, 1888-11-18

DlJJcreu SplrulS SJOOu prominently anu
grimly forth. Poke hab hawns like sof"
he again demanded, while the foam gath
cred around his lips; an bullock hab
foot like datT' he raved, as he made
another wild flourish with the shank.
White man savy heap, black man heap
fool, but dis too-tief humbug!
And so it was; for, as | now came TO see
it, the old rascal had parted with his
casks as containing anything the market
required. If pork was wanted. he un
hesitatingly sold them pork; if beef, beef
If they had demanded diamond backs or
macaroni he would have supplied either,
or both, from his boats. Nothing could
nave stopped him. White bait, bJUUt
turkey, saddle rocks, canvas backs, South
down, picked horse, anything-anythinG
under the sun. And yet the etched
old fraud was not in the least disturbed
by the awkward manner in which his
iniquitous transactions had ~rebounded-a
situation and a state of affairs under
which Ihad already begun to feel lone
some and tired. l was whipped and
hacked from the start. But not SO with
old Potsdam. He even contrived to seem
battered by their attentions. Through
his attitude he seemed to say: II TN
waiting for you to finish, then l will pro
coed to show you that you are suffering
from an acute attack of bone in the head
| understand your objections, and find
them nil. You are a scurvy lot, and the
whole of ~youacouldn't bait a bird trap.
will try and give you a lesson in com
merce before | finish, when once | get n
chance to speak.
White man no hab skin like So" he
began, in all s~olemnity. while he pointed
u finger at me.
Now What this had to do with it, and
why he should drive the question with
such a magnificent sweep, or indeed at all,
| could not see. He appeared to me to be
getting muddy; moreover, ] determined
that in the event / ever found myself
overstocked with mutton again, | would
not establish a floating branch house with
him at the head. Briefly, thought hs
was cropping. Two MINUTES afterward |
saw that his very accent was methodical
craft. and acknowledged him supreme.
''Yas, he hab de skin" admitted the
spokesman of the m~alcontents; and his
wrath began to show signs of giving way
as he did so. Evidently he too was wonder
ing where the Great Fetch, the old fool.
was going.
He no hab country long time gone from
dis?' asked Potsdam, slowly.
Vas, he country long time gone" was
conceded, somewhat anxiously.
HE no hab ship to ketch him country
Vas" with distinct anxiety this time,
ut no take ship six moon to ketch dat
country"
"Yas," meekly.
Den why he poke no hab hawns, an
why he bullock no hab foot, like SOP
In other words, what do you know
about the far away home of the white
stranger? and what do you know of the
relation of horns and hoofs as accidents
of the white mans cattle in that distant
land2 His skin, his habits, his achieve.
ments, and his native land are unlike
your own. By what right, then, resting
within your own limited knowledge, do
you propose to restrict him to a hornless
hog and to conventionality in bullock
feet?
This was enough. About went the
boats, and down the river scurried the
whole flock as fast as flashing paddles
could drive their clumsy crafts along,
leaving my unupsettable old liar standing
squarely on his feet. But whether he had
convinced them that they did not know
bread fruit from gourds when it came to
a question of foreign commerce, or
whether they abandoned him i'll despair
because they considered him such an I'M
~speakahle fool that it were folly to con-
test the matter with him, l have often
wondered.
No, l didn't give them back their oil,
for they ate my mutton first, and then
attempted to repudiate the transaction
atterward.
So, because expediency and gratitude
were both enlisted with the Ashantee, !
accepted the monkey, tied him by the
neck to a post of the veranda, and resumed
my seat and pipe. This left the donor
nothing else to do than to walk off, and
a picture he made of it as he went. Black,
oily and stately, the leading features Of
his dress were a sadly battered miners
hat and a tired looking pair of sailors
trnt1Cnru Hn1Anl on xr,tI 4. -
from which dangled a bayonet scabbard
that had evidently seen hard service up
at the English garrison at Sierra Leone.
Nevertheless, Notwithstanding this in
congruity of accouterment, he had u
stately seeming about him as he stalked
away.
But the monkey As large as a cat,
legs like a spiders. tail like an ugly,
wiggly strip of unrest, hair reddish and
coarse, black, iniquitous face, eyes small,
unsteady, and lit with sin; take these and
take my monkey. There he sat. grinning
and chattering in a small, idle way, and
looking like an illustration of crude unre
generation.i
| fixed my eyes upon him. He returned
the stare. Plainly we were about to be-
come acquainted. Presently | got tired
of n sort of thing that was fast growing
to be a mutual gloat, and looked away.
In n few minutes | was doing, but very
shortly awoke, and opened my eyes in
time to see hat little yoke fellow of ras-
cality leave off tampering with the rolling
hitch which | had used in knotting his
cord to the post, in order to substitute
the mild pretense of a flea aunt for his
real purpose. OF course | immediately
went to sleep again. That is to say, l
yelled my eyes with lowered lids and
lashes, and surreptitiously watched for n
renewal of his attentions to that knot.
Presently he ventured n furtive glance in
my direction; then, as if satisfied with
the result, he threw off his disguise, and
resumed his original occupation. Two
minutes more and he was free. / know
1T has the appearance of coming it
strong to say that he had gotten the
mastery over a rolling hitch, and l throw
nnnn the fncts of thn cnsa tLa -a.aa.-i