“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 can find anything they want buy and can carry it there.  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.”

“No, not glad, very sorry.  No luck for them when Little Bonsa go away, but plenty luck for those who got her.  That why firm Aylward & Haswell make so much money when you join them and bring her to office.  She drop green in eye of public so they no smell rat.  That why you so lucky, not die of blackwater fever when you should; get safe out of den of thieves in City with good name; win love of sweet maiden, Miss Barbara.  Little Bonsa do all those things for you, and by and by do plenty more, as Little Bonsa bring my old master, your holy uncle, safe out of that country because all the Asiki run away when they see him wear her on head, for they think she come sacrifice them after she eat up my life.”

“I don’t wonder that they ran,” said Alan, laughing, for the vision of a missionary with Little Bonsa on his head caught his fancy.  “But come to the point, you old heathen.  What do you mean that I should do?”

“Jeekie not heathen now, Major, but plenty other things true in this world, besides Christian religion.  I no want you do anything, but I say this—­you go back to Asiki wearing Little Bonsa on head and dressed like Reverend uncle whom you very like, for he just your age then thirty years ago, and they give you all the gold you want, if you give them back Little Bonsa whom they love and worship for ever and ever, for Little Bonsa very, very old.”