Secondly, although the "Watcher," as she was called, had seen
the canoe on the water, she concluded that the Kalubi was visiting the
Mother of the Flower and, according to practice on these occasions,
withdrew herself and everybody else, since the rare meetings of the
Kalubi and the Mother of the Flower partook of the nature of a
religious ceremony and must be held in private.
First we came to the little enclosure that was planted about with
palms and, as I have described, screened with mats. Stephen ran at it
and, scrambling up the wall, peeped over the top.
Next instant he was sitting on the ground, having descended from the
wall with the rapidity of one shot through the head.
"Oh! by Jingo!" he ejaculated, "oh! by Jingo!" and that was all I
could get out of him, though it is true I did not try very hard at the
time.
Not five paces from this enclosure stood a tall reed fence that
surrounded the house. It had a gate also of reeds, which was a little
ajar. Creeping up to it very cautiously, for I thought I heard a voice
within, I peeped through the half-opened gate.
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