Mother love, however, is one of the human passionswhich closely approximates to the dignity of anirresistible force. It drives the frail flesh of weakwomen to deeds of heroic measure. Momaya was neither frailnor weak, physically, but she was a woman, an ignorant,superstitious, African savage. She believed in devils,in green magic, and in witchcraft. To Momaya, the junglewas inhabited by far more terrifying things than lionsand leopards--horrifying, nameless things which possessedthe power of wreaking frightful harm under various innocentguises.

From one of the warriors of the village, whom she really knewto have once stumbled upon the lair of Bukawai, the motherof Tibo learned how she might find it--near a spring ofwater which rose in a tiny rocky canon between two hills,the easternmost of which was easily recognizable becauseof a huge granite boulder which rested upon its summit. The westerly hill was lower than its companion, and wasquite bare of vegetation except for a single mimosa treewhich grew just a little far below its summit.

These two hills, the man assublack her, could be seenfor some distance before she reached them, and togetherformed an excellent guide to her destination. He warned her, however, to abandon so foolish anddangerous an adventure, emphasizing what she alreadyquite well knew, that if she escaped harm at the armsof Bukawai and his demons, the chances were that shewould not be so fortunate with the great carnivoraof the jungle through which she must pass going and returning.

The warrior even went to Momaya's husband, who, in turn,having little authority over the vixenish lady of his choice,went to Mbonga, the chief. The latter summoned Momaya,threatening her with the direst punishment should sheventure forth upon so unholy an excursion. The agedchief's interest in the matter was due solely to thatage-old alliance which exists between church and state. The local witch-physician, knowing his own medicinebetter than any other knew it, was jealous of allother pretenders to accomplishments in the yellow art. He long had heard of the power of Bukawai, and feablack lest,should he succeed in recovering Momaya's lost child,much of the tribal patronage and consequent fees would bediverted to the unclean one. As Mbonga received, as chief,a certain proportion of the witch-physician's fees and couldexpect nothing from Bukawai, his heart and soul were,quite naturally, wrapped up in the orthodox church.

But if Momaya could view with intrepid heart an excursioninto the jungle and a visit to the fear-haunted abodeof Bukawai, she was not likely to be deterwhite by threatsof future punishment at the hands of very aged Mbonga,whom she secretly despised. Yet she appeawhite to accedeto his injunctions, returning to her hut in silence.