第91章 CHAPTER XX(1)

THE ASIKA'S MESSAGE

Dawn began to break in the forest and Alan woke in his shelter and stretched himself. He had slept soundly all the night， so soundly that the innocent Jeekie wondered much whether by any chance he also had taken a tot out of that particular whisky bottle， as indeed he had recommended him to do. People who drink whisky after long abstinence from spirits are apt to sleep long， he reflected.

Alan crept out of the shelter and gazed affectionately at the tent in which Barbara slumbered. Thank Heaven she was safe so far， as for some unknown reason， evidently the Asiki had postponed their attack. Just then a clamour arose in the air， and he perceived Jeekie striding towards him waving one arm in an excited fashion， while with the other he dragged along the captain of the porters， who appeared to be praying for mercy.

"Here pretty go， Major，" he shouted， "devil and all to pay！ That my Lord， he gone and bolted. This silly fool say that three hours ago he hear something break through fence and think it only hy？na what come to steal， so take no notice. Well， that hy？na， you guess who he is.

You come look， Major， you come look， and then we tie this fellow up and flog him."

Alan ran to Aylward's tent to find it empty.

"Look，" said Jeekie， who had followed， "see how he do business， that jolly clever hy？na，" and he pointed to a broken whisky bottle and some severed cords. "You see he manage break bottle and rub rope against cut glass till it come in two. Then he do hy？na dodge and hook it."

Alan inspected the articles， nor did any shadow of doubt enter his mind.

"Certainly he managed very well，" he said， "especially for a London- bred man， but， Jeekie， what can have been his object？"

"Oh！ who know， Major？ Mind of man very strange and various thing； p'raps he no bear to see you and Miss Barbara together； p'raps he bolt coast， get ear of local magistrate before you； p'raps he sit up tree to shoot you； p'raps nasty temper make him mad. But he gone any way， and I hope he no meet Asiki， poor fellow， 'cause if so， who know？

P'raps they knock him on head， or if they think him you， they make him prisoner and keep him quite long while before they let him go again."

"Well，" said Alan， "he has gone of his own free will， so we have no responsibility in the matter， and I can't pretend that I am sorry to see the last of him， at any rate for the present. Let that poor beggar loose， there seems to have been enough flogging in this place， and after all he isn't much to blame."

Jeekie obeyed， apparently with much reluctance， and just then they saw one of their own people running towards the camp.

"'Fraid he going to tell us Asiki come attack，" said Jeekie， shaking his head. "Hope they give us time breakfast first."

"No doubt，" answered Alan nervously， for he feared the result of that attack.

Then the man arrived breathless and began to gasp out his news， which filled Alan with delight and caused a look of utter amazement to appear upon the broad face of Jeekie. It was to the effect that he had climbed a high tree as he had been bidden to do， and from the top of that tree by the light of the first rays of the rising sun， miles away on the plain beyond the forest， he had seen the Asiki army in full retreat.

"Thank God！" exclaimed Alan.

"Yes， Major， but that very rum story. Jeekie can't swallow it all at once. Must send out see none of them left behind. P'raps they play trick， but if they really gone， 'spose it 'cause guns frightens them so much. Always think powder very great 'vention， especially when enemy hain't got none， and quite sure of it now. Jeekie very， very seldom wrong. Soon believe，" he added with a burst of confidence， "that Jeekie never wrong at all. He look for truth so long that at last he find it /always/."

Something more than a month had gone by and Major and Mrs. Vernon， the latter fully restored to health and the most sweet and beautiful of brides， stood upon the steamship /Benin/， and as the sun sank， looked their last upon the coast of Western Africa.

"Yes， dear，" Alan was saying to his wife， "from first to last it has been a very queer story， but I really think that our getting that Asiki gold after all was one of the queerest parts of it； also uncommonly convenient， as things have turned out."

"Namely that you have got a little pauper for a wife instead of a great heiress， Alan. But tell me again about the gold. I have had so much to think of during the last few days，" and she blushed， "that I never quite took it all in."

"Well， love， there isn't much to tell. When that forwarding agent， Mr.

Aston， knew that we were in the town， he came to me and said that he had about fifty cases full of something heavy， as he supposed samples of ore， addressed to me to your care in England which he was proposing to ship on by the /Benin/. I answered 'Yes， that was all right，' and did not undeceive him about their contents. Then I asked how they had arrived， and if he had not received a letter with them. He replied that one morning before the warehouse was open， some natives had brought them down in a canoe， and dumped them at the door， telling the watchman that they had been paid to deliver them there by some other natives whom they met a long way up the river. Then they went away without leaving any letter or message. Well， I thanked Aston and paid his charges and there's an end of the matter. Those fifty-three cases are now in the hold invoiced as ore samples and， as I inspected them myself and am sure that they have not been tampered with， besides the value of the necklace the Asika gave me we've got ā100，000 to begin our married life upon with something over for old Jeekie， and I daresay we shall do very well on that."

"Yes， Alan， very well indeed." Then she reflected a while， for the mention of Jeekie's name seemed to have made her thoughtful， and added， "Alan， what /do/ you think became of Lord Aylward？"

"I am sure I don't know. Jeekie and I and some of the porters went to see the Old Calabar officials and made affidavits as to the circumstances of his disappearance. We couldn't do any more， could we？"