Part 1 (1/2)

Bones

by Edgar Wallace

”BONES”

PROLOGUE

SANDERS--CMG

I

You will never know from the perusal of the Blue Book the true inwardness of the happenings in the Ochori country in the spring of the year of Wish Nor all the facts associated with the disappearance of the Rt Hon Joseph Blowter, Secretary of State for the Colonies

We know (though this is not in the Blue Books) that Bosaether all his petty chiefs and his headmen, from one end of the country to the other, and asse expectantly at the foot of the little hillock, where sat Bosanificent), their upturned faces charged with pride and confidence, eloquent of the hold this sometime Liberian convict had upon the ard and fearful folk of the Ochori

Now no man may call a palaver of all sovernovernment is jealous of self-appointed parliaether in public conference, however innocent may be its first cause, talk invariably drifts to war, just as when they assemble and talk in private it drifts ard

And since a overned by a handful of ragged soldiers so long as there is no concerted action against authority, exteed

But Bosambo was too cheery and optimistic a man to doubt that his action would incur the censorshi+p of his lord, and, h plans and so warht be conferring upon his patron that the illegality of thedid not occur to him, or if it occurred was dismissed as too preposterous for consideration

And so there had coes, froreat her chiefs and little chiefs, headmen and lesser headmen, till they made a respectable crowd, too vast for the comfort of the Ochori elders who s

”noble chiefs of the Ochori,” began Bosahbour with a sharp elbow, for Notiki was an old ive hi,” he said

He was a bitter man this Notiki, a relative of former chiefs of the Ochori, and now no es

”Wa!” said his neighbour, with his shi+ning face turned to Bosarunted but said no more

”I have assembled you here,” said Bosaood that I should meet those who are in authority underuidance”

Word for word it was a paraphrase of an address which Sanders hio His audience nized the plagiarism and said ”Oh, ho!”

under his breath and o from you,” said Bosambo

There was a little chorus of dismay, but Notiki's voice did not swell the volu has called me to the coast, and for the space of two h my fetish atch you andears to listen to evil talk, and great big eyes to see the hearts of men Yea, from this city to the very end ofeyes fixed Notiki, and the thin led uncomfortably

”This man is a devil,” he s”

”And if you askyou all to secrecy that this word shall not go beyond your huts” (there were some two thousand people present to share the reat need of me For who of us is so wise that he can look into the heart and understand the sorrow-call which goes from brother to brother and from blood to blood I say noof the Ochori, a nation great a or like the heade?”