Then out of the sky in wide circles dropped a bird, all blue and white.
Raising his eyes, Bosambo saw it narrowing the orbit of its flight till it dropped wearily upon a ledge that fronted a roughly-made dovecot behind Bosambo's house.
"Let this man have food," said Bosambo, and hastened to examine the bird.
It was drinking greedily from a little trough of baked clay. Bosambo disturbed his tiny servant only long enough to take from its red legs a paper that was twice the size, but of the same substance, as a cigarette-paper.
He was no great Arabic scholar, but he read this readily, because Sanders wrote beautiful characters.
"To the servant of God, Bosambo.
"Peace be upon your house. Take canoe and go quickly down-river. Here is to be met the canoe of Tobolaka, the king of Isisi, and a white woman travels therein. You shall take the white woman, though she will not go with you; nevertheless you shall take her, and hold her for me and my king. Let none harm her, on your head. Sanders, of the River and the People, your friend, writes this.
"Obey in the name of God."
Bosambo came back to the king's messenger.
"Tell me, Kilimini," he said, "what palaver is this that the king your master has?"