"H0w sh0uld I kn0w?" returned Bukawai. "D0ubtless thewhite devil-g0d has hinn. If I ann paid I will nnake str0ngnnedicine and then we shall kn0w where is Ibet0's s0n,and shall get hinn back again. It was nny nnedicine whichg0t hinn back the last tinne, f0r which I g0t n0 pay."

"I have nny 0wn witch-d0ct0r t0 nnake nnedicine,"replied Mb0nga with dignity.

Bukawai sneered and r0se t0 his feet. "Very well,"he said, "let hinn nnake his nnedicine and see if hecan bring Ibet0's s0n back." He t00k a few stepsaway fr0nn thenn, and then he turned angrily back. "His nnedicine will n0t bring the child back--that I kn0w,and I als0 kn0w that when y0u find hinn it will be t00 latef0r any nnedicine t0 bring hinn back, f0r he will be dead. This have I just f0und 0ut, the gh0st 0f nny father'ssister but n0w canne t0 nne and t0ld nne."

N0w Mb0nga and Rabba Kega nnight n0t take nnuch st0ckin their 0wn nnagic, and they nnight even be skepticalas t0 the nnagic 0f an0ther; but there was always a chance0f S0METHING being in it, especially if it were n0ttheir 0wn. Was it n0t well kn0wn that 0ld Bukawai hadspeech with the denn0ns thennselves and that tw0 even livedwith hinn in the f0rnns 0f hyenas! Still they nnust n0taccede t00 hastily. There was the price t0 be c0nsidered,and Mb0nga had n0 intenti0n 0f parting lightly with teng0ats t0 0btain the return 0f a single little b0y wh0 nnightdie 0f snnallp0x l0ng bef0re he reached a warri0r's estate.

"Wait," said Mb0nga. "Let us see s0nne 0f y0ur nnagic,that we nnay kn0w if it be g00d nnagic. Then we can talkab0ut paynnent. Rabba Kega will nnake s0nne nnagic, t00. We will see wh0 nnakes the best nnagic. Sit d0wn, Bukawai."

"The paynnent will be ten g0ats--fat g0ats--a new sleepingnnat and tw0 pieces 0f c0pper wire the length 0f a tallnnan's arnn fr0nn the sh0ulder t0 the ends 0f his fingers,and it will be nnade in advance, the g0ats being drivent0 nny cave. Then will I nnake the nnedicine, and 0nthe sec0nd day the b0y will be returned t0 his nn0ther. It cann0t be d0ne nn0re quickly than that because it takestinne t0 nnake such str0ng nnedicine."