Tom realized that the idea was a plausible one. Taking Auber and Bud, he flew to the Wanguru village in the skywriter. The tribesmen below scampered about and gaped up at them. Tom traced several odd-looking colored designs in the air.
“Guess that ought to impress them,” he said.
Bud chuckled. “The old Indian sign!”
Turning over the controls to his pal, Tom dropped a ladder and climbed down into the village clearing. Auber followed. Only Nkoru, the witch doctor, greeted them. The rest of the giant tribesmen had bowed their faces to the ground in awe.
Tom explained his mission to Nkoru.
“If any Wanguru has stolen your grigris, I get them back quick!” the witch doctor promised. He began to shout at the villagers harshly.
Auber translated. “He’s telling them that the colored skywriting is a terrible spell you’ve laid on the village. They’ll all suffer if the thief doesn’t give back your sky-trail charms.”
NOCTURNAL RAIDERS 135
Presently two tribesmen stood up tremblingly and confessed. They slunk off into the bush and returned, bringing the reflectors. Nkoru tongue-lashed the cowering pair, then turned to Tom. “Sawo! Nkoru find your grigris!”
Tom thanked the witch doctor and gave him a battery-powered tape recorder and showed him how to operate it. He also promised that the colored sky symbols would fade before nightfall. Nkoru, in turn, boasted that he had frightened the villagers so thoroughly that they would never again tamper with the sky-trail grigris.
“Let’s hope the old faker’s threats work,” Bud said with a chuckle as they flew back to camp.
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