“Over the dials, Markley, dressed in a dark-green robe with a cowl, which he had concocted from some trade cloth for this occasion, seemed truly a priest making his invocations.
“As the last notes of the program died away the natives broke into exclamations of wonder, admiration and awe. Their love of music was aroused, and it was easy to see that they had forgotten Buhu and his sorceries.
“Waiting until the excitement had abated somewhat Markley picked up another station, this time at New York. Some one was making an address—strangely enough—upon the wonders of radio, the miraculous advancement it had made in the last year, and so on.
“I had noticed sometime before that Eta had left her place beside the cabinet. Now I saw her in earnest converse with Buhu, across the cave. It gave me quite a shock and I watched closely. Evidently the witchman was in the dumps. His head sagged. His hands quivered. He knew when he was beaten. But Eta actually was shaking his holiness by the shoulder. I could see her lips moving in a vehement exhortation of some kind, although not a word of it could be heard above the voice of the orator.
“ ‘A new era for the world has begun,’ thundered the voice to the uncomprehending natives. ‘Men are being drawn closer together by this new marvel, and will become one great brotherhood. If only there can be found some way to eliminate static our problem will be solved, and, I wish to add, that great monetary rewards now are available to the man who will step forward to eliminate this great obstruction to radio communication.’
“I glanced at Markley. He was listening, spellbound, forgetful of everything that was transpiring. I glanced back at Eta. She had risen and was moving slowly toward us. Buhu was whispering vehemently to several of the natives. As I watched, Eta approached, and, without warning, placed her glossy back tight against the loudspeaker’s mouth. The spell was broken. The orator’s voice died to a murmur, completely blocked by the obstruction.
“Suddenly Eta’s voice rang out, speaking in purest native dialect, which I understood fairly well, but which Markley had never cared to learn.
“ ‘Oh, my people,’ she cried, lifting her arms high. ‘This man is an impostor. He is not the servant of this great voice.’
“ ‘What the hell, Ruth,’ broke in Markley sharply, ‘get out of the way. You’re spoiling the show.’ He half rose to push her away, but a huge black who had slipped behind him unnoticed in the excitement, gripped his shoulders and held him to his seat. At the same moment I felt the warning pressure of a knife point on my neck.
“ ‘Oh, my people,’ continued Eta, unperturbed, ‘ye know that I am the sister of Buhu, master of life and death, and that I was sent by my brother to spy upon this wicked foreigner. You know that I have suffered greatly at his hands. But Eta, the tigress, is patient. Know, all ye, that I have learned that this man is not the priest of the voice. He is a great magician who holds the god in his power, even as the wicked snake which charms the singing bird. Know also that I have discovered by watching closely how to break the spell and release the voice from its prison. It has promised me to make the people of Tolo the greatest on the river. Away with the white witch doctor,’ she shrieked. ‘I will be its priestess.’