Evening star., 1923-09-16

reach who might prefer a bullet to
| roasting.
Suddenly we cut into a cabbage
tree, up which one OF the men climbed.
Master" he yelled. "the FIRE comes
fast and the cane extends for miles,
but see green. swampy patch with
trees on the left, close to u.s.
Magi, the man up the tree, extended
his arm in the direction of the wet
patch. and by 1t 1 took compass
bearing. along which we cut, enaerg-
ing after about 200 yards into an
oasis. formed by springs, OF about two
acres of green, swampy land. Man
after man struggled through by the
cut track, until all were there; then,
with our clothes saturated with water
and plastered with mud. we buried
our faces in moss and wet plants, and
the sitting fire rolled past and over
our sanctuary.
Once safe. inquired into the cause
of the fire; as held the inquiry with
my revolver pouch opened and Bushi-
mai standing alongside me lingering
the edge of his ak. it was sufficiently
impressive. TT was no fault of ours .
said the corporal in charge of the rear
guard. ut was these fools OF white
! men--they lit it."
1 then found that. as my order that
there should be no fire or smoking
had been passed back in the vernacu-
lar, the white men had asked what
was happening, and had been told in
pidgin English. at is about fire"
whereupon they had concluded that
the advance was out OF the cane on
the far side. and wished the patch
burned to make the homeward march
easier, and had accordingly fred the
cane before the police could prevent
them!
AT last we left the miners to their
prospecting In uninhabited country
and retraced our steps to the Laku
camp among the Kuveri. These peo-
pie told me that during my absence
the Kikinaua had, swooped upon them
and killed several of the villagers.
while at the same time the Maisina
had sent in demanding the usual
tribute of pigs and young women.
The Kuveri. however, had declined
to pay, relying upon the support os
myself and the police.
The Maisina. receiving no response
to their demands. had then changed
their tactics; processing extreme
friendship toward the Kuveri, they
suggested that as the latter were on
terms OF friendship with me they
should humbug us and join with the
Maisina in making a sudden attack
upon my unsuspecting camp; a propo-
sition that the Kuveri had the good
sense to decline, and to report to me.
1 now had a very large bone to pick
with the Maisina; but before 1 could
do that I had to break the Kikinaua
and render the Kuveri safe from m
land attack by them. Accordingly,
accompanied by many Kuveri, I
marched on the first Kikinaue village.
= X \
a FTER leaving the Kuveri dis
IA trict ! discovered that the XII
kinaua lived across and In the midst
of some particularly vile swamps.
full of plants which possessed ex-
tremely long and sharp thorns. After
passing the first swamp we came to
a strongly stockaded village named
Aparu, which, was informed by the
Kuveri, was colony pushed out by
the Kikinaua, who appeared to be
conquering and holding the country
as they advanced.
This village we passed, as it had
been abandoned; we soon, however,
approached large village named
Bonarau, the action of whose In
habitants did not leave much room
for doubt as to the reception
which we were to meet at their
hands. Yells OF defiance were set up
as soon as our approach was per-
ceived. and preparations for a fight
made by the natives.
The village of Bonarau was one
splendidly designed for defense. being
approached through long tunnel cut
through dense underground for about
100 yards, down which one had to
crawl bent nearly double, and up to
ones knees in an unusually sticky
mud; the tunnel ended at a strong
square courtyard. backed by second
and much stronger stockade. fanked
by houses from which spears could
be thrown on the heads of an enemy
attempting to force the gate.
Finding that # was impossible to
go round the stockade owing to the
dense underground, we rushed and
carried the first one, the defenders
hastily falling back on che second
and stronger one of the two. The
first attempt to take the second
stockade failed, owing to some of the
police being delayed at the first one
However, on the whole OF the men
making a second run at II, and
Bushimai chopping away with his ak
the plated rope hinges Of the heavy
wooden stockade door, it also was
carried. the defenders losing three
men killed and two or three wounded.
Four prisoners were taken.
News of our coming had plainly
been sent to the village, as no women
or children were in 1t. nor any ar
ticles such as natives value; while
large quantities of food were stacked
inside the stockades and many spears
in the village itself. There also were
many more men engaged in the fight
than could have been furnished by
the one village. The prisoners, upon
being questioned, admitted having
constantly raided in the Kuveri dis
trict, but pleaded in extenuation that
they themselves were constantly
being raided and murdered by a
mountain tribe at the back OF the
Kikinaua country. by whom they