Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 91: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE JU-JU MAN. the messenger entirely at his ease. He kept one eye upon C’Wayo while the other ner- vously searched the underbrush that hedged the trail. “Whence come you?” demanded C’Wayo, who knew the answer perfectly well, but was curious to test the man’s truthfulness. He spoke in Bantu, the lan- guage familiar to most Congolese, and the runner replied in the same dialect. “My master is El Rassan, the Arab, and I come now from Lombo, the chief of the Bololos, to whom I had been sent.” “What was your business with Lombo?” The man hesitated, his heart sinking within him as he realized the difficult posi- tion in which he found himself. To at- tempt to deceive an mganga, a wizard, who would certainly detect the deception and punish it in some unimaginably atrocious manner, was not a pleasant prospect. On the other hand, to tell him the truth might be equally dangerous if he chanced to be opposed, on general principles, to the traffic in human flesh. The messenger racked his brains for a way out of this dilemma, but before anything suggested itself to his con- fused wits he was almost startled from his remaining senses by a repetition of the leop- ard’s angry snarl. This time it was scarcely ten paces to the right of him, and his knees bent beneath him. “He grows C’Wayo softly. ‘Mercy, M’Buta! me, and I will tell all!” C’Wayo turned his head and obligingly spoke some words that were quite unintel- ligible to his terror-stricken companion. Apparently they were satisfactory to his “ spirit,” for they were received with a deep, rumbling purr of approval that fluttered the still night air. If it were ventriloquism, it was superbly done. ‘¢T went to Lombo,” admitted the runner in a voice that quavered, “ with a demand from El Rassan for gold and ivory and captives.” “ And the answer?” “The Bololos have been unlucky and have nothing to give.” C’Wayo’s grim features took on a thoughtful expression. impatient,” explained Ask him to forgive $81 “Ah! That will be bad news for your master.” ‘“* He will rage, M’Buta. Already he is low in his spirit, for the other day one of his parties was beaten by a band of Bata- teke warriors and a chain of valuable pris- oners turned loose. El Rassan counted upon Lombo to repair this misfortune, and when he hears my message the whole earth will tremble at his wrath.” C’Wayo’s stern face relaxed and grew suddenly bland and benign. “He will be still more angry when you tell him that Lombo has lied to you! You will explain this to El] Rassan, and he will reward you well for your information.” ‘“*M’Buta—I do not understand. Your servant is stupid.” “* Of course you are stupid,” said C’Wayo sympathetically. ‘But listen to me, who know all things, and you will receive un- derstanding. Mark my words carefully! Lombo has many captives in the camp you have just left, but he concealed them from - you and is planning to dispose of them to another dealer. He is wearied of El Ras- san, and has been heard to say he is but an empty wind bag that is ready to burst at the prick of a Bololo spear; he has also remarked that the men who serve El Rassan are lower than the hyenas who gather about a bit of carrion.” A grunt of astonishment and anger was wrung from the messenger, who almost for- got his fears in his indignation. ‘““It will be a bad day for Lombo when my master hears this! I have seen him kill a friend for a lighter word spoken in jest.” ‘““'We must remember that it is often the bearer of bitter news who is the first object of wrath,” mused C’Wayo. He thought a moment and added considerately: “IT must give you some good tidings with the bad, so that you will be rewarded for serving me. Tell El Rassan that Lombo ig marching toward the Pallaballa Moun- tains in order to secure a store of gold that is hidden there. He has with him two white men, one of whom has a map showing the spot where the treasure lies. Lombo has only fifty warriors in his party, and they are badly armed. You will be sure to make that clear to El Rassan}” comicloool C©