“Do I think, Major, that this useless lucre could be converted into coin of gracious King Edward? Not at all, Major, by no one, Major, by no one whatsoever, except possibly by Major Alan Vernon, D.S.O., and by one, Jeekie, Christian surname Smith.”
“Proceed, Jeekie,” said Alan, removing the whisky bottle, “proceed and explain.”
“Major, thus: The Asiki tribe care nothing about all that gold, it no good to them. Dead people who live long, long ago, no one know when, dig it up and store it there and make the great fetish which they call Bonsa to keep away enemy who want to steal. Also old custom when any one in country round find big nugget, or pretty stone, like ladies wear on bosom, to bring it as offering to Bonsa, so that there now great plenty of all this stuff. But no one use it for anything except to set on walls of house of Asiki, or to make basin, stool, table and pot to cook with. Once Arab come there and I see the priests give him weight in gold for iron hoe, though afterwards they murder him, not for the gold, but lest he go away and tell their secret.”
“One might trade with them then, Jeekie?”
He shook his white head doubtfully.
“Yes, perhaps, if you find anything they want buy and can carry it Asiki-Land. But I think there only one thing they want, and you got that, Major.”
“I, Jeekie! What have I got?”
The negro leant forward and tapped his master on the knee, saying in a portentous whisper:
“You got Little Bonsa, which much more holy than anything, even than Big Bonsa her husband, I mean greater, more powerful devil. That Little Bonsa sit in front room Asika’s house, and when she want see things, she put it in big basin of gold, but I no tell you what it float in. Also once or twice every year they take out Little Bonsa; Asika wear it on head as mask, and whoever they meet they kill as offering to Little Bonsa, so that spirit come back to world to be priest of Bonsa. I tell you, Major, that Yellow God see many thousand of people die.”
“Indeed,” said Alan. “A pleasing fetish truly. I should think that the Asiki must be glad it is gone.”