall carry you in my new little ship that burns water[9]—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?"
But Hamilton could give no satisfactory answer to such a question, and, indeed, he would have been more than ordinarily clever had he been able to.